Alice Chun: Female Inventor, Founder and CEO of Solight Design, Inc.

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Alice Chun“We’re all drops in the ocean, but together we can move the moon. Small things matter. Because if we all do one small act, together, collectively and as a community, we can move mountains, and that’s always been the case,” says Alice Chun. “I think we each create a ripple in the water from just a drop, and that if we all work together, this change can really occur. It’s not just one thing that’s going to be the answer to our issues, it’s going to be an ecosystem of many things working together to create resilience.”

We interviewed Alice Chun, female inventor and co-founder and CEO of Solight-Design. Born in Korea, she immigrated to the U.S. as a child and grew up in upstate New York. Since learning origami from her mother as a girl, Chun has been fascinated with the possibilities of using imagination and design to change our world for the better.

Exploring emerging trends in material technology – lighter, faster and sustainable – she began experimenting with sewing solar panels to fabric while teaching Architecture and Material Technology at Columbia University. When her son Quinn was diagnosed with asthma, which is 40% more likely for children in New York City, she became aware of the staggering pollution from energy consumption and the deadly impacts of kerosene in off-the-grid places of the world. Chun became focused on creating clean light solutions that harness solar energy.

Her TedX talk, 10 Million Rays of Light, focuses on the story behind her first invention, the SolarPuff™, the world’s only self-inflatable, portable solar light. With the backing of a KickStarter campaign, Chun launched Solight Design. Her origami-inspired lights run the gamut from art exhibition to humanitarian aid. They’ve been exhibited at MOMA, featured in The New York Times for summer gatherings and lit the night for Syrian refugees.

Chun holds several patents and has won the US Patent Award for Humanity. Advocating that design provides dignity, Chun is passionate about getting her lights to people and children in crisis zones and off-the-grid areas. She’s brought many thousands of her lights to crisis areas, as well as worked with NGOS to deliver and distribute them.

Going on these “light drops,” she’s personally traveled to Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Dominica and Haiti (nearly 20 times). As we talked with her in December 2022, she was about to head to the Ukraine. More than anything, she seeks to spark the light in each of us that can together impact the world. We talked with Chun about creating impact as a female inventor.

On growing up in a creative household:

“I was born in Korea. I was blessed that my mother was an artist and my father was an architect. It was post-war and my parents had to immigrate to the United States because of my father’s position doing the World Trade Pavilion in Montreal for the World Expo. They came first, and then sent for me later. I was four years old when I came to join them.

My mom taught me origami, like many Asians. And back then it was more novel. I grew up in a very creative household that taught me, at an early age, that you can use your imagination to make things and you can help yourself through difficulties by using your creative senses.

Everything that I’ve done was never really planned. When I went to college, I went for Architectural design. After my masters at University of Pennsylvania, I started to teach architecture (Columbia University, Parsons the New School), but teaching first found me by accident. I didn’t find it.”

On how imagination is the ability to create something better:

“While I was teaching in architecture, we started to do community outreach projects with architecture students. Around Philadelphia, there were so many abandoned sites and parks that were just rotting away. We were putting in planters and benches and building a little playground. It was so rewarding to see how it transformed those communities.

Kids would come up curious and ask what we were doing. We’d tell them, ‘We’re architecture students and we’re building architecture for you.’ So they would ask what architecture was. And we would explain that whatever you can imagine, you can also make a model of and then you can build something new. It is all about design. Design is about imagining something different and more beautiful for your environment.

Being able to interact with the community and learn from them, as well as teaching them about architecture and empowerment, was a real moment of feeling that I could make a difference and what we were doing mattered. I wanted to continue to do that.”

Alice Chun in Haiti

Alice Chun in Haiti

On the moments that catalyze the impulse of innovation:

“Whenever I was teaching, I used to tell this story: the story of time. The Greeks believed that there are two characters of time. One is Chronos, who is old with a beard and a cane. His line of time is predictable and very straight. Then, there is Kairos, the young character of time. His line of time is very unpredictable and chaotic.

We all experience those two lines of time, every day of our lives. When those two lines intersect, those are the moments of opportunity and the moments of invention. And it’s a matter of leaning in or leaning back when those moments happen.

So if I look at the trajectory of my inventions, and why they occurred, it’s because of problems I saw. I would never have imagined that my child would be born with asthma. And there was climate change and natural disasters and the earthquake in Haiti. All of that was the impetus for me to step back and say, ‘Enough is enough. We have to do something to help.’

I was the materials lab director at Columbia University, and my focus was on natural materials. There’s far more intelligence and knowledge in natural materials than the petrol-based plastics that we’ve been using for four decades. So, I was sewing solar panels to fabric and then substrates, to basically invent something new as a material: a solar harvesting surface to make everything thinner, lighter, faster and smarter.

The only way I knew how to lean in to help in Haiti was to turn my studio at Columbia into an innovation studio. So, what I was doing before evolved. And that’s when we realized this detriment that’s happening globally. 1.6 billion people don’t have access to electricity, and they’re using kerosene to light their world at night. Two million children die from the toxins. In South Africa alone, there’s 200,000 house fires every year. That was the impetus for asking ‘What can we do?’ and ‘How can we help?’

So every time, it’s really about those two lines of time intersecting – and then saying ‘How can we solve this problem?’ and ‘How can we do better?’”

On the magic when necessity meets curiosity:

“Sometimes you’re confronted with a problem, and you don’t know what to do. You just know that something has to be done. It sticks in the back of your mind as something that gnaws at you. Every time, at that point for me, that’s where the spark of curiosity came.

They say ‘the mother of invention is necessity,’ but ‘the daughter of invention is curiosity.’ So with curiosity, you’re constantly questioning – What if? Or could it be like this? Or maybe there’s an answer here, or there? Once the problem sticks in your brain, everything else becomes a window for opportunity because then you’re already beginning to connect the dots.

Curiosity is directly related to imagination and creativity and problem solving. What’s most important are the questions that you ask, not so much the answers. It’s those questions that end up creating something new. So with asthma and pollution and health, for example, I had already been researching solar energy and the connection to cutting pollution. 75% of the pollution in NYC comes from buildings and energy consumption. But the sun is free and it’s limitless and it’s the most powerful source of energy that comes to the Earth every day.

So the dots begin to align and connect. You may not have the answer right away, but it’s a matter of continuing and keeping that thread open to connect to the next dot when it happens.”

On breaking through the ceiling of fixed perception:

“So-Light Design is a small company. I’m one person. I’m a mom, I’m a teacher. The paradox is that we’re a small company, but we’ve had a big impact – purely because we’re just doing what we feel is right. But we’ve been able to impact over a million lives worldwide because of our mission.

So what I’m always trying to break through is the boundaries that we all create when we perceive the world in a certain way.

For instance, early on when I was traveling to these red zones, everyone told me not to go. People said I would be shot or raped or kidnapped. But I went to Nigeria and Makoko there – which is the largest slum in sub-Saharan Africa. I met the most amazing and kindest people and witnessed the impact of the light that I brought. Then I went to Haiti. People were telling me not to go there, too. I’ve been there twenty times now, and I’ve befriended amazing people. Now people are telling me not to go to Ukraine because it’s a war zone, but I am going.

I want people to know that there’s always two sides of the story. There’s not just one narrative or only one way to see anything. Part of creating art is to break through the preconceived way we see the world. It’s a big issue right now – with racism, discrimination, with war – it’s so prevalent and we have to change it. There’s so much that we have to gain and to learn – historically and culturally – from breaking out of our narrow perceptions.”

On inventing a product that spans from MOMA to crisis zones:

“Because of my background as a designer, I have the three design cornerstones of durability, beauty and functionality or utility. Those are the same three cornerstones of architecture and they could also transfer into a way of thinking about business and being an entrepreneur.

It’s hard to get all three, but I think beauty is something that needs to be addressed in design. When giving out humanitarian aid in places like Haiti, I’ve witnessed some NGOs have a tendency to buy the cheap stuff to hit the mark on how many items they’ve donated. But they’re often the cheapest flashlights or the cheapest solar panels, and they end up in the landfill in a short time because they don’t work.

I’ve not seen many organizations who drop off supplies give any attention to beauty, wonder or awe. But I think all of that is just as important as utility. Why can’t we give beauty, wonder and awe? Because if you don’t have that, you don’t have hope. If you don’t have hope, you’re going to die.

I remember a fascinating moment after the earthquake in Haiti, when there was rubble everywhere and tent camps were popping up. I saw this woman coming out of a tent camp and she was dressed in red and perfectly made up with lipstick. I don’t know, but that lipstick seemed to make the day for her because it was the moment of beauty, wonder and awe.

In my perspective, design provides dignity and good design should be able to sustain a life in Nantucket or Nigeria. Good design doesn’t have boundaries – like culture or race. It doesn’t discriminate. So good design should incorporate awe and wonder as well as being useful. I don’t think many NGOs think about that, or how important it is for the stakeholders and the cultural societal aspects of wherever these issues exist.”

Syrian refugees with Chun’s SolarPuff™ lights

On igniting possibilities through ‘light drops’:

“I put a thousand lights in my luggage and I flew down to Dominica. I didn’t really know where I was going. I just wanted to go to the Kalinago territory. The Kalinago are the oldest Indian tribe in the Northern Hemisphere. I’d heard that they had been hit the hardest with Hurricane Maria.

Through a fortunate chain of serendipitous conversations as I arrived, I was positioned to visit seven different schools in the Kalinago region. I saw five kids living in a one room house with a single mom. They had their one meal a day at school and no electricity to do their homework at night. I resisted the urge to just hand out the lights, because I wanted to tell them why I was there, why they’re so important and why we haven’t forgotten about them.

I shared that I came from a poor beginning and was beat up a lot when I was a kid, because I didn’t look like the other kids. I was the only Asian. And I didn’t fight with my fists. I ended up fighting with the light in my mind and the light in my heart. And I tell the kids, ‘You have to fight with that light in your heart and that light in your imagination. Keep fighting with that light and don’t use your fist. And I’m giving this light to you because now you can hold the Sun in your hands. And the Sun is the most powerful source of energy that comes to the Earth every day. But the light of your imagination and the light of your heart is even more powerful than the Sun.’

The kids cackle and giggle and I reassure them, ‘Yes, you are that powerful and if you keep fighting with the light of your heart, there’s nothing you can’t do.’ I tell them to use this light for their homework, so their dreams and ambitions can grow. A lot of the girls look at me in disbelief and say, ‘What! You made this?’ Even some of the elderly women or teachers can’t believe it. That’s really important to me, because in that ‘aha’ moment, they are saying to themselves, She’s a woman and she did this. Maybe I can. I have the power to do that, too.

Sharing that narrative with them is more important to me than delivering lights. That’s the other reason why I go on the light drops.”

On encouraging more female inventors:

“In my research, I went back into history and some of the women were excluded from patents they should have been on. But, overall the number of women on patents is so small, and that needs to change, too. My hope is that when I speak to kids and young women, that it will inspire them to use their imagination and change the world for the better by solving a problem and creating something new.

It goes back again to two characters of invention – the mother of invention being necessity and the daughter being curiosity. Those are two female characters, but only 13% of inventors are women in the United States patent and trademark office. And then in terms of entrepreneurship, far less than 1% of IPO businesses are led by female founders and only 2.3% of venture founding partners are women.

We need more girls and women in STEM programs and more funding for women and female minorities in terms of scholarship and grants. But the only way we’re going to change the amount of investment that goes into female-run entrepreneurs is getting more female businesses to get an IPO. So there’s this kind of chicken and egg thing happening.”

On her trip to the Ukraine:

“We’re going to get about 5,000 lights to Ukraine. But in my luggage, I’m bringing 1,000 with me. Our colored light was used for PTSD for children after Hurricane Maria. It has different color options, and we hadn’t realized this would be helpful to the kids. But we found out that the different colors actually help them calm down at night and it helps them to sleep. After an earthquake and there’s no light, the kids are so frightened. So they were used as night lights for kids in shock or with PTSD after the hurricane.

When I heard about the blackouts happening in this children’s hospital in Ukraine, I knew I had to go deliver these colored lights. They told me the nurses were taking three hours to calm the kids down after the blackouts. There are over two hundred kids and most of them are refugees, and there’s two more hospitals in Lviv. I’ll also go to Kiev. Over 2.5 million children are currently displaced within the country.

These hospitals have generators, but they are using that for essentials like heat and the ICU. These lights and phone chargers are going to be critical for light at night and charging. This is a lifelong traumatic event. And after the war, it’s going to take years and decades to rebuild.

But my greatest hope for the future is our children. Whenever something happens, dealing with children especially, I try to do whatever I can and often travel to deliver lights. I’m inspired by my own son and by all the kids that I meet along the way and in different countries. I’m inspired by how smart and intelligent and enthusiastic and hopeful they are about the future, and passionate that they know they can create.”

 

 

For more on Alice Min Soo Chun, check out coverage in Marie Claire’s Powertrip 2022, The Skimm, The Story Exchange, Fast Company, The New York Times, Cheddar, Huffington Post, and Men’s Journal. Chun was nominated for USPTO Patents for Humanitarian Winner in 2018. She was named among Forbes 50 Over 50 recognizable women of 2022. She is co-author of the book Ground Rules for Humanitarian Design. During the pandemic, she also launched a business selling patented transparent face shields and respirator masks, SEEUS95.

By Aimee Hansen

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Ruth Harper: SVP, Chief Communications & Sustainability Officer, ManpowerGroup

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Ruth Harper“Getting comfortable with uncomfortable conversations is an ideal way to prepare for a job interview, whether it’s going for a position at a new job or putting your hat in the ring for an opportunity with your current employer,” says Ruth Harper.

Harper speaks to the thread that has motivated her all along, supporting women at work and unleashing the opportunities that work can provide.

The Joy Of Empowering Lives

“I witnessed firsthand how the economy can thrive or not, subject to how the world of work works for people or doesn’t. I grew up in a neighborhood in a time when industry was declining, and so there was industrial action and people were out of work, impacting families in a significant way,” says Harper. “My own father had to travel for work. I learned very early about the power of work in somebody’s life, and what happens when you take it away. It’s closely connected to what drives me today.”

Harper grew up in Northern England, an industrial powerhouse, and now lives in Milwaukee, yet another industrial powerhouse. One of the first in her family to go to university and then postgraduate studies, both in human and economic geography, she became a geography teacher – including a stint in the girl’s school once attended by Margaret Thatcher, who became the first female prime minister in the UK.

Curious about what else lay beyond teaching, Harper moved to London and worked with a ‘temp agency’ to figure out how to reinvent herself in work. She was able to transfer her skills to influencing and motivating employment policy, helping unemployed people get back to work and bridging the public and private sectors. It felt meaningful and gratifying, and she was learning a lot while figuring out how to set up public-private partnerships.

“I was working with purpose-driven people who were determined to create opportunities and results that would change people’s lives,” reflects Harper. “The privilege of working on that pulled me into ManpowerGroup. Here I am, 20 years later, still having a nearly first-hand opportunity to create impact. For example, through Manpower’s MyPath program which provides the guidance, support and training people need to build their confidence and employability.”

She notes that while the changing world of work can be exciting, it can be daunting for people in fast-changing industries whose job security feels more volatile: “Being able to address that anxiety and unleash ambition, and to help layout pathways to work for people feels like a thread back to what I could see when I was growing up.”

Supporting Women To Thrive At Work

Harper notes that ManpowerGroup’s Chairman & CEO, Jonas Prising, originally from Sweden, has publicly declared a measurable goal of 50% women in leadership by 2025. Getting familiar with the factors and barriers that can drive women away or block women from the workplace is critical.

“I think organizations need to look at how they help women continue to progress in their career, even when they are part-time or take a break,” says Harper, who spent her own maternity leave in Europe, where she had a year with both of her sons before returning. “Otherwise, we’re never going to get 50% women in leadership because organizations will keep churning out great female talent, who will seek opportunities to balance life and work elsewhere.”

Back in her early days, working in the field of employment policy and government relations with ManpowerGroup, it was not unusual for Harper to walk into rooms full of 55+ year-old white men. They were as likely to assume she was there to take the notes versus contribute to the discussion.

“I learned from a 55 year old male boss at the time to get in there early with a contribution to the discussion. Number one, other people feel relieved and appreciate it when somebody says something first and are likely to even build on it,” advises Harper. “And I learned that contributing early liberates you to relax and enjoy the discussion, because you’re not beating yourself up about not having said anything yet. You may find you are building up to something even bigger to say, but at least you feel good because you’ve contributed.”

She advises the same with networking: “Lots of people don’t love networking. Most people will welcome somebody else walking over to them and saying something; being the first person to put other people at ease is good for you and good for others. It’s a great icebreaker and network builder.”

Navigating Your Desires and Career Journey

Harper likes to surround herself with smart people who bring different perspectives. Curiosity has always pulled her to ask the question ‘what next’. Humility has supported her when she didn’t know that answer.

“Raise your hand, take stuff on and see where it leads you,” advises Harper. “But more importantly, and what I did not always do, is to be confident about articulating where you might want to go, even if it’s not exactly where you might end up, so people have a comprehension of your ambition.”

She encourages women to ask themselves: Am I good with this? Or do I want something different or more? Do I know what that is? How might I get it? Who should I talk to that can help me hone in on what I want?

“Be comfortable with these open-ended questions and then know where your mentors and your people are so that you can have those discussions to help shape your own thought process,” says Harper. “Each person will give you a different set of questions, and that can help you shape a full viewpoint.”

Whether it’s her very supportive husband, or peers inside and outside of the organization, somebody will be able to reflect in a way that helps brings clarity – and sometimes, that means waiting not jumping.

“This is way more of a jungle gym than it is a ladder, so don’t always think that it’s only the vacancy or the opportunity right now that is your opportunity,” says Harper. “Keep going and working it out, until you find or create those opportunities for you.”

Taking On Bigger Leadership Roles

Accordingly, Harper points out that her role of Chief Sustainability Officer did not even exist a couple of years ago.

“There’s nothing more socially impactful than having the dignity to go out and earn a decent living and bring that back to the family and contribute to the community,” says Harper. “At ManpowerGroup, we believe meaningful, sustainable employment has the power to change the world. So, I’m asking how do we, as one of the largest organizations in our industry, set the highest standards and then bring others into that?”

As she’s moved up the ranks, it’s been about “getting out of the weeds” to keep a strategic overview while developing and trusting others. And that means giving people the freedom and safety to do things differently to her (and perhaps even better). “That’s also how I can continue to progress to new and different things – by bringing others with me, so we all rise together and have opportunities.”

Considering herself a talker from a family of talkers, she’s fairly direct in cracking how to get things done. Getting better at deep listening to others, and allowing the pauses in their expression, has been a valuable growth zone.

A mentor of 20 years taught her that leadership style must be versatile and individualized to whoever you are leading. It means both equipping and giving someone the opportunity to run with a project and keeping just enough of an eye to help point them back on track if they are going off-course.

In the spirit of fostering a growth culture at every level, Harper is herself inspired by leaders who are willing to reveal their human side, admit they don’t know something or ask for advice on an idea that is not fully baked.

“I’m really inspired when someone in a senior position puts work in front of me and invites me to build on it, because it shows openness that I might be able to add something to make it even better,” says Harper. “That always motivates me to find really good and constructive input.”

Expressing gratitude at the stage of asking someone to do something, even before they’re delivered (“thank you for…”) is an approach she’s also picked up along the way, showing trust and humility.

Being Purpose-Driven and Making Impact

Harper finds when there is genuine camaraderie in the workplace, people pull together for great things. One of her most humbling and rewarding experiences has been ManpowerGroup’s response efforts to the Ukraine crisis, especially in the Central and Eastern European offices.

“Our Ukraine planning call was the hardest I’ve been on in my 20 years here, but the most inspirational leadership I’ve ever seen, watching people who are really purpose-driven go above and beyond, every day but also on days when it’s needed most,” she says. “And, then how do we continue to do that for refugees or underrepresented groups, too, and find ways to make more impact?”

Recently reflecting on her 20 years at ManpowerGroup, Harper realized she’d moved through many different opportunities and roles, and it hasn’t been a linear journey. What has run through everything is the red thread of getting more people into work and impacting individual lives.

She has two boys, ages 15 and 12, who play American football, soccer and hockey, so being a part of what they love is important to her. She values being present and enjoys traveling, getting outside and good food.

By Aimee Hansen

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Alena Brenner: Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary at Cornerstone Building Brands

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Alena Brenner “I realized—and it is a powerful attitude shifter—that everyone you encounter as you navigate your career is in a stage of development,” says Alena Brenner. “While we all have things we are working on, you can still learn from everyone and every interaction.” Brenner, executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Cornerstone Building Brands, talks about how the immigrant experience influences her work, inventing her own career path to prioritize balance with longevity, networking in male-dominated industries and allowing mistakes to fuel her learning and growth trajectory.

Shaped By the Immigration Experience

When she was a girl, Brenner’s family escaped from Ukraine before the country achieved independence from the former Soviet Union, receiving asylum in the United States. While learning a new language and acclimating to a new culture, she watched her parents work multiple jobs to give their family a new start and a better life.

“The immigrant experience is core to who I am, and because it is so foundational to my identity, I have a natural tendency to put in the hard work it takes to recognize and seize opportunities to learn and grow,” says Brenner. “When my family left Ukraine to pursue a better life, I felt the benefit and burden to both live up to expectations and have gratitude for the opportunities available to me that I would not have had if my family had not immigrated to the United States.”

While she was in high school, she won a scholarship offered by her father’s union to children of union members which allowed Brenner to attend Cornell University. After college, as she considered opportunities to land in a ‘respectable’ field that would provide financial independence and allow her to pursue a variety of career options, she turned to law.

Upon graduating from Fordham University School of Law, Brenner spent nine years with a prestigious law firm, but knew she didn’t want to pursue the partner track. While Brenner was going through a divorce and raising two young children, an in-house opportunity at Anheuser-Busch InBev in New York City became available. Brenner accepted the challenge and went on to play a crucial role in helping integrate two companies after a merger to build the foundation for a new global enterprise.

Forging Her Own Career

“Everyone is on a different path. Some paths may not be linear and may depend on where you are in your life’s journey,” says Brenner. “You’re going to learn to prioritize different things at different stages in your life.”

As a global executive in a high-profile, high-stakes business, Brenner’s career was exciting. But while she loved her job and admired her boss, the pace the work required was not sustainable as she managed the challenges of being a single mother. Though still highly career-driven and ambitious, she realized she wanted to be closer to family and to have the support and balance that offered.

Brenner moved to Miami where her parents lived and accepted a position as corporate counsel with Ryder System, Inc.— a $9 billion transportation and logistics company. She was quickly promoted and eventually became Deputy General Counsel, having expanded the scope of her role significantly. Nine years later, she was tapped to lead Cornerstone Building Brands legal function, a C-Suite role she began in 2021.

Inquisitive and a planner/builder by nature, Brenner has always been interested in learning more about the “how” and “how can we make it better” in her work, which is one reason she was drawn to roles in logistics and manufacturing, including her current position with Cornerstone Building Brands, where she’s spent the last 12 months creating a more robust and effective legal, compliance and risk management team.

Additionally, Brenner knew she wanted to join an organization that believes strongly in cultivating a collaborative and inclusive culture. She found that under the leadership of President and CEO Rose Lee. “Rose has been breaking every ceiling imaginable,” says Brenner. “She strives every day to close the gender gap in our industry and to promote a workplace that is diverse and equitable. She is fostering a culture where team members are encouraged to engage in open dialogue around complex and often difficult topics. We’re also living our purpose through the company’s sustainability, ESG and DE&I mission and goals.”

Currently, Brenner is charged with laying the foundation for a new ESG team and is spearheading the development of a comprehensive, industry-leading sustainability program.

‘Everything Is My Job’

Having worked across a spectrum of male-dominated industries such as beer, tobacco, consumer packaged goods, transportation and now industrial manufacturing, Brenner’s aptitude has enabled her to build relationships with essential business partners. She has a strong track record of taking on strategic business challenges by committing to understand the issue at hand and collaborating with all those involved, at all levels, for context and understanding.

“I think people sense that I’m genuine and earnestly trying to help them be successful in their roles. I am willing to offer an honest, third-party assessment of any issue,” she says. “If you demonstrate that, people start coming to you for counsel and view you as a business partner.”

Brenner has adopted a mentor’s mantra: Everything is my job. Whether calling a manufacturer to solve a high-stakes challenge or running to FedEx to ensure a package goes out on time, anything that contributes to the company’s success is within her scope. “Everything that comes across your desk, you own it and you have a responsibility to make it better,” says Brenner. She looks for the same mindset and sense of ownership in new company hires, too.

Embracing Mistakes as Part of Growth

“I realized—and it is a powerful attitude shifter—that everyone you encounter as you navigate your career is in a stage of development,” says Brenner. “While we all have things we are working on, you can still learn from everyone and every interaction.”

Inclined toward perfectionism, Brenner received excellent advice from one boss on the importance of not being too hard on yourself: The only people who don’t make mistakes are the ones not doing anything. They’re not taking any risk or they’re delegating. Brenner says she was encouraged to make mistakes, which led her to learn more and grow confidence in her legal work and in areas outside of her field of expertise.

“Too often, people are reluctant to take on responsibilities outside of their areas of expertise or comfort zone for fear of failing or because they work in a culture that does not reasonably view mistakes as opportunities to learn, grow and innovate. As a leader, you have to be willing to support a degree of risk-taking to signal to others that making those leaps are supported and encouraged,” says Brenner.” You want to grow and develop people who have ambition and want to learn, so you act to support them and allow them to make mistakes, give the necessary feedback to avoid repeating them and move on to solutions.”

Brenner notes that if she makes a mistake, she might spend a few hours reflecting on what she would have done differently. When she wakes up the next morning, it’s a new start with a unique advantage. She is now better equipped for success because she can apply the lessons learned reflecting on her decision-making to achieve higher performance.

Finding Her Own Way

Working in industries where men tend to fill the highest ranks of leadership, Brenner has often found herself the lone woman in the room. This hasn’t come without challenges, including finding people willing to talk to her, sit next to her or include her in informal networking that is often critical to career advancement. She admits she’s over-prepared, an overachiever and works especially hard to prove her value.

Her networking strategy is to go to as many meetings as invited to, attend events regularly and visit manufacturing facilities with the intention not only to build connections, but also to learn about every aspect of the business.

Serving Others

When she’s not working, Brenner has spent her time working pro bono supporting refugees who have been victims of torture or scarred in some way on their asylum-seeking journeys. She has also helped female victims of domestic violence obtain green cards and gain independence from abusive partners. The work is life-changing for those it impacts, and though often intense, it is also immensely fulfilling.

With her children now 17 and 14, she’s focused on enjoying her time with them before they leave home to make their own mark on the world—one that she’s determined to continue to make better.

“If a certain approach isn’t working, then I know I need to pivot to achieve my goal instead of giving up on it,” says Brenner. “There are infinite ways to pursue your aspirations, so if one way doesn’t work, you can try others until you achieve your goal.”

By Aimee Hansen 

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2022: Words of Wisdom from Diverse Women Leaders

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diverse women leadersFor over 15 years so far, we’ve had the opportunity to interview a diverse range of women leaders who are overcoming barriers, charting new territories and elevating their impact. Each woman is generous enough to sit with us and share her story to empower and inspire other women. At The Glass Hammer, we feel visibility matters – and it’s our honor to amplify the voices of women who are raising the ceiling on possibilities in their own lives and our world. Again and again, we hear about the importance of role models in enhancing our vision of what is possible. 

Looking across our leader profiles during 2022, we share a few words of wisdom and inspiration from each woman we’ve talked to so far this year. Thank you for the gift of your energy, time and insight!

“One of the key attributes of a great leader is authenticity, therefore I refuse to have separate work and home life personalities. I believe it is time to change the message that women, or indeed anyone, needs to adjust their personalities to fit with the corporate world.” – Charlene Kennedy: CEO, PGIM Private Capital (Ireland)

“What you will often hear is leaders defending their intent: ‘So are you saying that we discriminate? Are you saying that we aren’t fair?’ But the opportunity is if we can recognize that despite our best intentions, our decisions sometimes have impacts that we don’t intend. It’s important to be curious about the cumulative impacts of individual decisions, along with organizational systems and policies.” – Betsy Bagley: Co-Founder and Director, Pulsely

“I used to hate feedback, but I think feedback and constructive criticism is so important. You may have really good intentions and just not know you’re doing something that isn’t working for you. The feedback may be really hard to hear and digest, but sometimes it comes from a great place. Even if you may not agree, it’s good to hear it.” – Jessica Titlebaum Darmoni: Senior Manager, Head of Marketing, ErisX

“I’ve become more conscious of my own energy as I’ve become older, and that it’s always flowing in me, but you can also learn to use it and channel it. If I’ve got to get a team going, I really think about bringing that energy to the table… The biggest thing you can do to be successful is to be yourself and not listen to the detractors. Just let your light shine.” – Rachael Sansom: Managing Director, Red Havas UK

“You’ve got to remain true to yourself, because there are enough people telling you what you can’t do. I will always tell you what you can do. We’re going to make change together, but you have to be true to yourself. You have to be authentic. If you’re not, what’s the point?” – Brandi Boatner: Manager, Digital & Advocacy Communications, IBM

“Actively asking how others are feeling not only makes them feel more part of the team, but also establishes a level of trust and morale that makes everyone perform better. Being aware of how everyone else is feeling helps form a cohesive team because at the end of the day, we’re all working towards the same goal. If one person is having an off day, that’s going to impact the whole team. Knowing how to rally around and motivate that person not only helps the individual but brings the whole team closer together.” – Mariah Turner: Associate, PGIM Private Capital

“As you arrive to a real senior level, you will start to understand that people are going to have a hard time disagreeing with you. They tend to give you filtered information. If you know that, you can be much more deliberate and intentional in terms of how you ask questions, to make sure that you’re getting the real story and understanding different perspectives.” – Geline Midouin: Chief People Officer, Shearman & Sterling LLP

“It’s important to be able to trust and communicate to your leaders: here’s what I need from you and what I need you to help me with. That has made the difference for me in my career. And that is not wisdom that one must wait until they are well into their careers to acquire anymore. Remember, what I said at the outset of this interview, the world is different now, and leadership looks different.” – Pamela Peace: Principal & North America Client Management, PGIM Fixed Income

“First, you need to be able to identify it: I’m having a feeling. Then you need to name the feeling and ask yourself: What is driving that feeling and is it worthy of speaking up for? Then you ultimately need the self-confidence to speak up, be potentially willing to engage in a disagreement, and simply not question it too much. The more you question it, the more likely you are to miss the appropriate moment to say something, or to lose the feeling entirely. As you move through life, your gut instinct is one thing that stays with you, no matter what you choose.” – Erica Klinkowize: CBNA Treasurer, Citi

“In times of uncertainty, the focus has shifted from seeking answers to raising questions and building relationships to lead through the unknown… The circumstances of the last two years have made me a different leader. I had to take a step back and ask: what did I do in this time? And take the necessary steps to hopefully be proud of the answer.” – Danielle Arnone: Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Combe

“Figure out who can help. You cannot be a master of everything, nor should you be. Get a distributed style of management to get further, faster. Ask yourself who do I know and what do I need to learn?” – Bessie Kokalis Pescio: Vice President, Global Internal Communications, Philip Morris International

“I spent ten years in nursing. But there’s an expression in this part of the country that people are ‘called to preach.’ They have a burden to preach, meaning they can’t not do it. Well, in my case, I felt called to medicine. I had a burden to be a doctor and it would not go away… we never know how much time we’ve got on this planet, so I really don’t want to go to my grave without having tried to do what I felt I was called to.” – Dr. Sarah Carrier, MD: Emergency Physician, JH Quillen VA Medical Center

“Don’t just assume that people know what you want. You need to make sure that your managers and your stakeholders know that you are interested in other opportunities. Don’t be scared to let them know. It’s not like you’re going to be fired because you’re driven and want to move and grow.” – Jessica Jones: Managing Director, Head of Asia, PGIM Investments

“Earlier in my career, I thought I had to be the one with the voice. Now, I realize what I have to do is give or encourage or support the voices that have the information required, not always be the voice. That’s the muscle you develop with maturity and by realizing the amazing contributions that many voices bring to a conversation. That’s the muscle you develop when you embrace the diversity of thinking in a team to drive forward.“ – Renee Connolly: Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

The transition over your career is toward managing up, and ensuring that you get what you need… I really have come to see the importance of don’t take on too much and do fewer things better, both of which I pass on to women just starting their career.” – Kate Kenner Archibald: Chief Marketing Officer, Dash Hudson

“I found a different lease on my otherness. I can’t chase everybody’s projection of me, but the more I recognize the uniqueness of my own experience, the more I feel I have to offer… One of the things now running through my veins is the knowing that what makes me connect with people is the ways in which we are similar, what intrigues and draws me to people is the ways in which we are different.” – Elena Kim: VP Business Development, TV/OTT at Global Music Rights

“The truth is, if I can be loving and patient, and approach whatever comes my way with compassion, everything will fall into place. Being a good lawyer, a good colleague, a good mother, a good partner, a good daughter – it all starts with being a loving person. Approaching things with a loving attitude will make things easier for you.” – Jingjing Liang: Associate, Compensation, Governance & ERISA practice, Shearman & Sterling LLP

“Early in my career, I was more conservative in offering my perspective and spoke only if I had the perfect comment. I’ve realized it’s okay to not always have the right answer or right idea, but it’s important to use your voice. There is power, value and hopefully impact, in sharing diverse perspectives… It doesn’t matter if you’re a junior level person in a room of more seasoned executives, you’ve been given a seat at the table for a reason and it is in the firm’s best interest to encourage and embrace your perspective. You have valuable things to say, so don’t sit in the background. Use your voice, early on.” – Ivy Tsui: Director of Program Management for DE&I, PGIM Real Estate

“I understand the stereotypes or expectations when a woman is in the room — how we’re expected to speak, defend our work, or refrain from speaking in an authoritative way — and I’ve told myself, ‘None of that applies to you, because you weren’t born and raised in this culture, so you’re going to embrace the otherness.’ So, I speak up, respectfully and never rude, but I have to speak.” – Louise Carroll: Partner, Real Estate, Katten

“I like to take complex problems and divide them into simpler ones, and I like to do that very fast. Every single problem, no matter how big, can be dissected, once you understand the root cause. But when you think you know the cause, you have to dig deeper and deeper. Once you have the root cause, everything else gets easier. You can find the paths to resolve the problem.” – Valeria Vitola: Managing Director, Anti-Money Laundering Region Head – Latin America (Except Mexico), Citibank

“When you’re building teams, you always want to be strongly committed to the diversity of your team’s experience and ideas. You don’t want to have uniformity in thought or expertise, as it could challenge disruption and innovation.” – Mary Cassai: Senior Vice President, Perioperative Services, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

“Create the greatest, grandest vision possible for your life and career because you become what you believe… Each step of my career taught me meaningful characteristics about myself and helped me make my next leap.” – Rupal Shah: Principal, PGIM Fixed Income

“We need to trust our gut. We know exactly where we see ourselves, but sometimes we’re afraid to share that vision. We just need to move confidently in the pursuit of our dreams. From every setback, we can learn… I’ve become more of an unapologetic Latina who stays optimistic about our future possibilities, but it took me 22 years of going through this journey to realize that it’s my life, it’s my vision, it’s my calling.” – Claudia Vazquez: Founder, elevink

“I love to take the time to get to know individuals: to listen and to avoid assumptions. I think that creates a space where people can be authentic, which leads to new conversations and new opportunities.” – Vanessa Nazario: Corporate Director, Chief Diversity Officer, Memorial Healthcare System

“I draw so much power from all the things that make me different. I used to view it as a disadvantage, but it’s so essential to how I’m able to show up, how effective and efficient I am, and the impact that I’m able to make. I draw from everything, and to have not done that for so many years was a detriment to my performance.…For this moment, while employers are asking you to bring yourself to work, do it. Do it now. Do it today. The hope is that this is a movement, not a moment. But time is of the essence, so do it. It will pay dividends.”- Amber Hairston: Agency Underwriter, PGIM Real Estate

“If you don’t know me and you don’t understand what drives me and what ails me, then how could you truly be in charge of growing me and taking me to the next level?  I think it’s really important as managers that we take the approach of being coaches and changing the relationship from ‘I’m here to manage and make sure you do what you’re supposed to do’ to ‘I’m here to coach you and make sure that you exceed that.’… Most managers feel like I can’t get too close because then I can’t be objective, and I think it’s the opposite. If you’re not close enough, you’re going to miss what’s happening and you’re going to miss opportunities to support people in a way that makes them want to come to work and be part of the community.” – Indhira Arrington: Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Ares Management

“That (Latina) part of my identity and proving myself is impacted by this other part of me that needs to grow and trust other people to do things, even though I don’t have 100% control. Letting go of some of that control has been hard, but I’m working on it. I’ve realized that everyone is an individual, and they’re not all like me, and I have to manage to each person versus to what my personal expectations, approaches, or processes would be.” – Cassandra Cuellar: Partner, Venture Capital, M&A and Capital Markets, Shearman & Sterling LLP

“I enjoyed going into rooms and finding those moments where I’d pipe up with an interesting point of view or a question, and all of a sudden, people would shift around and look at me. So I find it quite empowering. I’ve used the difference to my advantage… I think all of these factors combined meant I didn’t buy into the barrier, and just ignored it, and still today it hasn’t stopped me, because I have a deeper belief that it can happen – at least in the spaces where I’m operating in.” – Sabina Munnelly: Partner, Baringa

“Opportunity only lands on people who seek it. If you want to be sponsored, you need to give people an opportunity to get to know you: what you want to do, what your strengths are, and what challenges you might be facing.” – Ashley Shan: Associate, Finance Group, Shearman & Sterling LLP

“In my experience, a lot of the influence and ability to make changes come from working at the intersection of different disciplines and taking that experience to management and leadership… In technology or in any industry, being able to have that broader aperture allows someone to see more opportunities and navigate better decisions about where they want to go and how to do it to make a broader impact in an organization.” – Joyce Shen: AI investor, board director, author, and data science at UC Berkeley

“You should feel comfortable and confident that you can speak up. You might not say everything perfectly or you might even say something wrong, but that’s okay. Plenty of people will talk and know less than you do… I bring my own unique perspective to the table. Adding my voice may steer the conversation or decision-making in a certain way, or add more nuance to the overall discussion.” – Fiona Cho: COO of Asia-Pacific Region, PGIM Real Estate

Interviewed by Aimee Hansen

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Fiona Cho: COO of Asia-Pacific Region, PGIM Real Estate

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Fiona Cho“The twists, turns and detours are not a waste,” says Fiona Cho. “They can bring you valuable learning and opportunities. If you have a strict career plan, be open to be a bit more flexible – what if you go left for a while, or right for a while, and not fixate on sticking to a plan?”

Cho talks to being fearless, speaking up, supporting the voices of others and her intrigue for the details of how ecosystems work, from baskets to buildings.

From Liberal Arts to Real Estate to Asia C-Suite

With a passion for material culture (arts, crafts, design, architecture, urban planning), Cho mastered in and envisioned a career in academia focusing on the history of art and architecture, but soon realized she wasn’t suited for a solitary, stationary life. And her intrigue was forward-looking.

So Cho left academia to explore the dynamic “built environment” of the real estate world. She spent seven years in real estate equity research and two years in investment banking at Wells Fargo in San Francisco before taking an investment funds Portfolio Manager role with PGIM Real Estate based in Singapore, focusing on the Asia-Pacific region, nearly fifteen years ago.

“I didn’t go to business school” says Cho. “But I think the twists and turns and nonlinear path have given me experiences, perspectives and insights that help me to be both a better fund manager and a better leader.”

Cho likens being a regional portfolio funds manager to running a small company – working with people in various functional groups and areas of expertise across different countries to understand a client’s needs, craft and manage the strategy, and hit the investment targets. She is proud of her funds’ strong performance and how the industry and PGIM are bringing ESG and DEI principles into investment decision-making to fuel positive impact.

Being Fearless In Your Voice

“I have a kind of fearlessness. I can enter a completely new career or opportunity, and I’m quite fearless about it,” says Cho. “Of course, I do have my angst too, but I get into the work.”

While her strong work ethic has always propelled her success, the corporate world revealed that hard work alone isn’t enough to advance – elevating your voice is critical. Cho recalls an early experience when she had worked on a project analysis and presentation across several weeks, only to watch a male team member bluffing as the expert in the big meeting.

“I knew the matter inside and out, and I knew he was speaking on the fly, but I didn’t speak up or make my points,” remembers Cho. “And I went home and didn’t sleep well that night. I had to consciously become more vocal and express my views. You need to speak up and be visible so that your hard work bears fruit and is noticed.”

Cho has since watched too many women who are prepared and hard-working, and often perfectionists, back down from speaking up for their work in a big meeting and be frustrated later.

“You should feel comfortable and confident that you can speak up. You might not say everything perfectly or you might even say something wrong, but that’s okay. Plenty of people will talk and know less than you do,” advises Cho to mentees. “I bring my own unique perspective to the table. Adding my voice may steer the conversation or decision-making in a certain way, or add more nuance to the overall discussion.”

She also advises to be patient and give yourself a break: “Women can beat up themselves for days when something doesn’t go in an ideal way, whereas I see a more easy-going, forgiving attitude towards oneself by some men – and we can embrace more of that.”

The Art of Inclusive Leadership

“Being a leader in the C-suite requires more patience and listening than just managing funds,” she notes, as she’s had to elevate her vision to having the right people and supporting them to move the entire region forward. When it comes to inspiration, Cho feels she has integrated traits she’s admired from various individuals into her leadership style – from how someone led a meeting to how someone practiced inclusion to someone’s way of expressing their expertise on a topic.

“The technical expertise is, in a way, the easiest part of whatever you do. It’s the more intangible, personal things – like how you make teams come together and inspire each person – that are more mysterious and harder to learn,” she says. “Being influential, getting people to feel comfortable sharing their views and to ultimately trust you as a leader. When you see someone do that with grace and ease, it’s an art.”

Cho has lived ‘difference’ all her life. She grew up in the U.S. as an Asian woman of Korean descent after immigrating at five. She stepped into an industry dominated by men. Now she lives in Asia but is far from fluent in the Korean language. She’s attuned to creating space for all voices.

“As a manager or a leader, you have to create those spaces for people who are more quiet or less vocal to speak up,” says Cho. “By doing that, they become more comfortable and engaged in the conversation.” One way she might call in an underrepresented voice is to say, You and I were talking about this point last week. What do you think?

Cho served as the head of the Asia-Pacific region in the global PGIM Women’s Leadership Network that evolved to become the Inclusion Leadership Network. She appreciates PGIM’s strong DEI commitment – such as hiring practices that include both a diverse slate of candidates and diverse, multi-functional interviewer panel. She notes maintaining that DEI focus becomes more important at top levels, where diversity is needed.

“We continue that lens in the career development and career management process,” she says. “We have to recognize that we all have bias, and we don’t know our blinds spots, but we have to work to recognize that and support the less visible and less vocal individuals.”

Ecosystem Lens: From Baskets to Buildings

Cho is an enthusiast for traditional crafts, and her travels in the Asia-Pacific region are rich with opportunities to explore the industries of textiles, baskets, ceramics and more. From the context of production and the detailed work of the craft to the ultimate usage of an object and the socioeconomic impact on people, communities and the world, Cho is fascinated by the ecosystem of material culture. She’s drawn to find ways to support and preserve the cultural traditions that often underpin the livelihood of those women and their families.

Basket to building, the same curiosity about the eco-system of a basket informs her analysis into a property – “Why is it here? Who funded it? Who is using it and for what? How does it impact the community? What are the returns—both financial and non-financial?” Going further, “How will ESG and digital transformation change the ways we organize, use, and invest in physical space, entirely?”

Indeed, Cho’s outlook is both interconnected and forward-looking.

By Aimee Hansen

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Women Leaders in Tech: Insightful Tips Across Twelve Career Themes

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career tips from women in techWe’ve mined some key insights across twelve topics from inspiring senior women leaders in tech-related roles and companies that we have interviewed over the last five years.

On being broadly curious:

“Curiosity is a hallmark of who I am and has been a huge enabler to my success. I personally like to know enough about everything ‘to be dangerous’ and went out of my way to equip myself with that knowledge,” said Aine Leddy. “That curiosity has served me, particularly with my entreé into the tech COO world. I could show up at the table and enter right into a discussion about the business strategy and where technology fits in, and that was apparent to the people who have given me the opportunities.”

Words from: Aine Leddy: Information Technology Business Partner, AIG Investments

On recruiting for tech (and all) roles:

“As a product team leader, when recruiting, I seek out qualities like resourcefulness, creativity, and other traits that don’t necessarily jump off the page when reading a resume or browsing a LinkedIn profile,” said Loredana Crisan. “I’d encourage all product leaders to be more open-minded throughout the recruitment process. Just because a candidate’s background differs from the conventional, doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified.”

Words from: Loredana Crisan: VP, Messaging Experience — Messenger & Instagram (update: Crisan is now VP at Messenger)

On leveraging the advantage of your difference:

“My professor told me that when he goes into a classroom, he doesn’t know who the best students are. But when he sees a female student or person of color, they get his attention right away,” recalled Rose-Gaëlle Belinga from university. “That’s how my professor challenged me, not to look at being underrepresented as holding me back but as an advantage… Because I really have people’s attention, I make sure that my work speaks for itself, that people take me seriously.”

Words from: Rose-Gaëlle Belinga: Technology Associate, Morgan Stanley (update: Belinga is now a VP at Morgan Stanley)

On the freedom that comes with risk-taking:

“You can have loads of failure but if you have tenacity, the chances are you’re going to figure it out as you try and fail, as you go along,” said Niamh Bushnell. “There’s a lot of freedom when you’re comfortable with risk, and with freedom comes creativity. Don’t worry if every single step isn’t going to come out as you want it to. Often times you don’t even know what the ideal outcome is, until you start.”

Words from: Niamh Bushnell: Chief Communications Officer (CCO), Soapbox Labs (Update: Bushnell is now Chief Marketing Officer at Soapbox Labs)

On the self-validating reflection of mentors and sponsors:

“Sometimes you don’t even see your own potential,” said Sabina Munnelly. “But when someone makes it clear that they see something in you, their belief in you can help grow a belief in yourself that you might have not even had.”

Words from: Sabina Munnelly: Partner, Baringa

On inviting support and asking uncomfortable questions:

“Reaching out for help or advice does not subvert you from your task of getting to what you want to do, and it could have gotten me there faster. Be open to others’ opinions. Don’t be afraid to ask uncomfortable questions, but also be prepared for the tough answers,” said Trisha Sircar. “It’s really important to get different perspectives from different people, from different backgrounds and different facets of the profession.”

Words from: Trisha Sircar; Partner, Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity, Katten

On why different perspectives are essential:

“It’s essential to create the space for people to be heard, especially when some aren’t as comfortable voicing their opinions,” said Stephanie Schultz. “I don’t want to be in a meeting and have everybody agree with a particular direction or discussion. I want to hear the people who are dissenting, or might have a different perspective, because it’s a pressure test – it’s helping to make sure that we’re getting to the most thoughtful outcome.”

Words from: Stephanie Schultz: VP & Head of Partnerships, Amex Digital Labs

On listening deeper as a leader:

“In an emotionally charged situation, I will encourage the team to tease out the facts, take the personalities out of it and then listen for what is not being talked about,” said Danielle Arnone. “The leaders that I admire most have the ability to listen deeply and surface the question behind the question, without putting people on the defensive, and in a way that takes the conversation to the next stage.”

Words from: Danielle Arnone: Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Combe

On embracing failure as part of growth mindset:

“I want to see what happens, and if I am going to fail, I want to fail fast, learn from my mistakes and get up and run again,” said Anna Thomas. “Everyone is going to fail at some point. Everyone is going to have their bad projects. Try to just do it in small cycles, learn fast, and then apply your learning and keep moving.”

Words from: Anna Thomas: Vice President, Private Banking Technology at Brown Brothers Harriman (update: Thomas is now Director, Operations & Technology Transformation at Citi)

On getting real with yourself about work-life effectiveness:

“If one part of the pie gets more dominating than you want it to be, you have to consider how to make that part smaller so you can ‘right-size’ your family life or your spiritual life, for example. That has really helped me to compartmentalize what I’m doing and how it impacts the other parts of my life,” said Kate Kenner Archibald. “If your work is really impacting your home life, take that step back to figure out what and how you can fix it. Push for flexibility, which is becoming more common, or figure out what the issue is. But if you’re not satisfied with how much time you have with your family, you’re never going to be happy at work, no matter how much money you’re making.”

Words from: Kate Kenner Archibald: Chief Marketing Officer, Dash Hudson

On keeping knocking at the door, regardless:

“I think women do ourselves a disservice, because we take things personally and get annoyed with our manager if we don’t get the raise or promotion,” said Aine Leddy. “Whereas men seem to think, ‘If it doesn’t happen, I’ll get back in the ring and I’ll fight the good fight again next year.’ Ultimately, promotion is a numbers game. It can’t happen for everybody all of the time, so rather than take it so personally, elevate your case and prepare to ask again.”

Words from: Aine Leddy: Information Technology Business Partner, AIG Investments

On the potential to impact meaningful change in tech:

“Is your AI developed in a way that is equitable – that doesn’t have inherent gender bias or racial bias? If voice tech doesn’t recognize a kid’s dialect and gives them a lower score on a reading assessment because they don’t pronounce words in the way the AI has been built to understand them, they’re going to lose out at school,” said Niamh Bushnell. “The way technology is built these days hugely impacts people’s quality of life – including their physical and mental health – and it can impact them socioeconomically too. Equity is a big piece.”

Words from: Niamh Bushnell: Chief Communications Officer (CCO), Soapbox Labs (Update: Bushnell is now Chief Marketing Office at Soapbox Labs)

On defining your own career ladder:

“The entire career landscape is shifting and new opportunities are emerging rapidly. Developing a portfolio of skills you can apply in many ways, no matter what path you take, makes your career more dynamic and resilient,” said Joyce Shen. “Conventional wisdom would say the path you follow is a ladder and you progress according to that ladder, but in business and technology there isn’t a ladder that is given to you even though it can seem that way. You can create that ladder yourself, and it doesn’t really matter what shape it takes, as long as there is a strong purpose to the work and that you are enjoying the journey and making an impact. It doesn’t have to be the same ladder that everybody is climbing.”

Words from: Joyce Shen: AI investor, board director, author, and data science at UC Berkeley

Interviewed by Aimee Hansen

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Joyce Shen: AI investor, board director, author, and data science at UC Berkeley

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“You can’t be too risk-averse in your own career journey. It takes risks to create a portfolio of valuable skills and find purpose. It takes risks when structural factors or personal reasons mean one path isn’t working and fulfilling, and it’s time to create another,” says tech trailblazer Joyce Shen. “Instill confidence, and say, ‘I can create my own path. Maybe I’m only at the first step of this path, but it’s a path that I want to pursue.’”

Shen talks about the value of contrarian moves, the often overlooked career paths in tech, how tech is changing the shape of career trajectories and why leaders need to hold both vision and empathy to drive innovation.

Growing at the Pace of Tech

Between accompanying her scientist father to the research lab on weekends as a young girl, being immersed in academia on her mother’s side and growing up in college towns, Shen has always been interested in science, technology and continuous learning. She dropped her pre-med surgeon trajectory when she discovered how economics, statistics and math can model what is happening in the world at The University of Chicago.

Shen then interviewed with a non-profit named Sponsors For Education Opportunity (SEO), an organization that helps to close the academic and career opportunity gap for college students from underserved communities, and was placed as an intern in her sophomore year at IBM in procurement finance. A year later upon graduating with two degrees in Statistics and Economics in three years, Shen joined IBM full time in Corporate Development focusing on mergers and acquisitions. She quickly immersed herself in high-stake projects. Shen was energized by the fast pace of innovations in the technology industry and began to evolve, rapidly.

By 25 years old, she was leading an international finance team of nine people, ranging from fresh college graduates to baby boomers. By 29 years old, she was the first (and youngest) global CFO leading and managing the IBM Cloud Platform, an internal start-up at the time. As a fast-rising star, she was recruited by Thomson Reuters, a global company in information services and technology, to build and lead the emerging tech practice, including establishing emerging technology strategy and launching the corporate venture fund and a blockchain program. Having achieved all milestones including investing in over 12 startups in machine learning, data, digital identity, and blockchain, she was recruited to join Tenfore Holdings, a private investment firm in New York.

Shen has also been lecturing at UC Berkeley and has previously lectured at Saïd Business School, and has published books on innovation and blockchain. For the last ten years, she is also actively involved as a career mentor for SEO.

The Value of Being a Contrarian

“My career has been non-traditional and multi-dimensional. I took risks that most people normally would not take, and each built on the other without me knowing at the time how each step will fit together – my decision was anchored by pursuing knowledge, innovation, making impact, and doing things that I think matter in the world I live in,” says Shen. “And because I took risk in my career, I built a reputation of being a multi-faceted leader, strategic thinker, a problem solver in any environment, and being able to work through tough assignments and execute end-to-end against entirely new visions.”

Shen has been driven by her interdisciplinary and multifunctional skills in the intersection of business, technology, and finance. Her last three positions have been particularly created for her with a blank slate: “Even more than taking a risk, I’ve often been the contrarian and not done what everybody else was doing,” says Shen. “I wanted to keep developing at a different growth vector and bring others along with me.”

Those contrarian choices include going into corporate development out of university instead of consulting or banking, going for her full-time MBA degree at The Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago after only two years as a young professional, returning to IBM after her MBA instead of a new firm, leaving Corporate Development in Armonk for the grittier challenge of leading a mature, less-glamorous business unit to gain management and restructuring experience, departing IBM after starting and growing the cloud computing platform startup to an billion dollar business as the global CFO to gain experience in making emerging technology innovation, procurement, and investing decisions in the CTO office at Thomson Reuters, and then leaving a highly coveted position working with innovative technology startups for an investment firm that had less than seven people and to focus 100% on technology investing and advising founders and management as a lead investor and board member.

Shen attributes her ability to adapt and figure things out in part to a childhood spent moving often as well as her own travels and exposure to different cultures and systems of thinking.

“The world is changing every day,” says Shen, “and the ability to immerse in your environment and have that sixth-sense ability to see opportunities and create value, regardless of the environment or infrastructure or market condition, is incredibly and increasingly valuable and highly demanded.”

The Overlooked Career Path in Technology

As technology has changed our lives and become pervasive in every way, Shen notes that much of technology (e.g., software, smart infrastructure, machine learning, artificial intelligence) runs horizontally through every single industry. She’d love to see more women get involved where so much future value creation is coming and consider the breadth of options to create their own purposeful path.

“There tends to be two main paths in technology careers in conventional thinking. One path is a purely technical path, often as an individual contributor as well as a super-doer. But there is another path where people get into more of the operational and business side, around product management and distribution as well as considering emerging topics such as ethics, fairness, governance in technology and especially in AI and machine learning. There is also a lot of opportunity to get into highly critical technology areas such as cybersecurity. In my experience, a lot of the influence and ability to make changes come from working at the intersection of different disciplines and taking that experience to management and leadership.”

Shen continues, “In technology or in any industry, being able to have that broader aperture allows someone to see more opportunities and navigate better decisions about where they want to go and how to do it to make a broader impact in an organization.”

Create Your Own Career Ladder

“The entire career landscape is shifting and new opportunities are emerging rapidly. Developing a portfolio of skills you can apply in many ways, no matter what path you take, makes your career more dynamic and resilient,” advises Shen.

While in some industries, career development still looks like a vertical ladder, technology disrupts that paradigm, and Shen feels watching her parents create their own ladder as immigrants gifted her the agility to do that.

“Conventional wisdom would say the path you follow is a ladder and you progress according to that ladder, but in business and technology there isn’t a ladder that is given to you even though it can seem that way,” says Shen. “You can create that ladder yourself, and it doesn’t really matter what shape it takes, as long as there is a strong purpose to the work and that you are enjoying the journey and making an impact. It doesn’t have to be the same ladder that everybody is climbing.”

Knock Until The Door Opens

Working at the intersection of technology and finance and business, Shen has become used to being the “only,” but she’s focused on leveraging her strategic thinking, expertise and her deep set of skills relevant in her fields. Her parents’ immigrant experience and her moving often as a child taught her to put herself out there and work hard to prove herself. She is energetic, outspoken, direct, and down-to-earth. Sitting down with seasoned executives was an intimidating experience early on when she embarked on her career, but not once she stopped making giants of them.

Shen encourages women to focus on making an impact. Before going into a meeting, she focuses on her own clarity of how she will show up and what she wants to learn and can contribute. She encourages her students to own their voice and show the value of their work. She also encourages women not to give up just because someone doesn’t take interest in your aspirations or you don’t get that assignment.

“What I learned is that everybody who has accomplished a great deal had a lot of help and support from other people. Giving and receiving opportunities are very important to women” Shen says. “So if you ask for an opportunity and you’re told no, and you’ve been doing an amazing job, find another person to ask. Sometimes, women take that ‘no’ very hard and in a personal way, but please don’t be discouraged. Keep knocking on doors until one opens, because you will find people who will see your potential. It is definitely hard but remember don’t get discouraged.”

Shen encourages women to hold the inner strength and confidence. If one day is really tough, another day is going to be better, and amidst the unique structural challenges for women, you have to leverage all the resources within and around to keep progressing on your career journey.

Leadership that Empowers and Includes

Her mother often called Shen a natural leader, and Shen agrees leadership is innate in her. The growth has been honing her leadership for others in different capacities as a corporate executive, investor, board director, and educator.

“I was exposed to the highest levels of leadership at IBM very early on, and I’m a keen observer of human behavior,” says Shen. “From start-ups to larger companies and across different functional areas, I still take the approach of observing and picking up what are the leadership skills that create incredible teams and organizations that have strong culture and purpose.”

What did not work for Shen was detailed and controlling micro-management that didn’t inspire innovation or empower people to leverage their own strengths to add value. From her first management experience, she realized the importance of recognizing and empowering individuals.

“I realized that I had the responsibility to make sure not only that we deliver great work as a team, but also that we take care of each other,” reflects Shen. “It’s not just having an open door policy. It’s having empathy and treating my employees as human beings who have different needs and aspirations. Listen to them and create an environment where they can thrive as individuals, so that as a collective we are more powerful team.”

Shen has seen the difference that makes, more starkly in start-ups: “I think the most incredible leaders are those who can create clear vision, mandate high expectations, but also at the same time, show empathy and flexibility to the team.”

Inspiring Others Behind Her

As a woman who breathes technology and business and finance during most of her waking hours, Shen loves keeping on top of technology innovations, emerging trends, and potential investments. She’s a part-time faculty lecturer at UC Berkeley’s Master of Information and Data Science where she teaches the Capstone course. Among other volunteering, through SEO, she mentors underserved college students in getting hired into technology and finance roles in Corporate America.

“My work gives me a lot of energy because I’m making a difference and helping others,” she reflects. “I get very energized working with portfolio companies and teams, and when I see former employees or my students grow in their careers and thrive.”

She also loves spending time with family and friends, many of whom have a strong overlap in personal and work values. She cycles, runs marathons, and cooks as a daily analog way to unwind.

By Aimee Hansen

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Ashley Shan: Associate, Finance Group, Shearman & Sterling LLP

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Ashley Shan“I’m a diver,” says Ashley Shan, a fourth-year associate at Shearman & Sterling LLP’s New York office. “If I’m new to a place, I want to jump in and learn everything about it and be an active part of the community. That’s what’s driven my career, and I want to bring that opportunity to others.”

Reflecting on her past three years at Shearman, Ashley speaks to the value of building relationships, supporting diverse lawyers and taking the initiative to make things happen.

From Philosophy to Finance

Realizing her B.A. in philosophy and sociology from Vanderbilt wasn’t going to adequately prepare her for modern legal practice, Ashley took advantage of everything Duke Law had to offer to broaden her experiences. She enrolled in the JD/LLM dual-degree program at Duke, which took her to an internship in Tokyo and a summer school in Geneva. “I was a research assistant, a teaching assistant and a senior editor on law review; I took a legal clinic, a practicum course at the business school, and an externship at the Environmental Defense Fund. I had friends from the business school, med school, public policy school and the environmental school.” She continues being active within the Duke NY community.

She encountered Shearman during 1L at a presentation on navigating the on-campus interview process while attending a diversity summit for Asian law students. She stayed in touch with the recruiting team and met other Shearman attorneys, who generously shared their experiences and mentored her. She also spent the rest of 1L reaching out to connections and getting to know other law firms, but the people she met from Shearman made the post-OCI decision simple: she took Shearman’s offer as soon as she received the letter.

Since starting at the Finance Group in 2019, Ashley has worked on a variety of transactions representing corporate borrowers, private equity sponsors and lenders in leveraged finance, structured finance and fund finance. “In the last year, I’ve gravitated towards representing corporate and private equity clients in middle market transactions because you really get to know your clients more holistically. You build a relationship and gain insight into all aspects of their business. I’ve also had the opportunity to dig deeper into more niched topics like liability management transactions and the ins-and-outs of the UCC from working with experts at the firm.”

As a problem solver, she enjoys the variety of the practice, building relationships, and working with senior attorneys, opposing counsel and specialist groups.

Building Community and Inclusion For Asian American Lawyers

When she’s not chewing on her bread-and-butter finance work, Ashley dedicates her time to building communities for AAPI lawyers inside and outside of Shearman. She is the co-chair of Shearman’s AAPI attorneys’ inclusion network – Asian Attorneys for Community, Empowerment and Success (AACES) – as well as the Vice Chair of the Membership Committee of Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY).

“Building relationships and showing up for my community is something that I enjoy and that motivates me,” says Ashley.

In addition to being a community for AAPI lawyers within Shearman, AACES also connects them with the broader AAPI legal community in New York State and nationally through organizations like AABANY, South Asian Bar Association of New York (SABANY) and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). Last year, through Shearman’s sponsorship, Ashley attended her first NAPABA convention. “It was my first time being surrounded by so many successful AAPI legal professionals. I saw the different ways one’s career can unfold, regardless of where you were born and whether you had lawyers in your family. There’s no ‘right track’ for your career and not just one way of succeeding.”

Compelled by the experience, Ashley has taken steps to strengthen the AACES community. Working with the other co-chairs, she advocated for Shearman to sponsor more professional organizations, increased Shearman attorneys’ participation in external networking events such as the NAPABA convention and brought in a distinguished Shearman alum to share his experience and advice for junior lawyers.

Raising Your Hand Brings More Opportunity

Ashley observes that many new lawyers keep their heads down, do what is told and treat their jobs as a nine-to-five. “I’m not a dabbler; I’m a diver. So if I go into a deal, I want to understand everything about it,” says Ashley. “I won’t let a conversation finish without clearly understanding next steps. I want to know where things are and who is doing what to keep the ball rolling.”

She feels her proactive attitude has invited opportunities, especially at a well-known New York law firm like Shearman. “Since joining Shearman, I’ve worked on headline-worthy deals, presented multiple CLEs, attended industry events, put on my own events, recruited external speakers and sent colleagues to conferences across the nation.” She is well aware of the power of mentors and sponsors along the way. Last year, her practice group leaders nominated her to attend a virtual development program for diverse junior associates at the New York City Bar Association. She also regularly receives support from partners and senior attorneys who guide her based on where she wants to go. In her opinion, sponsorship is a two-way street: “Opportunity only lands on people who seek it. If you want to be sponsored, you need to give people an opportunity to get to know you: what you want to do, what your strengths are, and what challenges you might be facing.”

Looking back at her career, half of which was spent during the pandemic where the practice of law was anything but normal, she credited her growth to an advice from a CrossFit coach: “He told me when you are new to the gym, just be a sponge and observe everything. That’s exactly what I did when I started my career at Shearman.” She regularly encourages law students that she mentors to embrace spontaneity and explore what interests them instead of what they think their career should look like: “There’s no one way to approach being a lawyer, and you never know how each experience is going to ultimately serve you.”

Since participating in pub runs in Durham during law school, one of the craft beer capitals of the U.S., Ashley has seriously upped her running game. She’s done a couple half-marathons and she’s also now completed the nine races and volunteering efforts that guarantee her entry in the New York City 2023 Marathon. Like Ashley says, she’s a diver.

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Sabina Munnelly: Partner, Baringa

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Sabina Munnelly“Sometimes you don’t even see your own potential,” says Sabina Munnelly. “But when someone makes it clear that they see something in you, their belief in you can help grow a belief in yourself that you might have not even had.”

Munnelly speaks to openness on your path, being a force of nature, surpassing the barriers and the value of mirrors that reflect and magnify your possibilities.

Embracing Opportunity and Switching It Up

Since the moment that computers were introduced in the ‘90s halfway through her education at Trinity College in Dublin, Munnelly began a career she would never have seen coming.

“Embrace what comes at you. You don’t have to control everything, and it doesn’t always have to fit in with what you originally thought,” says Munnelly. “I got a whole other opportunity because I opened my mind to the technology piece.”

After starting in banking as a technology tester, Munnelly worked for Compaq and Hewlett Packard, gaining vast experience with big players. Rather than transition to management, she joined Accenture so she could continue to keep her hands in project work. Across 16 years, she jumped between various tech and data related areas of expertise, becoming a Managing Director at Accenture Applied Intelligence, and moving to New York from Europe.

“I always like to pivot every three years or so, to keep myself up to date. I’m a bit of a magpie,” confesses Munnelly. “Anything that is white space. Give me a white board, and I’ll figure it out. I prefer that, so my journey has been a constant evolution.”

In 2021, she joined Baringa, a global management consultancy working across multiple sectors including energy, financial services, telecoms, media, consumer goods, retail and government. As a leading advisor on the energy transition globally, sustainability runs through much of the business’s work across sectors. In addition to enjoying the entrepreneurial spirit of building a fast-growing team in the U.S., Munnelly feels she’s come full circle to interests at her roots, having written her thesis on wind farming back in college.

“From a financial services perspective, there’s a lot of momentum behind the notion that if you can put the capital to make the most impact in the right place, then change happens where the money goes,” notes Munnelly. “If I can be involved in making change happen through climate activity and how investors deploy their capital to fund those changes, that really resonates with me.”

Equally, culture was a big factor in her move: “For me, you have to be able to get up in the morning and love what you do and love the people your work with. A people-focused business was really important to me.”

A Force of Nature

Describing herself as driven, Munnelly feels curiosity and a love of learning and problem solving motivate her. She enjoys start-to-finish involvement, and smiles saying she would be called “a force of nature” by her colleagues.

“It’s definitely an energy, but also a cohesion with the team.”

While she’ll come into a room with a strong point of view, she feels ‘nature’ implies a melding with the environment. She’s very much about being ‘in it together’ as a team and enjoying the adventure, and feels energized by working with others. These days, she would admit that her intuition and her attunement to reading the energy of a room have been important contributions to her success, as well as self-care.

Her sensitivity to her own and other’s energy has increasingly been a validated part of how she navigates her work-life: “I balance my energy. So I don’t think about the hours I work. I actually think about the energy I expend in a day.”

If You Can See It…

Growing up with three younger brothers, Munnelly was both accustomed to being in male-dominated spaces and being respected in them. So when she went into finance and tech, her context didn’t phase her.

“I enjoyed going into rooms and finding those moments where I’d pipe up with an interesting point of view or a question, and all of a sudden, people would shift around and look at me,” she says. “So I find it quite empowering. I’ve used the difference to my advantage.”

Only as she grew more senior did the gaps in representation of women become far more visible to her. And being one of the few in that space, she felt her role was to vocalize what she saw.

“It increased my use of my voice. It’s important that it doesn’t become a silent observation or be held in,” says Munnelly. “It’s important to make sure that things are noted and vocalized, and even with the reasons, considered.”

Mary Robinson, the first female president of Ireland who held term from 1990-1997, was a real inspiration in envisioning possibility. It made such a difference to teenage Munnelly that it stirs up emotion even today. Robinson allowed her to see not only what could be, but what was possible.

“I think all of these factors combined meant I didn’t buy into the barrier, and just ignored it, and still today it hasn’t stopped me, because I have a deeper belief that it can happen – at least in the spaces where I’m operating in.”

Coming to Baringa, she was met with a U.S. office that held a 50/50 gender representation at senior levels, and where every individual has an advisor. Having doubled down on its U.S. growth in the past 5 years, a DEI approach has infused the internal culture and focus for external impact from the outset.

Do What You Love, and Empower Others

Due to her extensive background in consulting and taking an advisory role, Munnelly has become adept at taking the listening seat to consider all voices when it comes to coming up with the best way forward, rather than just pushing her initial viewpoint. She’s learned to take her own ego out of the way.

As she thinks of the shift from ‘doing’ to ‘enabling’ as a leader, and the amount of letting go required, Munnelly is grateful for the people that saw her potential and trusted her. Having your ability reflected back to you matters, she feels, regardless of what level you’re at. She focuses on paying that back, in witnessing, encouraging, motivating and empowering her team through trust: “At the end of the day it’s belief and self-belief that matter.”

“Build your skills using the best of others that are ahead of you,” she suggests. She encourages women to pick up the best of what they observe in managers and leaders, integrate what inspires you and make it your own.

Do what you love is a practical direction she recently received from a leader that empowered her: “She didn’t say ‘meet these numbers’ or ‘I want you to do these things.’ She gave me the freedom of saying ‘just continue, but do what you love.’ She probably knew that if I heard that, then I would already motivate myself and do more than what others would ask from me,” reflects Munnelly. “If I’m in a positive frame of mind, loving what I’m doing, then I’ll be even more successful.”

She suggests to ask yourself if is it possible to tweak your work to get more enjoyment out of what you’re doing. Family, friends, a good chat and laughter are core to Munnelly. She enjoys spending time with her young daughter who keeps her more than busy and grounded. She also loves cycling, and while she’s always loved adventure and fast movement, in the past years she’s begun taking up more energy balancing activities like acupuncture and massage. She’s also a Reiki master.

By Aimee Hansen

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Cassandra Cuellar: Partner, Venture Capital, M&A and Capital Markets, Shearman & Sterling LLP

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Cassandra CuellarAs a partner in the buzzing Emerging Growth practice, Cassandra Cuellar works with entrepreneurial clients who are launching companies and investors who are looking to back a promising venture.

Taking Ownership To Grow

“What gets me out of bed in the morning is the opportunity to work with people that are pouring their personal energy, time and wealth into the companies they’re growing,” says Cuellar. “It’s very rewarding to be a part of their journey as they start those companies, grow them and hopefully realize a successful exit. It’s life-changing for them.”

Cuellar must understand the concerns and interests of both founders and investors in her practice. She emphasizes that a collaboration mentality and solution-orientation is required to effectively advocate for her clients: “Our job is not to identify 20 roadblocks and then say we can’t go further. Our job is to identify the roadblocks, figure out if this is truly something that will be detrimental to our client, and then bring our clients in on that, figuring out the solution together.”

Cuellar enjoys the fast pace of work these days: “You get so many more people that have new ideas and diversity of thought starting companies and taking a chance on themselves. It’s great to see that and be able to be part of that.”

She is also comfortable leaning in and taking a chance on herself. “I have a willingness to take ownership over things without necessarily having to be so dependent on a hierarchical structure,” she says. “Startups run lean, so that’s the way my group approaches the practice and it’s how I’ve developed as an attorney.”

From early in her career, she had to get comfortable communicating with CEOs, CFOs, and key decision makers, but she relates learning through taking ownership to even earlier in life.

“I grew up in a small town as the oldest of four kids, and my parents had their hands full. I had to take ownership of my own professional career – getting into college, getting scholarships and making sure I was set up to move away and do my own thing,” says Cuellar. “Having that ability to do that from a young age translated well into being successful at this practice. I’m not afraid to take ownership over issues and clients and get stuff done.”

The Confidence To Trust Yourself and Others

“Latinx students going into law school don’t necessarily have readily-accessible role models that have gone into BigLaw, so often Latinx students make a choice to opt out of BigLaw, despite being more than qualified,” cautions Cuellar. “But I have found that because Latinx students often have to figure things out on their own without role models, that makes us uniquely qualified for this profession. You are used to navigating unknown waters, so it makes it easier to approach novel legal issues, transactions, and clients. The one thing I’ve learned – through negotiating the law school process, getting a job in a big law firm and now building my career – is that whatever you can throw at me, I’m going to figure it out,” she notes. “I don’t get scared off by challenge. I can rise to it because I have done it before.”

While launching herself into responsibility came naturally, her stretch zone has been releasing control. As a senior associate, she was accustomed to knowing every detail in every transaction and trusted herself to deliver on the high expectations she set. As she’s moved up, she’s had to learn to let go and trust in her team. Cuellar echoes other Latinas we’ve spoken to in expressing that being the one Latina within her practice, or one of few, feeds the drive to validate through performance. It makes letting go harder because more has felt at stake.

“Being a Latina, there’s not that many of us doing what I do, so I do feel a certain responsibility to be able to prove myself here and make sure that anything I work on is done at 100%,” she reflects. “That part of my identity and proving myself is impacted by this other part of me that needs to grow and trust other people to do things, even though I don’t have 100% control.”

Along with that self-awareness, she’s found that empathy is important.

“Letting go of some of that control has been hard, but I’m working on it,” she admits. “I’ve realized that everyone is an individual, and they’re not all like me, and I have to manage to each person versus to what my personal expectations, approaches, or processes would be.”

Encouraging Each Other’s Potential

Inspired by leaders she’s worked with, Cuellar models her practice upon listening and showing understanding to clients and those she is working with. She would love to see more Latinas follow a law path, and attributes her own decision to meeting a Latina lawyer in the Texas legislature, who encouraged her on the path.

At Shearman, Cuellar has felt supported in opening her possibilities by other women mentors: “I’ve always found someone willing to sit down and talk to me about things in a very honest fashion, who would guidepost, for example, that I needed to be thinking about business development, even as a second year, if I ultimately want to make Partner.”

In formal mentoring of law school students, especially Latinas and Latinos, she implores students not to limit themselves based on context or precedents, but instead to take a good look at whether a big law firm could be a match: “You work a lot, but you learn a lot, and have a lot of professional opportunities. I think it’s important that more Latinos and Latinas feel comfortable taking that risk, even if it might not be something your family understands at the time. You’re setting yourself up for your future professionally. You can at least try, and you could even be successful.”

Finding Out What Works For You

Cuellar admits it has taken her years to get comfortable in networking, but she tells students to take networking seriously as a skill to develop, the earlier the better.

But she’s also found her own approach to creating connections. “What I’ve discovered, whether it’s within the firm or with a volunteer opportunity, is my best networking is done when I’m working with someone. I take that approach of trying to get to know people by doing a good job with work they send my way, making sure that they feel valued and working from there (with common interests etc) – versus attending every networking event, because I find it hard to make deep connections in that context.”

Cuellar considers it part of the trial and error of getting to know yourself. Try out different things to see what works for you, and develop your own network style.

Her close-knit family and three year old son Max come first in her life. They enjoy cooking, celebrating birthdays and planning holidays. She enjoys connecting with close friends through the early experiences of motherhood. In this particular moment, it appears her son Max is rebelling against preschool yoga.

By Aimee Hansen

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