Tag Archive for: adaptability

Jennifer Marsland: Head of Sales, North America, World Travel Protection

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Jennifer Marsland“While I’ve always worked in travel, this role is truly unique because we’re saving lives,” says Jennifer Marsland. “That’s what makes this company and our work so meaningful.”

A Passion for Sales in Travel Risk Management

For nearly two decades, Marsland has thrived in the travel industry, energized and excited to drive sales in a space she is personally passionate about.

“Once you’re in the travel industry, you never want to leave,” says Marsland. “I talk to friends who’ve been in travel for years, and we all say the same thing: What else would we do? I love that this job takes you all over the world and lets you connect with people about where they’re going and what they’re experiencing.”

Now as Head of Sales for World Travel Protection, Marsland is thrilled to take that passion to the next level by being involved in an area of the industry that makes a tangible difference in people’s lives.

“I’ve always been in sales. My first real job was in a shoe store, so I feel like I’ve always sold something. But here, we’re not just selling—we’re saving lives. We’re helping business travelers travel safer and get the care they need.”

World Travel Protection specializes in helping business travelers navigate risks, from securing accommodations in safe areas to managing major crises like medical emergencies, political unrest, or natural disasters. Marsland’s belief in the company’s mission is deeply personal. She recalls the moment she landed in Paris in 2015, just as terror attacks unfolded, leaving the city in lockdown. “It was pretty scary—flights canceled, uncertainty everywhere. How do you navigate that?” That experience solidified her understanding of the real need for travel risk management.

Returning to the travel industry after a brief pivot during the pandemic, Marsland is energized by the chance to build something new as the Head of Sales for North America. “They were looking for someone to develop their North American sales team and drive growth. Now more than ever, people need what we do.”

Keys to Success: Positivity and Adaptability

A strong belief in positivity has been a guiding force throughout Marsland’s career. “One of my core leadership values is positivity. I truly believe things happen for a reason, and that even when difficulties arise, it will all work out in the end.”

Beyond optimism, Marsland credits adaptability as essential. Having worked at a company where she reported to 17 different managers in 15 years, she learned to navigate constant change. “Whether it’s a reorg, a job change, a new manager, stick it out—things will shift. If a move wasn’t right, it will course-correct. You’ll get a different manager, or land in the right role. It’s about being open to change.”

Marsland’s own adaptability was tested during COVID-19, when the travel industry ground to a halt. Instead of waiting for things to return to normal, she pivoted to a Silicon Valley startup specializing in identity verification technology. The shift forced her to stretch beyond her usual expertise and reinforced an important lesson: “You also have to be willing to take risks. No one is going to tap you on the shoulder and promote you. You have to apply, ask, put yourself out there.”

Learning from the Best

Marsland’s tenacity stems from an early mentor—her mother. A successful artist and master negotiator, her mother taught her the value of asking for what she wanted. “She negotiated all her own contracts. She passed away ten years ago, but we’re still getting royalties because her contracts were so strong.”

As a self-described shy child, Marsland credits her mother for pushing her outside her comfort zone, whether encouraging her to take a job selling shoes in college or urging her to seize new opportunities.

“She really influenced how I approached my career—whether it was landing a job, excelling in a role, or advocating for myself. I often think back to how she never hesitated to ask for what she wanted or go after opportunities.”

Listening and Letting Go

Among the most important skills Marsland’s honed as a leader is the ability to listen. “I always remind myself—listen to understand, not to respond.”

In sales, this lesson is particularly relevant. Too often, she notes, salespeople focus on delivering information rather than asking the right questions and truly hearing the customer’s needs.

Another key insight she highlights is letting go of the need to dictate how things get done, particularly as leadership requires a shift from being an individual contributor to keeping the larger picture in mind. “I’ve been in sales. I know how I would do it. But I’ve learned that different people have different styles—and that’s a good thing.”

She recalls a former manager who exclusively hired people with identical approaches. “You end up with a team that lacks diversity in thinking. I don’t think that’s great for business.”

In building the team at World Travel Protection, Marsland is intentional in looking for diverse viewpoints and approaches. “I want different perspectives, different strengths. One person might be great at presentations; another might excel in negotiations. As long as the job gets done, I don’t need everyone to work the same way.”

Mentorship and Women in Leadership

Committed to supporting the next generation of female leaders, Marsland mentors through GBTA’s (Global Business Travel Association) WINiT program. She helps mentees explore what they want to do next in their career, touching on such issues as how to showcase leadership skills or build out a better resume.

“I impart experiences that I’ve been through and what’s worked for me, encouraging them to talk to other women within the industry that they admire and learn from them.”

Interestingly, Marsland’s own mentors have primarily been men. “I’ve worked in male-dominated industries, so that’s just how it worked out. But now, at World Travel Protection, I’m surrounded by strong female leaders. My boss’s entire leadership team is women. Even at our parent company, Zurich Insurance Group, more than half of the executive leadership team is women. It’s refreshing to be in an environment where female leadership is the norm.”

Building for the Future

At this stage in her career, Marsland finds the greatest satisfaction in building—whether it’s teams, strategies, or relationships. “You don’t always get the chance to leave your mark, but I feel like I’m doing that here—this is my team, and I’m shaping what we’re building.”

With geopolitical shifts, evolving risks, and an increased focus on corporate travel safety, she sees immense opportunity ahead. “Companies need risk management now more than ever. We have great momentum, a strong team, and a supportive leadership structure. This year is going to be an exciting one.”

Work-life integration also plays a role in her enthusiasm. “World Travel Protection makes it easy. Sometimes I have late-night calls with Australia, but if I need to step out during the day for an errand, I can. That flexibility makes all the difference.”

Having that flexibility also allows Marsland to care for her six beloved pets—two dogs and four cats. And while travel is central to her career, it’s just as much a passion in her personal life. “I try to visit a new destination every year. We just booked Argentina and Uruguay. But my favorite place is Tokyo—I’ve been nine times, and I’d go again in a heartbeat. I’ll travel anywhere, anytime, just for the experience.”

By Jessica Robaire

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Yasmine Coupal: Partner, Goldman Sachs

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Yasmine Coupal“Careers are not linear, and there isn’t a one size fits all approach. I think the key is to find the balance that works for you professionally and personally. If I had tried to predict what the next five years of my career would have been at any single point in time, I would have been completely wrong,” says Yasmine Coupal, a partner in Investment Banking, Goldman Sachs. “I thought I was joining Goldman Sachs for two years, and here I am, 20 years later.”

Coupal’s career is a testament to the power of embracing the unexpected. Born and raised in Venezuela, she initially set her sights on economic development, education policy in particular, planning to return to Latin America after completing undergraduate and graduate degrees in Economics and International Policy at Stanford. But a surprising detour into finance changed everything.

After graduation, a friend who was working at Goldman Sachs recommended she interview for a role on the Latin America credit team and Coupal was impressed with the people she interviewed with.

“It was too compelling of an offer to pass up, even though it meant adjusting my plans to return to Venezuela to be with my then boyfriend, now husband of 19 years.” She remembers, “long story short, I took the job in 2004, and he moved to New York instead.”

Yasmine thrived at Goldman as an analyst on the Latin America and Natural Resources credit risk team. Coupal states that she loved to travel across the region and while on a business trip in Argentina in 2007, she met a VP that ultimately convinced her to join the capital markets team as an associate. She then shifted her coverage from Latin America to domestic industrial companies.

“I wasn’t looking for a move, but I knew it was time for a challenge and to try something new.”

It was Coupal’s unwavering openness to new challenges that propelled her advancement from an internal facing role in Credit Risk to a client facing role in Capital Markets. However, it was the personal decision to relocate to San Francisco with her husband that proved to be a turning point in her career. Taking the risk to leave the financial hub of New York and follow her heart, Coupal found herself in the midst of Silicon Valley’s booming tech scene. Leveraging her unique position of being on the ground to meet with large cap tech clients, Coupal built relationships, knowledge and experience with TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) clients while still very much covering her sector of industrial and real estate companies for the bank.

Ultimately, when the Managing Director for TMT debt capital markets retired in 2014, Coupal raised her hand and was selected to lead the team due to the strong relationships she had built with clients on the West Coast. In fact, she made Managing Director in 2015 and in 2018, the firm officially created the West Coast Financing Team. Along with Will Connelly, Coupal was named Co-Head and after growing and guiding the team through the pandemic, Yasmine made partner in 2020.

She reflects, “there will be moments in your career when you’ll need to make decisions based on what aligns with your professional goals and then there are moments when personal priorities are more important. Sometimes it involves taking risks, even when the outcome is uncertain. Ultimately, finding the right balance that works for you is key.”

Never one to get too comfortable, Coupal made another bold move two years later in 2022, stepping into an investment banking role where she leads coverage of large cap technology companies. Driven by her constant quest for growth and her ability to turn every opportunity into a success, Coupal is excited to keep pushing her boundaries and challenge herself as she continues as a leader at Goldman Sachs.

Investing in Relationships

When Coupal first interviewed at Goldman, it was the people she met who ignited her excitement about joining the firm. Even today, the connections she built at the firm throughout her career remain a driving force in her sense of fulfillment at work as she notes, “you’re not going to really love the job or be successful if you don’t like the people that you work with.”

In addition to making the work more enjoyable, building relationships also expands one’s network. Coupal advocates for taking the time and effort to establish those connections, particularly through in-person opportunities like meeting for coffee.

“You need to invest in your network. It’s important to have a goal of setting up an in-person catch up with someone that you work with every single week because it allows for people to get to know you as a person, so that you’re not just a name on the other side of an email.”

The value of investing that time is multifold as it creates a sense of support, opens opportunities to learn from others, and engenders loyalty to each other and the firm.

“As people understand your interests, give you feedback and see that you’re performing, you automatically get new opportunities. It becomes this reciprocal cycle that leads to success,” says Coupal. “It’s also the glue that keeps people at the firm. One of the reasons I’ve stayed so long is because I have people that I admire who have invested in me. It creates a sense of loyalty.”

Mentorship is Reciprocal

In thinking about the significance of finding inspiration and support, Coupal points to one of her mentors, Susie Scher, as pivotal to her leadership development.

Coupal shares, “Susie was instrumental in my growth at Goldman Sachs from the associate level to Vice President, Managing Director and ultimately, Partner. In essence, she saw me grow up at Goldman Sachs. She is someone who identified my talent, invested in it, and was courageous enough to give me a lot of responsibility.”

Having the experience of a mentor who believed in her engenders a deep commitment for Coupal to pay it forward and be that support for others.

“It begins with how I develop my team and invest in them, placing a strong emphasis on feedback. I focus on building genuine relationships, getting to know who they are, their skills, their ambitions, and identifying the potential in them that they may not yet have recognized.”

Extending her influence beyond her direct reports, Coupal participates in formal mentorship programs at Goldman while also being open to informal connections when people reach out to her for guidance. In either circumstance, Coupal emphasizes, “mentoring is a two-way relationship, it requires both sides to equally invest. I might want to mentor as many people as I can, but if the other side is not reciprocating and wanting to develop that relationship, there’s only so far that I can go.”

Reflecting on where sponsorship fits within the framework of support and building relationships, Coupal believes that mentorship and sponsorship go hand in hand as the roles can shift and change as people move through the firm.

“It’s fluid. A mentor can become a sponsor, or vice versa, but the key to success lies not just in getting to know you personally, but in working with you. It’s that combination that makes the relationship most effective.”

Champion your Uniqueness

In addition to being an avid mentor and sponsor, Coupal supports diversity and inclusion efforts, participating in speaking engagements and hosting sessions that provide an opportunity for female talent at the firm to talk candidly about their experiences. One theme that she strives to convey to junior analysts is, “be your genuine self. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t try to fit a mold that you think is the key to success.”

As a Latina woman excelling in the financial industry, Coupal speaks to how she champions her uniqueness and sees it as an asset.

“Being a subject matter expert while being a woman and Latina differentiates me, makes me unique and memorable, and many times allows me to connect with clients on a different level. Establishing these deep connections and trust has been critical in my career and allowed me to build and foster relationships I wouldn’t have had otherwise.”

Beyond recognizing the power of authenticity, Coupal emphasizes that adaptability and a willingness to step outside one’s comfort zone are instrumental to career development.

“Success in one stage of your career may not guarantee success in the next. Staying humble, seeking advice, thinking ahead, and remaining flexible when plans change is key.”

She continues, “be comfortable being uncomfortable. When you start feeling too comfortable, it’s a signal to challenge yourself with something new. It keeps you on your toes and ensures continuous growth.”

Outside of work, Coupal is eager to instill in her children the same curiosity and openness to new experiences that have shaped her own journey, especially through travel. “One of our greatest joys is taking our kids to explore different countries, cultures, and cuisines,” she says. Passionate about family time, Coupal loves spending weekends cheering at soccer games or unwinding together with a backyard barbecue.

By Jessica Robaire

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Alison Taylor: Investment Vice President, PGIM Real Estate

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Ali Taylor“The best leaders I’ve seen have always made time for people – regardless of level and the topic of conversation,” says Alison Taylor.

Taylor joined PGIM Real Estate after graduating from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia. She had an initial introduction to real estate through prior internships and coursework but found a home at PGIM, and she has grown within the company into a leadership role.

“The longer I worked here and the more I learned, the more interesting real estate became – especially the debt side,” says Taylor. “It surprises me how much I continue to enjoy and feel challenged by the work and the opportunities that have been afforded to me here at PGIM.”

Continuing to Learn Each Day

“No day and no deal are the same,” says Taylor. “Each day presents a different challenge, and I can truly say that I learn something new every single day.”

She loves the variety of her days, which has progressed by the shifting office dynamics during and following the pandemic. As a self-starter, Taylor works independently, pacing herself towards deadlines, which serves in her multi-faceted role. “I have a lot of different responsibilities and work cross-functionally with people across the business, but I’m able to keep on track, juggle a bunch of things and know what needs to be placed on the back burner.”

Taylor feels she brings realness to the table, but she proves that it doesn’t have to hit hard – that people can assert their own opinions while valuing others’.

“I’m very to the point, but not in an aggressive manner. When I was working on the originations side of the business, I was able to pass on a deal or let someone down nicely, but they would still walk away feeling good about themselves,” she says.

Lessons Learned Growing into a Leadership Role

As someone who was driven to grow into a leadership role, Ali shared several tips to help achieve the next level – and beyond – of her career, despite what tensions and challenges she faced.

  • Balance Approachability with Authority

In her ever-evolving role, Taylor notes that being approachable is not only important in showcasing her desire to learn and take on more responsibilities to senior leaders – but it is also important in demonstrating the importance of quality work and strong leadership attributes to her junior team members.

“There can be a double-edged sword as I weave my personal stories into my professional relationships, so I can build and continue to maintain them. I have this ability to connect with younger colleagues who may view me more as a friend while still being able to be taken seriously,” she says. “You need to strike a balance of approachability and authority, so that when we’re actually working on projects and dealing with teams, everyone sees that this is business. I expect very high-quality work and sometimes, we’ll be working late. But I’ll be there right alongside my colleagues.”

Currently, Taylor sees herself straddling the line between taking on the responsibility of seniority and still actually doing the work to show more junior members how it’s done and what’s expected.

“It can be a weird limbo state, where you’re not quite the final decision-maker, but you’re experienced enough to know what will drive successful outcomes for the company,” she says. “That can be a challenge day-to-day.”

  • Own Boundaries and Your Availability

As she has risen through the ranks, Taylor has started to learn the art of delegation and saying ‘no.’

“When you’re junior and hungry, you work late, so you can take it all on. However, I think it serves your growth to start setting boundaries as you advance. I don’t have children yet, but I am still going to sign off at a reasonable time and have a nice dinner with my husband,” she says. “You need to set boundaries, and sometimes, it means saying no or that you’ll look into something at a later time – as your schedule and workload permits.”

She notes this is especially important after working remotely during the pandemic, which created an expectation of 24/7 availability.

“It’s important to not always be accessible via setting clear boundaries, such as calendar blocks and/or letting colleagues know you’ll get back to them,” she says. “Once you’ve reached a certain point, where people know you are responsive and trustworthy, you can put those boundaries in place, and there’s something powerful about that.”

  • Find Power in the Pause

Recently, Taylor received the feedback that she needs to work on being too responsive. Rather than going with her gut reaction to respond immediately, she was advised that, ‘Sometimes, you need to sit on things to let both parties think. Once you have, you’ll come to a better conclusion.’

Receiving that advice was somewhat liberating, as Taylor has realized some matters work themselves out over a walk or a ponder, without needing immediate response or engagement. Plus, she notes her initial gut response is not always the most thoughtful or comprehensive.

Leading with Connection and Collaboration

“Everyone talks about how male-dominated commercial real estate is, but I feel like I’ve worked at a company with better gender balance and that helps grow and support female leaders, which has been amazing,” says Taylor. She has been shown that it’s okay to leave work for a priority at home or family activity to attend to.

“The best leaders I’ve seen have always made time for people – regardless of level and the topic of conversation,” she says. “When meeting with senior leaders, I feel like they’ve given me their undivided attention, which shows me they care and want to help me learn and succeed.”

In fact, even though she often finds herself in back-to-back meetings, Taylor makes relationship-building one of her top priorities, dedicating time to foster connections – no matter the workload.

When it comes to the PGIM work culture, she enjoys being surrounded by smart people who are willing to put in the work to get the job done, while also respecting personal boundaries and valuing work-life balance.

“The structure is not very hierarchical in that everyone is very accessible up to the MD level. For being within a Fortune 500 company, it feels like a lean entrepreneurial structure,” she observes. “Everyone is trying to advance our initiatives and share information, so it’s a very collaborative environment. It fits well with my personality, which is probably why I’ve been here for more than a decade.”

Acting As a Chameleon – Leveraging Her Strength of Adaptability

When thrown into new situations, Taylor remembers what a previous manager told her – that she adapts well to a new environment because not only does she take her responsibilities very seriously and make intelligent decisions, but she also knows when she needs to ask for help. Although some may find asking for help to be a weakness, it’s something Taylor considers to be a strength, enabling her to better understand her work or situation she is facing.

In her career thus far, the ability to assess and adapt to situations has enabled her not to stress the small stuff as much. She admits that it used to bother her if she wasn’t invited to a property tour or closing dinner after a deal she’d worked hard on, but after a few years, she realized that more than enough invitations will come along – so there’s no need to covet them.

“At a certain point in your career, you’re being asked to travel to this and that. You’ll have too many things to attend and will be pulled in different directions,” she says. “It’s a thirty- or forty-year career, so you don’t have to do it all within your first couple years. Just put your head down, do the work and form those relationships because it’s a small sector and everyone’s paths cross again.”

Be Yourself, Everywhere

When it comes to looking ahead, Taylor aspires to continue rising into leadership roles and gain more people-management experience. She also hopes to continue doing the things she loves, such as traveling to new places, curling up with a good book (her most recent read is Rules of Civility, after reading A Gentleman in Moscow by the same author) and working out – all activities that she attributes to keeping her mental health strong.

She loves traveling and planning international trips and visited Dubai and the Maldives in January for her own honeymoon.

Morning workouts are an important part of her routine to maintain balance, and she especially enjoys boxing as an energy outlet.

Taylor once heard that the most successful people are the same exact selves in their personal lives as professional lives.

“You don’t have to come in like a professional bulldog and run the show if that’s not really your personality. You can still be successful,” she says. “The mentors that have most inspired me blend both worlds and stay true to themselves.”

By Aimee Hansen

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