If there's anyone who "gets" the need to develop key talent through inclusive workplace practices, it's Kerrie Peraino. American Express' chief diversity officer is the best advertisement for her own company's policies. She took on her new role in September, just two months after the birth of her third child.

"My husband and I always wanted to have three children, and I'm pretty goal-oriented … It's really about keeping your priorities straight ... your network and the infrastructure you set up around you," she says.

When she returned from an earlier maternity leave, she worked three days a week and was managing four direct reports who were scattered around the globe. She was promoted to vice president during this period.

"It's a great success story--not just for me but for the company--to say that we absolutely recognize contribution," she says.

Peraino joined the company in 1996 and took on increasingly responsible positions in communications and human relations. Her most recent job: vice president of human resources for global travel services. Peraino is a natural fit to emphasize global diversity. "The reality is diversity happens country by country in the marketplace," she says.

She cites the company's 13 employee networks with 52 chapters globally. In the United States, American Express has a Black Employees Network (BEN), but in the United Kingdom, where the demographics are different, the similar network is a combined Black and Asian Network (BAAN).

When she took on the chief diversity role, many people asked her if she was worried that diversity would fall off the radar because of the economy.

"I am actually finding the exact opposite," she says. "At a time when traditional streams of revenue are not what they once were, it becomes even more important for every line of business to be paying attention to different customer segments."