The second annual AL DÍA 40 Under Forty event will serve to highlight and showcase some of the most diverse and impactful young professionals across the Philadelphia region.

At the event, taking place on August 27, 2021, Leah Murphy will be one of the 40 honorees. She is the senior manager of corporate strategy at Campbell Soup Co.

For Murphy, AL DÍA’s 2021 40 Under Forty honor is her second 40 Under Forty award of 2021, as she was also recognized as part of the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2021 class.

It’s well deserved for her as the senior manager of corporate strategy of Campbell Soup Co., a role she’s held for two years. Before that, Murphy rose in the ranks of the company over six years, starting as a process engineer in March of 2013.

Before Campbell’s, Murphy was at General Mills for more than six years, starting as an operations management associate and rising to a project manager.

She is a graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia, and then went on to get her Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Temple University. Murphy’s education continued in 2018 and 2019 with credits at Drexel’s Lebow College of Business and then Yale University.

Here are Leah Murphy's responses: 

As a Black woman working in corporate America the biggest challenge that I have faced is implicit bias. I like many other women have had to overcome wage disparity and discrimination throughout my career which is why I think it is so important that I tell my story so that others know that they are not alone in their experience. I also make it a point to be a collaborative resource to allies who are actively working towards change in these areas.

The first step to improving diversity, equity and inclusion is elevating DEI as a business imperative. One way to do this is incorporating a visible and measurable  DEI objective for every employee in the organization tracking performance over time.

In order to move past performative gestures that are often reactive, leadership in institutions of higher learning and corporations would be served to use their power to invite marginalized voices into decision making, actively listen to those who are being excluded and then take action to disrupt the status quo for lasting change.

I am constantly evolving as a leader. What remains constant is my commitment to leading based on my values which are anchored in servant leadership. My core values are to put people first, lead with empathy, act with intention, and communicate authentically.

In five years,

1. Continuing a life of purpose in service to others through public speaking and publishing books.

2. Build generational wealth for myself and my family through asset ownership.

3. Remain happily married to my wonderful husband as we raise our children to become empathetic, self-aware global citizens.

4. Investing in fulfilling relationships with my tribe that support my mental health and well-being.