WEX’s Kerry McBride Featured in The Glass Hammer

Kerry McBride is a leader, not only through her versatility and confidence, but also through her ability to lead others to success. She recently gave one of her direct reports a year-long assignment that was a bit out of his comfort zone, but with her guidance, she gave him the opportunity to branch out and be successful. Ms. McBride says, “He was proud of himself, as was I. As I progress in my own career, I find the coaching role highly satisfying.” As she’s had such a positive experience at WEX, Ms. McBride seizes the opportunity to give back to the company and help other employees find their paths here. She considers her own mentors to be integral to her success, and wants to provide that same support and guidance to her employees.

The Glass Hammer Talks Facing New Challenges with Kerry McBride

Part of what has made Ms. McBride’s experience at WEX so positive has been the culture of acceptance and the ability to test the waters in a number of areas within the company. “When I started at WEX I was delighted it was an organization with so much flexibility to try different things. I have been very fortunate that the company promotes stepping out of your comfort zone in a supportive way.” She started out at WEX as a temp, and quickly climbed the corporate ladder, taking on roles as a business analyst and project manager, and eventually being named director of applications development. After spending 21 years on the North American Fleet line of business, Ms. McBride was asked to take on an assignment to build a U.S.-based development team to support the International Fleet line of business. Ms. McBride has felt supported by WEX and has been able to have a breadth of work experiences.

The company’s open-minded culture transcends into how employees treat and respect one and other. Ms. McBride is comfortable being out at work, and explains to The Glass Hammer, “It’s just one aspect of my life, but it’s who I am, and I appreciate that I can just be myself without a division of a ‘work persona’ and a ‘home persona.’” Being able to openly speak about her partner has lifted a barrier between her personal life and work-life, and has allowed for friendships to form seamlessly with her coworkers. She appreciates the ability to open the minds of her coworkers who may have never known an openly gay person, and her experience is a testament to how supportive and unprejudiced the people at WEX can be.

Each month, The Glass Hammer featured the stories and achievements of female WEX employees to help women in the professional world reach higher in their careers.

About WEX and The Glass Hammer

The Glass Hammer was founded as a career resource for professional women. The site provided advice, coaching, and networking opportunities for professional women, namely in finance, technology, and banking. As a sponsor of The Glass Hammer, WEX contributed monthly to this immensely helpful, highly valuable resource for women as they reached higher in their careers and lives.