Tag Archive for: asian american leaders

Dania Shahzad: Business Manager, Client Advisory Group, PGIM

,

“Over the years, I’ve not always felt confident walking into certain scenarios as a brown, Pakistani, Muslim woman,” says Dania Shahzad. “When I reflect on my previous self, the same things I was nervous about are now what make me feel the most confident and empowered.”

Shahzad speaks to finding inspiration in her family, building confidence in the face of adversity, and how she lives her life steadfast in her conviction that women can do anything.

Finding Her Footing

Shahzad was inspired by her father’s successful career in the financial industry when she chose to major in business during her freshman year of college.

“My dad and I have similar personalities – we are both bold, confident, personable people. I used to go to ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ and the New York Stock Exchange as a child, and it was so exciting. I was always interested in his world.”

As much as she found her father’s career in the financial services industry compelling, Shahzad recognized that, depending on the role, it could come at the price of long days and working weekends. However, she was determined to find a position and company that encouraged and supported a strong work/life balance while giving her the opportunity to learn, grow, and explore various facets of the financial services industry.

After interning at a variety of firms while in college, she was excited to land at PGIM upon graduating. She says the culture, the wealth of knowledge and breadth of opportunity at PGIM is what’s kept her at the firm.

“It’s a great company for somebody who wants to explore different aspects of the financial services industry,” Shahzad says. She shares that networking opportunities and business resource groups have been particularly enriching for her, as they bring together people from all different backgrounds.

“At PGIM, asking questions, making connections, and taking calculated risks are all encouraged—that helps employees maximize their potential and make the most of their careers.”

Since joining PGIM, Shahzad participated in a two-and-a-half-year rotational program, giving her exposure to several parts of the business and the chance to adapt to new challenges and build her skills. Now, as the business manager for PGIM’s Client Advisory Group, she enjoys handling a variety of responsibilities while leveraging her problem solving and project management skills, such as working on strategic priorities and business reviews, and making connections across the organization, which helps her make progress on the firm’s strategic initiatives and get work done more efficiently. This role has also pushed her to discover her voice, particularly as she is often the most junior person in the room.

Believing She Belongs in the Room

Oftentimes being the most junior person, woman or minority in the room can be intimidating under any circumstances. Shahzad notes that her resilience and courage have grown alongside her belief in the value she brings to the table because of her experience and the encouragement of mentors.

“I’ve grown through advice and mentorship. When entering rooms with senior stakeholders, I remind myself why I belong, why I should be there, and embody that. In the past, I would almost physically make myself disappear, taking more of a passive role in group discussions, but I have gained the confidence to show up more fully.”

One of the leadership positions Shahzad stepped into is as co-lead of the Asian Global Network, an employee affinity group at PGIM. The experience has given her the opportunity to make connections and form peer mentorships across the organization, building her network of support and influence beyond her own group.

“It’s exciting that despite being the most junior of the co-leads, people look to me for recommendations and leadership – and I get to build all these connections. The group has been invaluable to me.”

Shahzad reflects that finding her voice has not only impacted how she sees herself, but how she is viewed by senior leaders.

“It changed how my leadership team sees me. I’m considered someone who can lead and assume bigger responsibilities.”
Shahzad’s personal and professional growth have also influenced how she manages challenging working relationships. “I’m generally a very positive person, but at the same time, I’ve come to recognize and accept that not everyone is going to connect with me, and that’s okay.”

“I’ve learned that you can deliver your opinion, your voice, your vision to a project in a professional way, even when you’re not seeing eye-to-eye with someone. You can still work together productively.”

Embodying the Belief that Women Can do Anything

Shahzad credits her strong female support system as a significant contributor to the confidence she exudes today.

“I believe women are incredibly strong. I have learned so much from the women in my personal and professional life and their experiences. I look at what we’ve accomplished collectively and think, ‘We really can do anything.’”

She hopes to be an example to her two nieces, teaching them how to courageously show up in the world as their authentic selves.

“They are two South Asian females who are going to grow up in the U.S. I want to be able to help them navigate that experience, while also showing them all the powerful things that a woman can do.”

Shahzad notes that part of setting that example is demonstrating her commitment to giving back to the community that has supported her. Serving as the VP-at-Large for the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) Alumni Board of Directors, her alma mater, she engages with students and actively contributes to the university where she once held a full scholarship.

“Inside, I feel deeply privileged to have such a great life in America. I am passionate about wanting to spend more of my time giving back, and the Alumni Board is one way to do that.” Another important part of Shahzad’s philanthropy ties to her faith – spending time engaged with her local mosque and affiliated community organizations, such as supporting children in need.

Authenticity as an Influencer

Shahzad’s message of empowerment reaches more than the people she works with. In fact, outside of work, Shahzad has gained a following on social media, sharing beauty tips based on her cultural traditions, fashion trends, her adventures around the globe, and more. The success of her platform is evidence of the positive impact that can be achieved by having the courage to stick to your convictions.

“I was bullied as a child for having these beauty rituals, but I persisted because I believed in their benefits and cherished the bonding moments they created with my family. Today, the same hair and skincare secrets and ingredients are becoming popular and normalized in the beauty standards and industry in the U.S. I’m proud of these rituals and passionate about using my platform because I’ve worked hard to create a safe space for women to learn and ask questions while sharing tips from my family and our heritage.”

Shahzad also attributes the success of her platform to the skills she’s attained through her work at PGIM. Applying her project management experience and organizational expertise, Shahzad continually receives positive feedback from brand owners and CEOs about her high level of professionalism.

“I’m really grateful for the experiences I’ve had. I feel empowered that I can have this meaningful career in finance and get to express my more creative side—I can be myself all the time.”

By Jessica Robaire

/by

Dr. Sheena Menezes: Co-Founder and CEO, Simple HealthKit Inc

, ,

Sheena Menezes“Healthcare is one of the spaces where it is so vulnerable, so precious. It’s your health; it’s your life,” says Dr. Sheena Menezes. “Knowing that what we build here at SHK can really impact people’s lives – is what wakes me up every day.”

We talked to Dr. Sheena Menezes, co-founder and CEO of Simple HealthKit, the first and only human-centric healthcare platform that delivers at-home diagnostics, treatment and follow-up care. A rare example of genuine female-led diversity and inclusion nestled right in Silicon Valley, 70% of SHK employees are women and 80% are people of color.

Born and raised in Kuwait, with Indian-Portuguese roots, Dr. Menezes has often spent family holidays focused on social service, empowering young girls at orphanages in India. Early life exposure to vast inequities, as well as loss and health challenges in her own family, inspired her to want to build healthcare solutions that bridge socioeconomic gaps and impact the trajectory of people’s lives – regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, or geographic location.

Simple HealthKit empowers people through early detection with physician oversight, knowledge and access to support through an end-to-end system, tackling global health challenges such as STDs, chronic conditions such as diabetes, and the tripledemic.

As of June, Walmart has partnered with Simple HealthKit, making these at-home diagnostic tests now available at the largest retailer in the world. Dr. Menezes believes world-class healthcare is a right, not a privilege, and so SHK addresses high-need and high-impact health challenges in all communities.

On what personally inspired her to launch Simple HealthKit (SHK):

“Some founders have the ‘aha’ moment. For me, it was a journey of multiple forces that made starting SHK happen. From my childhood, I’m an immigrant, or refugee, during the Gulf War. So I’ve seen what it’s like when the lights are turning off, like what’s going on in Ukraine, and people are trying to escape and in camps.

Then, I also have the perspective of living in different countries and seeing wide disparities – some who have everything and some who don’t have anything at all. I was born and raised in Kuwait. I have Indian-Portuguese roots. And then I’m here in the United States. Back in the days while living in different countries, you’re expecting the US is just going to be great. Then you come here, and you realize there’s so much disparity here as well. So that’s one reason.

Also, it’s been having the support system of amazing family and believing we can do something that can really make a difference. Healthcare is one of the spaces where it is so vulnerable, so precious. It’s your health; it’s your life. Knowing that what we build here at SHK can really impact people’s lives – is what wakes me up every day. Think of early detection of STDs or getting an early HbA1c test and how that changes the course of people’s lives. Because often STDs are curable if you know. And with diabetes, with exercise and diet, you can get people back into good health. That’s really changing someone’s trajectory of health.

That’s our ‘why.’ That’s the culture here at Simple HealthKit. What’s your ‘why?’ Why do you want to do this? And it has to be a reason bigger than you. It has to be for people and the fact that you can make a big impact.”

On the difference Simple HealthKit is bringing to people:

“When you think of diagnostic tests, especially the earliest ones like the pregnancy test, you just got a test result. So, you are positive if there’s an extra line there. Now what?

From early on at SHK, we have always believed in the vision that we never want to leave someone disconnected. You want to be able to do a test, and if you’re positive, have that whole journey experience. Whether it’s via phone, tablet, laptop, whatever digital device an individual has – how do we empower that person? Today, for STDs, we did just that. If someone is positive, they are going through Telehealth and they’re getting a prescription. So we are able to impact that individual’s life – not just showing the person they are positive and leaving them with questions such as What do I do? and Where do I go? That’s such a daunting zone to be in.

How many times has each of us felt that Where do I go? And for the first time, we’re creating that seamless sense of “We got you.” We started with STDs. We’re doing that with diabetes and kidney disease, and we’re starting to solve at least the high-impact, high-need use cases and in the best way we can. Sometimes it might simply be a nurse to guide you on the other end of the line and tell you what you need to do next. The whole journey happens with a QR code.”

On what has prepared for her success as a biotech founder:

“There is a lot of training that I had before arriving to this point. I hold an undergrad in computer science. I ended up doing a Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Bioengineering at University of California, Santa Barbara. I wanted to do something that’s impacting lives and building tools. And so, for my Ph.D. days, I was able to utilize computational bioinformatics, discover a whole new protein (a novel tRNA methylation enzyme) and create a new arm for my Principal Investigator (PI). I had to figure out a lot of unknowns and do it very thoughtfully and methodically, following all the steps in getting publications out. That was definitely good training.

Further, being in any industry, it’s about learning what you must do and working with regulators. You need to understand everything because healthcare is a space where you need to know what you cannot do and what you can do. I’ve had that journey of learning what you must not do and what you must.

I would say that my journey has been to see two sides of a coin. I’ve seen two sides of a coin in my childhood. But I’ve also seen two sides of the coin in healthcare. From that lens, technically, with the right set of people and the right teams – people who are humble, have empathy, have the right experience and can execute – you can do it. Because you could have a dream, but if you can’t execute on the dream, it’s over. You really need to get the smartest, kindest people in the same room and say, ‘let’s get this done.’

It’s never one person. I always say it’s not about one human. It is really about the SHK team that’s able to execute and make SHK what it is today.”

On the team diversity of Simple HealthKit leadership and staff:

“I have been in teams where I was the only woman at the table, let alone the only woman of color at the table and in the leadership role. I do recall there were moments when there were opportunities for women to move up and there were not that many people at that table giving that opportunity. That’s drawn me to a sense that, as a leader, I do have the opportunity to do so.

Also, now that I’m a mom, I see how strong mothers have to be too really do it. And immigrants and people of color, they’ve often had it so hard. They already know what resilience is.

Back in the day when there was only one seat available at the table, potentially, there was competition for that one seat. Now, I really believe in bringing the smartest people onboard, people with resilience, people who can take a ball thrown and get back up. And I feel that is the composition of our team.

And I wanted to make more seats at the table that increase the diversity of leadership and teams. It starts sometimes at the top-down and sometimes at the bottom-up, but you need the leader’s leadership to support that. I’m definitely a strong believer in women, minorities and people of color at the table because diversity is healthy. They say the best teams are the ones who have a diverse team because you’re seeing so many viewpoints and you’re able to capture others’ blindspots. I feel that is what defines the SHK team.”

On the importance of “intention” in bridging differences:

“When you have such a diverse team, there’s going to be language and cultural barriers. Different cultures that have to interact and work together. I used to be president of International Students back at UC, Santa Barbara. When you have different cultures, there’s a lot of things that can be misinterpreted. For example, I use my hands a lot and I might find certain hand movements mean something else in another culture that I did not intend.

One thing that is helpful that I’ve learned, and work with my leadership team on, is to start with your intent. Because there’s a lot about communication that doesn’t land the way you want to say it. Often, simply leading with your intent before you even start the conversation can change the ability to have difficult conversations.”

On her biggest personal growth area as a co-founder and CEO:

“The biggest stretch has been learning multiple hats and learning different subject areas – marketing, sales computer science, quality control, regulatory – and understanding what you need for those elements of success. That’s been amazing and exciting because I’m a learner.

It’s definitely been an exciting journey of learning and you also build more tools of resilience. It’s not all green grass and roses. On different levels, it’s a very humbling journey. Having empathy for yourself and for your team is important. If someone falls down, you have to say ‘let’s get back up, we need to solve this, we need to execute.’ So it’s about being able to do that without reacting.”

On being a female, and women of color, founder in Silicon Valley:

“It’s hard on many aspects. The numbers are there on how many women get funded, how many founding teams have women in them, people of color in them, and other diversity dimensions. Those numbers are real data and it’s true.

But, I also believe differences are our strengths and not something we have to hide behind. So being different but also being super-technical and data-driven changes the conversation. When that inevitable question comes – “What are your numbers?“ – for me, it’s being really strong about it and being thoughtful in what you answer. It’s keeping the stance that this is not about me. This is about the impact we’re going to make in people’s lives.

I would emphasize again it’s about leading with intent – even, the intent I set for myself going into those rooms with VCs. Right now, we’re so blessed. We have amazing VCs. And that’s evident because as the company is succeeding, they’re succeeding. So we’ve got a lot of trust with a great set of VCs. It’s very important to pick the right board and right VCs as part of your team. That can be hard for some founders, but we are in a very healthy and happy position.”

On championing girls and women to take the leap:

“I have a young daughter. I am blessed by that because it’s almost like you see a little ‘you’ in some aspects of the motherhood journey. I’m super passionate about women’s empowerment. I really believe women and people of color have had to build resilience. But I also think it’s so important to not hold yourself back. Too often women say, ‘I don’t know if I can do it. Maybe I need to study this. Take one more course. Wait one more year.’ And I’m like, ‘no, you got this.’

You need to have a support system that pushes you farther but also telling yourself that you have this. Since college, I’ve inspired people to learn, learn, learn. Learn, because you’re the product – what you’re learning, what you’re building – but also you have to also give yourself that strength. When women feel like they can’t do something, I challenge them to go ahead and take an attempt at it. Don’t say ‘no’ upfront. Go ahead and take that attempt to give yourself that time to bring it and then, come up with a plan. Maybe you’ve never done it before. But before you say ‘no,’ go try. Don’t give up too fast. Take a stab at it. Propose something.

I’m happy that I get to be both a cheerleader and support system for women. I’m happy to do any amount of inspiration, because I think there’s a lot of women holding back. Can I be a mom and be a founder? Yes you can. Trust me, you can. So I’m all about championing the ‘yes.’”

On why overcoming challenge means you are very strong:

“This is simple but a super powerful set of advice. A lot of times people feel nervous or fearful. Maybe you even think nobody knows you or that deep inside, you are weak. But your core is a really strong core. That’s what’s been able to get you through those tough times when you were falling but also able to get back up. So remind yourself, you are strong. You did the hard work. You got through. Remind yourself of your successes. Remind yourself it’s just another challenge. If you’ve gone through hardship and you’ve endured an emotionally hard time, then what got your here today is actually your strength.

I’m also Christian, so I was always raised with that spiritual sense of knowing I’m going to do good and God’s going to take care of me. I was also encouraged by my Mom telling me that if you really work hard and put your mind to it, you can get it done with God’s grace. So that’s generally who I am as a person and I have an amazing support system.”

On making a greater impact on lives:

“The vehicle of SHK is massive right with our recent announcement with Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, and the reach of Walmart in rural America and health deserts. It’s literally creating that front door access point for some who never had access. They can get that diabetes test online or at the store, and now it’s telling someone they aren’t tracking right and we have resources that can help them for a lifestyle and nutrition change.

We’re excited about that partnership because of the impact. In America, 40% are pre-diabetic; 80% don’t know. With STDs, one in five adults have an STD and one in two under the age of 24. So it affects young people, college students, young professionals and even among the baby boomers retirement community, we see a spike in STDS. We’re really solving for high-need, high use cases but we also know that early detection can change the course of a life.

Internally at Simple HealthKit, I believe people have also perhaps seen two sides of a coin in the workplace. Maybe they’ve seen healthy and toxic. They’ve seen hurtful and painful and successful and happy. What I hope to create is almost a professional family. Similar to family, it’s not going to be all roses and green grass. We’re going to have things thrown at us. And it’s so important at that moment to get back up, get back to work, figure out what to do and create that bond that is like no other with such a diverse team. I want us to be that exceptional team in Silicon Valley that has more women and women of color at the table delivering and executing on the mission that we set out to do.

For me, creating impact is also about teaching simple things like remembering the strength in your core and having intentions around conversations. My intent is to inspire with those tools. I feel those tools are like your belt of strength for anything – your journey at your work, your journey as a future leader.

I love seeing that one of our leadership team started as an intern and then moved from scientist to associate scientist to taking a leading position in the company. For me it’s so amazing to see growth in individuals and then watch them inspiring another set of leaders. So I feel we can only pass the love, the tools, and the resilience to each other. We can create that spiral effect to the next generation of young leaders.”

On deriving more meaning and fulfillment in work:

“When you wake up, do you feel like this is what you set out to do? Are you happy? You spend a lot of time at work. Like with any relationship, ask yourself, Are you happy? Does it bring joy?

Also, are you doing the right thing? I think it’s important to ground yourself. Do you feel you’re doing good? You’re now in a place where you have a platform, so how can you bring others with you?

Also, think of all the different ways you specifically want to create impact. Go-getters can be racing and have a goal. But, pause. And ask, am I running in the right direction? It’s okay to pause for a good minute, and take that time to think about is this what makes you really, really happy?

For my daughter’s first birthday several years ago, we were at a shelter celebrating with young girls who were rescued from the streets in India. That experience was so amazing, because these young girls have a chance, and that mission was inspiring.

With healthcare, it combines the skills I had and it’s also mission-driven. So, can you combine your passion with your skillset? That’s why I feel like I’m happy, because I am doing exactly that with SHK.”

On gratitude and being present:

“Gratefulness is a big quality in my home and household and my team. Kindness and gratefulness, especially when you’ve seen disparity on the other side of the table. Look at what you have. Start with gratefulness.

My daughter is six years old and my son is three. I love spending time with my kids. I just love their joy. The life and sparkle in their eyes. all the way from doing science experiments at home – they’re super fascinated by that – to going to the beach and parks and swimming.

More than anything, just being present. Because with digital devices, it’s so easy to be distracted. It’s so important to be present. When I am with my children, I am present.”

Interviewed by Aimee Hansen

/by