"Surround yourself with people who don't look like you," advised Verba, the head of service strategy at TD Bank, earning applause from a ballroom full of top industry executives at Cipriani Wall Street on Thursday night.
And do so consciously, she said.
Verba, who plans to retire at the end of the year, received her award at American Banker's 2017 Most Powerful Women in Banking gala.
VERBA: Strongly believe diversity, ladies and gentlemen, is not a buzz word. Diversity is the fabric of our being, it is part of who we are. It requires action. It requires awareness. Surround yourself with people who are different from you, who don’t look like you.