With International Women’s Day coming up, our Z-Women ZRG (it’s what we call our ERGs—we ❤️ z’s.) is kicking off the year by creating intentional spaces for the members of Z-Women and inviting all others to engage and join too. From sharing unique gifts in a talent show and interactive barista experiences to conversations rooted about how men invest in women and how women invest in themselves, it’s been a meaningful celebration so far. And it’s only the beginning of March, so, yes. We’re very excited.
To get the conversations started, we called out for voices to bring to life this year’s IWD theme “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.” Z-Women shared that investments help them feel empowered, seen, and confident, which we know could only make the world an even better place.
Read on to see what ZEOs had to say.
Real talk from ZEOs about investing in women
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Nicky O’Callaghan (London), VP, Partners and Alliances
When I was in my late 20s, I pivoted into tech. I was self conscious about my ability, but [my manager] gave me the self confidence and encouragement to believe in my skill set. It’s never too late, and we are never not enough. I invested in learning about value selling, solution management, and people management to stop feeling like I was an imposter, but actually a really valuable asset. |
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Abby Clark (Redwood City), Head of Quote-to-Billing shares:
Investing in others is more than developing them to get their current job done. It is about investing in them, helping them, and developing them to land their next job, the job after that, and even the job after that—whether it is at the current company or not. One of my grievances is that too often the conversation is only about what women can do and how they can support each other when really it takes investment and action across the board. |
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Luana Wolk (Remote – Pennsylvania), VP, Investor Relations shares:
I feel fortunate that I have had some male leaders invest in me and my development over the years – including here at Zuora. I can think of some leaders who are more aware and some who are less. At the end of the day, I think it is important for us all to use our voices and to point out when things are not properly balanced. I try to raise these concerns when I have them and I encourage you all to have the conversation also. |
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Sean McFann (Redwood City), Office and Community Manager shares:
Investing in women is investing in a brighter future! I’m so grateful for all the women in my life and the joy they bring everyday! |
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Valerie Jackson (Remote – Arizona), Chief People Officer shares:
During my career, I’ve focused a LOT on whether and how much others invested in me. Pretty sure I attached some self worth to it. In the last few years, but my real work lies in investing in myself. I’m working on it 💜 It has taken effort to realize that (at least for my journey), perhaps I’ve under indexed on investing in myself. So I decided to change that. Whether it’s learning opportunities, taking care of my health, advocating for myself (still very hard, real talk), or even feeling free to be my true weird self 👽 I need to be a venture capital who invests in the start up of me. 😎 |
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MJ Im (Redwood City), Product Education Director shares:
Investing in women in all stages of their lives is a way to “pay it forward” so that my 2 daughters inherit a world full of possibility. |
More self investment AND the *perfect* cafe latte? Yes, please.
ZEOs in our Beijing office enjoyed an interactive barista experience to help Z-Women take pause for themselves by learning a new, fun skill. We’ll toast our roast to that ☕
Self empowerment through self expression
ZEOs in India took part in some self-care and artistic expression with stations for mehandi, nail art and tattoos followed by a talent show where they showcased their many talents and creativity. Needless to say they lit up the room.
Thank you to the women, allies, and advocates who are investing in our culture by chiming in, building trust, and keeping our ZEO community thriving through meaningful experiences, stories and dynamic conversations.
If you’re a current ZEO and interested in being part of our Z-Women ZRG, it’s as simple as joining our #zwomen Slack channel.
Interested in being a ZEO? Check out our current openings at zuora.com/careers.