Making Bold Decisions and Taking Risks in Your Career — The Journeys of 3 Women Leaders
Summary
How to combat imposter syndrome and build the project of your dreams
What would you do if you were not afraid? Studies show that women tend to be more cautious and less self-assured than men in their career decisions. Fear of imperfection, being not able to live up to the expectations of the job, or making mistakes is what often holds us back. But growing in your career requires taking risks. Every successful leader has stories about how their failures led to their success, but sometimes we forget that process happens at every stage of our careers, and in every part of the organization as well as outside of it — in our day-to-day lives. In this session, our panelists — influential women leaders in tech — will talk about how overcoming fears, accepting risks, and making bolder moves have helped them excel in their careers.Speakers
Annie is a VP of Engineering at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they are going. Prior to Waymo, Annie was a VP of Engineering at Nauto, an AI powered automotive data platform that is improving the safety of commercial fleets today and the autonomous fleets of tomorrow. Before Nauto, Annie was VP of engineering at Yahoo responsible for the multi billion dollar Web Search and Search Advertising business. Annie has a CS BA degree from Berkeley and MS degree from CMU.
As CTO of Carbon Health, Claire leads engineering bringing over 25 years of experience as a technology leader. She has helped over a half dozen companies grow and scale to deliver impact-driving products and services, including Netscape, Napster, Nextag, and Udemy. Claire was named in the Forbes CIO Next List, which recognizes 50 top tech leaders who help shape the future of business and drive game-changing innovation. She is a Limited Partner at Operative Collective.
Lisa Gelobter is the CEO and Founder of tEQuitable. Using technology to make workplaces more equitable, tEQuitable provides a confidential platform to address bias, discrimination, and harassment.
Lisa has worked on products that have been used by billions of people and pioneered several Internet technologies, including Shockwave, Hulu, and the ascent of online video.
Previously, at the Obama White House, Lisa was the Chief Digital Service Officer for the Department of Education, and prior to that she served as the Chief Digital Officer for BET Networks at Viacom.
Lisa has been named one of Inc.'s 100 Women Building America's Most Innovative and Ambitious Businesses, Fast Company’s Most Creative People, and serves on boards for: the Obama Foundation, Times Up, and The Education Trust.
Lisa is one of the first 40 Black women ever to have raised over $1mm in VC funding. She is also proud to be a Black woman with a Computer Science degree. Go STEM!
Arezoo Riahi is the first dedicated Head of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity (EID) at Waymo, an autonomous driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to get where they’re going.
In her role, Arezoo is responsible for driving and executing a holistic EID strategy, helping Waymo continue recruiting, hiring and championing diversity. As a subject matter expert, Arezoo works closely with the executive team to build Waymo as a company where everyone belongs.
Prior to Waymo, Arezoo led the diversity and belonging programs at Autodesk, where she evolved employee resource groups, designed inclusive hiring training, and launched global mentorship programming. She was also responsible for developing Autodesk’s diversity analytics, launching the company's diversity dashboard to understand trends and hot spots, and leading diversity communications. Prior to Autodesk, Arezoo also held roles in the nonprofit sector, notably serving as Director of TechWomen, an initiative providing professional development to women across the globe, and working with the U.S. Department of State.
Arezoo holds a Masters in Public Policy from The University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University.
