Diversity Journal Runs Profiles of ‘Women Worth Watching’ Sarah Schultz, Amy Wollensack

Profiles in Diversity Journal has announced its 2023 Women Worth Watching in Leadership Awards, and Akin financial restructuring partner Sarah Schultz and private equity partner Amy Wollensack are among the honorees. In connection with this honor, Diversity Journal has published short essays from all the honorees.

Sarah wrote on the positive changes in the workplace, a “seismic shift,” wrought by COVID-19, including the mainstreaming of remote work. As she notes, “This shift undoubtedly affirmed what many of us already knew—work from home does not mean less productive or less dedicated.”

She notes that mental health and well-being were placed front and center: “Employers recognized the significance of supporting their employees’ emotional and mental wellness in the face of uncertainty.”

The pandemic, Sarah writes, spurred reflections on the purpose of work itself, along with career reassessment, moves to more-compatible fields, and recognition of the value of being away from the office. She notes that, as the pandemic abates, “one thing is clear—the pandemic has changed the world of work…And women, more specifically mothers, who historically were the primary consumers of flexible work arrangements, are joined by workers of all gender, marital and parental status.” The new work environment, she writes, is one that allows all employees to meet personal and professional needs.

In Amy’s essay, she writes about an acquisition transaction that she led in mid-2020 in which all the lawyers dialed into the introductory video conference were Black women. The fact that none of them had ever been on a client team led only by women and, especially, Black women, led to discussion among the participants. A year later, she writes, in a different deal, she and the lawyer opposite were both Black women M&A lawyers, something neither practitioner had ever experienced.

She notes of the diversity-oriented coverage given the latter deal, “While I understand the significance of this given the historic lack of diversity in the legal industry—and particularly in transactional practices—and appreciate that the visibility that might lead others to consider private equity and M&A to be a viable career path, it’s still a bit mind boggling to me that it is of note when people who look like me do their jobs. I’m hopeful that these experiences are signs of change, and that the visibility of black women in transaction practice inspires others to follow suit.”

To read the full profiles, click here.