Victoria placed her leather portfolio on the table.
CHAPTER 7
Then she removed her CEO badge.
She placed it in front of them.
Silence.
Richard's mouth opened.
No words came.
Sandra whispered:
“No.”
Victoria sat down.
“Yes.”
The chairman looked around the table.
“Everyone, this is Victoria Matthews, our new Chief Executive Officer.”
Nobody moved.
Victoria looked directly at Richard.
“Good afternoon.”
He finally spoke.
“You…”
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
“Yes?”
“You were…”
“The cleaning contractor?”
Sandra's face turned red.
Victoria leaned back.
“Apparently.”
Nobody laughed.
The room was too tense.
She opened her portfolio.
“I spent today learning about the company.”
She placed a folder on the table.
“Operations.”
Another.
“Human Resources.”
Another.
“Vendor contracts.”
Another.
“Employee complaints.”
Richard swallowed.
Victoria looked at him.
“You told me this morning that support staff expenses had been reduced to meet quarterly targets.”
“Yes.”
“While your brother's company received $4.8 million in consulting payments.”
Richard stared.
“That is a legitimate arrangement.”
“Perhaps.”
She placed another document down.
“Then you won't mind explaining why the consulting agreement was never reviewed by the board.”
The general counsel leaned forward.
“That's unusual.”
Victoria looked at him.
“Very.”
Sandra spoke.
“Victoria, there was no reason for you to misrepresent yourself.”
Victoria looked at her.
“I didn't misrepresent myself.”
“You allowed us to believe you were maintenance.”
“You believed what you wanted to believe.”
Sandra fell silent.
Victoria continued.
“And that is precisely why I stayed.”
She opened another file.
“Today, I was ordered to kneel and clean an executive bathroom.”
Nobody spoke.
Richard looked down.
Sandra closed her eyes.
Victoria continued.
“I was told people like me always miss the corners.”
She paused.
“Then I was told the company didn't need another diversity hire.”
The room became completely silent.
Victoria folded her hands.
“I could have fired everyone involved.”
Richard looked up.
“But I didn't.”
“Why?” the CFO asked.
Victoria looked around the room.
“Because firing individuals won't fix a culture.”
She tapped the folders.
“We're going to fix the system.”
Victoria called Denise Carter into the boardroom.
Denise entered nervously.
She stopped when she saw Sandra.
Then Richard.
Then the CEO.
Victoria stood.
“Denise, this is a safe meeting.”
Denise looked uncertain.
Victoria continued.
“No retaliation will be permitted.”
Richard shifted in his chair.
Victoria noticed.