A champion of diversity and inclusion 

“Making it as a woman in business – and especially in a sector as male-dominated as the tech industry – is very much down to doing things your own way. Women are expected to dress a certain way. They are judged on their appearance – how they look and what they wear – far more than their male counterparts. It’s just one example of the different challenges facing women and men, but it’s key and it’s visible."

“I’ve always been drawn to doing something ‘different’ and taking opportunities to change things. I left my job as a product manager at Lloyds TSB in London to pursue something completely new with PayPal. When I joined, the company was growing very fast, so it was an exciting time to be there with new products to bring to market and new initiatives to launch."

“It was actually my boss that suggested I do the EMBA-Global at LBS but it dovetailed with my own desire to consolidate my academic background in finance with a more nuanced understanding of international business and leadership."

“Everything about my time at the School exceeded my expectations, from the interplay between academic analysis and business focus, to the quality of teaching and the strong connections I made with incredibly talented people from every walk of life. The friends and networks I made at LBS are the strongest in my life. I still see my classmates every two months and we act as a support network to help each other out with life’s challenges."

“I’ve also maintained close ties with LBS faculty and I invite them regularly to Square offices to help my team learn. On EMBAG I had amazing professors like Richard Jolly, people who give you the full benefit of both their academic insights and perspectives but also their real-world expertise in consulting and advising world-leading business organisations. We take our teams off-site and invite LBS professors in to support our professional development and help us learn." 

“I’m passionate about helping others – especially women – to move their career forward. At PayPal I championed a number of diversity and inclusion initiatives, something that earned me the title of PayPal ‘Culture Champion’. 

“I mentor and sponsor a range of people at different stages in their career. It is incumbent on women to support each other - I particularly love Oracle’s Melissa Di Donato’s call for greater alignment and mentorship between women: “You cannot be what you cannot see.”

Keeping the faith

“It’s about having more faith in your ability and developing the resilience to be yourself more authentically. As women, we need to help each other do this more or things won’t change. Change needs to happen not just in my own sector, but across business generally."

“If there is one specific thing that I could change to empower women (and men) to achieve meaningful goals it would be to instigate the same parental leave regulations for all. I’d like there to be a six-month statutory break for women and men following the birth of a baby. I think we need to send out positive messages about the importance of home and work life balance. And we need to stress how men and women have equal roles and equal responsibilities both in the professional and personal spheres. To me that would be an excellent start and a solid step forward.”