PEOPLE ON THE MOVE
Ralph Gilles
John C. Peoples
J.P. Suarez
Atul Bajpai
Marge Connelly
204 | DiversityInc June 2006
DaimlerChrysler, No. 43 on The 2006
DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for
Diversity list, promoted Ralph Gilles to vice
president, Jeep/Truck and Component
Design, Chrysler Group. Gilles has held
roles of increased responsibility since joining Chrysler Group in 1992, most recently
as Truck Studio director. He is credited with
developing two of Auburn Hills,
Mich.–based Chrysler’s most popular 2005
vehicles during his tenure as primary interior designer. Gilles holds a bachelor’s degree
in transportation design from the Center
for Creative Studies and an MBA from
Michigan State University.
John C. Peoples was elected chairman of
the board of directors of the National
Industries for the Blind (NIB), based in
Alexandria, Va. First elected to the board in
2001, Peoples has chaired the audit and
finance committee and participated in the
strategic-planning and budget-review committees. Current managing partner with
Global Lead Management Consulting,
Peoples previously worked for Procter &
Gamble, one of DiversityInc’s 25
Noteworthy Companies, in marketing and
customer business development. He is
active in several organizations, including
The Presidents Roundtable; The Baltimore
School for the Arts, Center Stage; and
Baltimore Education Scholarship Trust. A
published author on diversity best practices,
Peoples holds degrees in economics and
African-American studies from the
University of Virginia.
Wal-Mart, one of DiversityInc’s 25
Noteworthy Companies, named J.P. Suarez
senior vice president and chief compliance
officer for U.S. operations. In his new role,
Suarez is streamlining environmental-,
privacy-, immigration- and operational-compliance functions, as well as asset protection for all U.S. divisions. Suarez previously was senior vice president of asset protection and compliance for Wal-Mart Stores
Division. Before joining the Bentonville,
Ark.–based retailer, Suarez was assistant
administrator for enforcement and compliance at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. Suarez holds a bachelor’s degree in
English and drama from Tufts University
and a law degree from the University of
Pennsylvania Law School.
Wachovia, No. 21 on The 2006
DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity
list, named Atul Bajpai managing director
and CEO for the Corporate and Investment
Bank in Europe and head of European
Fixed Income. Based in London in this
newly created role, Bajpai is responsible for
advancing the firm’s corporate business
strategy and managing all European fixed-income origination and distribution activities. Bajpai joined Charlotte, N.C.–based
Wachovia from Dresdner Kleinwort
Wasserstein, where he was managing director and global head of debt-principal
finance, asset-backed conduits and securiti-zation. He began his career in fixed income
more than 15 years ago at Goldman Sachs.
Joining Wachovia’s securities-brokerage
arm, Wachovia Securities, is Marge Connelly,
who was named chief operating officer and
president of the business-services group. In
this role, Connelly oversees critical operations, processing and corporate support
functions. She also is a member of the
Richmond, Va.–based company’s operating
committee. Connelly joined Wachovia
Securities from Capital One. A graduate of
the University of Delaware, where she
earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, she holds membership on the boards
of the Greater Richmond YMCA, the World
Affairs Council, Richmond Renaissance, the
Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the
Greater Richmond Partnership.
MTV Networks named Colette Chestnut
executive vice president and chief financial
officer. She manages MTV Networks’ financial operations and is a member of the MTV
Networks Management Committee. Prior to
joining MTV Networks, Chestnut was chief
financial officer for advertising agencies
JWT and TBWA. She also worked at
The Lowe Group of Companies and was a
senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers
(No. 6 on The 2006 DiversityInc Top 50
Companies for Diversity list).
