Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Celia Geering
Head of Sales Europe, rready AG
Zürich, Switzerland
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
As Head of Sales Europe I lead a high-power sales team of four, growing every other month, soon to be seven. Apart from that, I’m still in sales myself covering the German market. My role is about motivating, coaching and making sure everyone can perform on their top!
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
Well generally, getting up every morning full power ahead empowering all employees in corporations to fulfill their entrepreneurial mindset.
It is also the rready hands on “Born rready” mindset I love, which customers enjoy and find special about us.
Within rready, I love each interaction I have with my colleagues and the team, because they can range from hilarious to sad, to bitter-sweet, angry to loving and happy – and I love each and every moment of it.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
Jumping onto every opportunity that is offered to me. If you can’t stop thinking about it and start making up excuses for why you can’t accept it – That’s the moment to go for it, full speed! So I transferred that into the possibilities we had during the pandemic: I got stuck in Zürich, started my job at rready, moved into a house with five people, made my way to Head of Sales Europe – So, yes I could still go on with my life taking all the right (or wrong and no regrets about them either) decisions in my life before and jumped on the opportunities as soon as I saw them.
Also the examples of numerous KICKBOXERs everyday and their motivation to think outside of the box and chase after their ideas fuels me with energy to be always rready even under the Corona unprecedented times.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
It will sound so basic, nonetheless when I first experienced a case of death, my mum said to me “Never forget, without death there is no life”. Me being a young, naive teenie thinking about this sentence and responding to her “But imagine how amazing it would be if we don’t have to worry about death!” – Well, she laughed at me and let it be for the moment, confident that I will figure it out myself. Well, now I’m here as a 30 year old person, knowing if our life didn’t have an expiration date, we wouldn’t try making the best of the years we have!
What does generosity mean to you?
Generosity means to me giving everyone the space and all possibilities to be their full self and bring it to the table every day. Everyone deserves the opportunity to fulfill their dream life. I want to give everyone the possibility and space to be their most fabulous self. The most generous thing we can do is to meet others with kindness and offer them opportunities.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
By stopping the Bla! Businesses have the greatest minds sitting in their rows doing a job every day, that most people are even bored of. So, we waste human-beings due to bored-outs or unnecessary burnouts.
There is the one question: Why aren’t they using their full brain capacity within their workforce to solve the challenges of today and the future? Honest answer, management being scared to let employees innovate bottom-up, especially because they’re missing out on the right tools to empower each and everyone.
Why? Because often management feels somehow insecure letting employees voice and test their ideas.
Why I know this so well? Because at rready it is the Sales Team’s job to bring exactly this culture of employee empowerment and bottom-up innovation to corporates. Bottom-Up Innovation can feel threatening and often they fear it as “too big of a change”.
What we see in companies that take on the challenge of building up a bottom-up movement? They develop new, more sustainable, more inclusive solutions to change the future or prevent us from new risks.
Help2type is a successful example for an inclusive product that was developed by a Swisscom employee. Marcel Roesch is Head of Swisscom’s Film Team, and his project help2type GmbH – a tactile keyboard for smartphones – was born out of his own experience as a person with low vision. It is a tactile keyboard that connects with your smartphone via Bluetooth. With help2type, those with visual impairment or low vision can write on their phones in public without unwantedly sharing their contents.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Fabulously curious! Easy, because I love life being fabulous and full of new experiences, challenges and people.
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
A hell of a ride through very high highs and very low lows and coming out of it on the other end as a grown and crazy person after overcoming the rollercoaster with absolutely fantastic people! It’s going to be a blast.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Lindsey Lanwehr
Director of Technical Support, Salesforce
Bloomington, IN, USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
I currently lead the Pardot Support organization at Salesforce. We are a driven, highly-skilled, diverse group of individuals that have one common goal. We make our customers successful.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
Hands down, it is career growth. I feel so much pride when I’ve spent time investing in an employee’s career and they achieve a promotion. Seeing their happiness truly makes me happy.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
My family suffered a house fire during the summer of 2020. We were displaced from our house for 7 months. I did a lot of reflection during that time. My family was extremely lucky to have no injuries, great home insurance, flexibility at work, and an outpouring of support from our friends & family. Anytime I go back and think about this hard time in our life, it motivates me to continue being a better person each day.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Seek to understand. Asking questions is a key part of understanding many situations. Take the time to understand before jumping to conclusions.
What does generosity mean to you?
Generosity means more than physical gifts. It can mean time volunteering or even just being kind to a stranger. The smallest acts of generosity can change someone’s day.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Businesses can be the change. It doesn’t need to be a charity or government that solves all the issues in our society. Businesses have the platform, resources, and workforce to be a driving source for change. One of the most creative ways that I’ve seen folks volunteer their time at Salesforce is through the organization Extra Life. Extra Life raises donations from gaming to fund Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. I’ve had the privilege of playing games for donations and donating directly to some wonderful colleagues that are passionate about helping sick and injured kids
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Resilient. Life can be hard…painfully hard. I’ve lived a good life, but it hasn’t been without struggles. I’ve pushed through tough times and worked hard to rebuild myself. Each setback is an opportunity to grow. I am resilient.
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
I’m a Bloomington, Indiana native. That means John Mellencamp is often my go-to on Spotify. His new album features a song (Chasing Rainbows) that speaks to my soul.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Professionally, I took a new role this year. It is a new team, a new product, and a new focus for me. I’m looking to bring my experience and perspective to help build upon the amazing work that is already being achieved. Taking on a new role can be scary, but it is also invigorating. Problem-solving is a core trait for me, so this gives me the opportunity to really dig in and get my hands dirty. Personally, my husband and I are building a new house. Once we move, we will be closer to friends and work. We are both looking forward to being more social and involved.
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
I’m a big advocate for mental health resources being available to anyone that needs them. Personally, I suffered through infertility, late-term stillbirth, and postpartum depression. I needed access to mental health resources to bring me back from all of those experiences. All women should have more than just a 6-week postpartum doctor’s appointment. Mental health needs to be as important as our physical health and everyone deserves access.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Oriana Itriago
Salesforce Administrator, Certa Consulting
Buenos Aires, Capital Federal, Argentina
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
Currently, I´m assigned to a project as a CPQ administrator.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
Propose and implement solutions to meet the customer’s requirements.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
The constant learning that adds to my professional growth.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Do not give up in the face of obstacles to achieve your goals.
What does generosity mean to you?
Helping or supporting people in a disinterested way.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Persevering: no matter how difficult the problem is, I will still keep looking for the solution.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Obtain the Advanced Administrator and CPQ Specialist certifications.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Blair Pettit
Program Manager of Social Impact, Khoros
Austin, TX, USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
As the Program Manager of Social Impact at Khoros, I oversee our global ESG strategy and supporting initiatives, including our tech-for-good program, corporate donation planning, employee volunteerism, and sustainability. Outside of day-to-day program management, I am constantly strategizing how we can better measure the impact of our work and share that story in meaningful ways with different stakeholder audiences.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
Working in social impact requires constant curiosity and endless research — that’s my favorite part. I get to start each week asking myself, “How can we drive a more positive social impact in our world, and how can we do that in a strategic way that proves business value?” It’s a never-ending (often creative) challenge, and I’m energized by it.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
I’m driven to prove that social-impact focused companies outperform others. Social impact can no longer be viewed as traditional philanthropy — it’s a strategic business move that, when done well, positively influences recruitment, customer acquisition/retention, investor relations, brand perception, positioning in the market, and more. As a team of one in a brand new, self-pitched role, I’m motivated to keep going and prove this to our stakeholders each day.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Professionally, I’m looking forward to publishing Khoros’s first-ever Annual Impact Report to hold our organization to higher standards of transparency, accountability, and year-over-year progress. Personally, I’m so excited to attend four of my best friends’ weddings this year (plus bachelorette parties!); COVID-19 has impacted so many people’s abilities to visit friends and family, so I can’t wait to celebrate love with those I love most throughout 2022.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Keren Pakes
VP Brand Marketing & Communications + General Manager of The Bright Initiative
Tel Aviv, Israel
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
As the VP of Brand Marketing & Communications, I manage the company’s entire market positioning as well as its reputation. I manage a team of 12 people overall.
I also serve as the General Manager of The Bright Initiative, a pro bono organization that I established in mid-2020 as part of the global effort to help researchers make sense of the Covid pandemic. The Initiative has quickly grown and now supports close to 400 organizations, universities, NGOs, NPOs, and public sector bodies.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
The best part of my job is the opportunity I have to inspire change! I love the fact that business-oriented technology can make such a big difference in people’s lives. For example, public web data helped the Covid vaccine become more widely accessible by making vaccine appointments available across the US through the FindAShot organization. And there are many more examples of web data being used for good. If you stick to the ethical guidelines and to public data only as well as utilize the largest database in the world, which is the internet, you can really make a clear difference – whether it is environmental, social, or related to people’s well-being.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
I always tell myself that a challenge managed in the right way can turn into a great opportunity and that only when we are faced with the greatest challenges do we actually have the opportunity to grow. My own challenges inspired me to take some bold steps that I probably would have refrained from taking had I not been faced with them – those bold steps resulted in some great professional achievements and even greater opportunities that would not have happened if I had not used the challenges to grow.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Sometimes, it is best to stand still and wait for things to naturally unfold, and only then act.
What does generosity mean to you?
Seeing the other person’s perspective and trying to support them when they need you. I always aim to be available to those who need support, even on my busiest of days. I think words carry a lot of power, and sometimes when you are there for a person, truly listening and responding can make a real difference where you are needed the most.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
I think businesses should look at ways to help the most critical causes by doing what they do best. For this reason, I established The Bright Initiative. Today, we share our expertise and our technology with many inspiring organizations (pro bono, of course). These include organizations such as HTI Labs, which utilizes public web data to fight human and sex trafficking, or the upReach charity, which partnered with us to run sessions and share our data-driven expertise, among many others. Any business can drive change where it matters the most. We started initiating change when the pandemic broke, and we found out about so many causes we could help to drive forward. Consequently, we decided to expand our organization and turn it into a comprehensive hub that delivers many benefits. For example, in another month, we plan to launch the Bright Academy, which will be available for all who wish to advance in the data profession.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Bold – and, if I may add, persistent. I am a former war journalist of 14 years who has truly seen it all . I think that I turned my journalistic skills into my current approach, which has basically made all the difference in my professional world. I truly think that every bright idea deserves to be realized, and I aim to make it happen. Why wait – right?
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
There are many – if I had to choose one it would be Stronger by Kelly Clarkson, a song that still speaks to me today
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
My team and I are going to establish a commission that uses public data sharing to fight violence against women. This has already started, and we hope to bring it to the public sector so they can make the necessary changes in their policies.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Marisa Rothstein
JD, CFP; Lead Financial Advisor; Siena Private Wealth, a member of Advisory Services Network, LLC
Kinderhook, NY and NY, NY USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
As the lead financial advisor, I provide comprehensive financial planning—running retirement cashflow projections; helping establish savings goals; conducting portfolio risk analyses; developing and implementing philanthropic legacy plans.
As portfolio manager, I design investment portfolios customized to the goals of each client, then diligently monitor and rebalance the portfolios to maintain allocations in line with clients’ priorities.
On the administrative side, I manage my back-office team, Advisory Services Network, through which I receives compliance and administrative support; and direct my own marketing and communication, including website design and ad placement.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
I have always been truly interested in other people. I used to sit on a park bench in Union Square for hours, making up the background stories about the different people lounging on the grass or strolling by. Where are they from? What do they do? Are they happy? Are they fulfilled? What keeps them up at night?
As a financial advisor, I am able to ask these questions and get to know a wide-range of people, all with different experiences, skills, and ambitions. My sincere interest about others enables me to draw out honest answers from clients who often realize they have actually never considered answers to some of the questions I pose: What WOULD I do if I didn’t HAVE to work? Where WOULD I live if it could be anywhere? Will I need to take care of my parents as they age and what will it mean for MY family? I truly love helping clients confront these questions and then, together, prioritizing their goals and needs, and crafting a financial plan to help achieve them.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
I have many privileges that enabled me to navigate this pandemic much more easily and safely than many others in our community. Seeing others’ struggles motivates me to use my own resources and skills to keep building my practice so that I can offer more financial guidance to more people; provide more pro bono financial advice; and contribute an ever-increasing amount to great nonprofits, as I have a commitment to donating 3% of my practice’s net profits to charity every year.
Money is often tied up in family, emotional, and even health issues. I am honored to support clients and others in the community as they navigate these issues, to at least reduce the stress associated with the money piece of their life puzzle. As one example, in June 2020, a long-time married woman was referred to me; her husband had recently left her. Envelopes had been piling up, filled with bills and past due mortgage payments which, the woman now realized, her husband had stopped paying long before. I methodically helped the client go through each envelope and take stock of her financial affairs, of which she had previously been kept in the dark; and worked with the client to regain control of her finances; prioritizing bills to be paid and creditors to be contacted. Together, we developed a long-term financial plan, projecting what the client would need to be comfortable in this new phase of her life. I eventually helped the client interview and eventually retain a trusted divorce attorney. I then worked directly with the attorney to create and analyze different divorce settlement scenarios: How much did her client need to maintain her lifestyle throughout retirement? What different assets would enable her to meet that need? Along the way, I met with the client often to provide patient explanations of her financial projections and, when I started managing the client’s portfolio, my portfolio recommendations. While my client is still working through this difficult transition, feeling more educated and supported, she has at least been able to regain control of her financial life and is now more confidently approaching her financial future. Having the ability to provide a source of strength, clarity, and direction for someone going through an incredibly challenging time is motivation to keep showing up and offering the best of my abilities to whoever can benefit from them.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best advice–and what truly got me through the terrifying process of launching my own practice–came in Ani Difranco’s Swan Dive. The gist of the song? Sure, you might not achieve what you’ve set out to do. But the upside is greater than the down, so take the chance. And do it with grace.
“‘Cause they can call me crazy if I fail
All the chance that I need
Is one-in-a-million and they can call me brilliant
If I succeed
Gravity is nothing to me
Moving at the speed of sound
I’m just gonna get my feet wet
Until I drown”
What does generosity mean to you?
The highest form of generosity means predicting others’ needs and providing support and help before they even need to ask for it. That is why I am so grateful for Pledge 1%, which encourages businesses to commit to giving back to the community on an ongoing, proactive basis, instead of waiting to be specifically asked for donations from those in urgent need.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Compassionate. I like seeing the people around me find happiness and joy and I do what I can to help bring that about.
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
Better Things by Dar Williams. It’s an older song, but a beautiful wish that, after the last two years, which have been so difficult for so many, now “all the verses rhyme.” As Dar Williams sings:
“Here’s wishing you the bluest sky
And hoping something better comes tomorrow
And the very best of choruses to
Follow all the doubt and sadness
I know that better things are on their way.”
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Madhumeeta Mhaskey
Salesforce Consultant, TechForce Services
Sydney, NSW, Australia
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
Managing project delivery & client engagement . Team management and mentoring.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
Engaging with people, understanding their pain point in performing day to day business activities using software systems. It’s heartening to be able to empathize with the people and collaborate with them to design solutions addressing their issues and improve their experience performing those tasks each time. I enjoy learning the new domains and helping customers to map the business process into the product to achieve the automation eventually making their day to day job easier.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
I feel directionless at times when faced with sustained challenges. But once there is an acceptance of the situation, positivity creeps in and I just try to keep the momentum going. We spend so much of our active day at work, fortunately my role offers to engage with customers and the opportunity to understand/ resolve problems, improve customer/ end user experience is satisfying and it keeps me going.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
We all face challenges or adversaries in personal and professional life and depending on our individual personality we respond. At times we learn from our own past experiences and others experiences. Sometimes we are fortunate to get mentored.
Best piece of advice I received is ‘Take one step at a time’
As in if you think of the challenge as one big block it would inadvertently overwhelm you, but if you meticulously probe, every big challenge is combination of multiple smaller one. Pick the smaller chunks one at a time and strike them off, you’ll be surprised with the outcome.
It has worked well for me.
What does generosity mean to you?
Empathy for every individual without being judgemental.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Businesses always had a key role to play in solving big challenges faced by communities and the world at large. They will have to be agile than ever before in continuously adapting to newer ways of delivering services to their customers. The fundamental step in that direction is to adapt to the workforce needs (e.g. flexible work time, work place, support for other needs) so that they are able to deliver those services efficiently without impacting their personal lives and priorities. Mere engagement with employees is not enough, it needs to be followed by concrete, timely actions to improve employee experience is critical.
At Techforce Services this has been in the culture since inception and has continued till date. I believe that could be a major contributor in our success.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Empathetic.
It is impossible for me to exist with transactional relationship with people I’m surrounded by, may it be family, friends, work colleagues, communities or even a disconnected world at large. Regardless of whether I can make a difference in their lives they matter to me.
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
It’s a old song in Hindi language ‘Hum Ko Mann Ki Shakti Dena, Mann Vijay Kare, Dusaro Ki Jai se pehle khud Ki Jai kare‘
Meaning, almighty endow us the will power to win over our yearning material desires and before I expect courtesy from others or point at their mistakes I turn inwards and introspect and act.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Reflect on the positives of the past couple of years and be thankful. It was difficult time but a useful experience.
Travel places to catch up with family and friends in person, some thing that we could not do past couple of years due to the pandemic.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Amanda Lenaghan
Head of Social Impact, Cruise
San Francisco, CA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
In my current role as head of social impact at all-electric, autonomous vehicle company Cruise, I’m responsible for the overarching vision for Cruise for Good, our signature social impact program and building the social impact function at Cruise from the ground up. I love that my work is heavily centered on partnering with leading nonprofits and tapping into how Cruise’s core business can build their capacity to address some of our communities’ biggest challenges.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
All aspects of my work are done through relationships and partnership. As such, my favorite part is the people I work with – the nonprofit leaders who inspire me daily (including female CEOs Tanis Crosby, SF-Marin Food Bank & Lenore Estrada, SF New Deal), my amazing colleagues at Cruise, my extended network of peer ESG leaders – we can only do so much alone, but together we are a force for good! I’d have to say, the opportunity of getting to work on how we meaningfully bring an entirely new resource to the nonprofit sector is a very close second.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
I’m intrinsically motivated to want to do what I can personally to make a positive impact on the world – “to whom much is given, much is expected” has been a personal mantra of mine. My personal and professional lives are intertwined in that way, and my career in social innovation is intentional, so I continue to find motivation despite the challenges we’ve all faced over the last two years. In my case, I had to juggle two young school-aged children with my husband working tirelessly on the front lines in emergency medicine – I am fortunate to work for an amazing leader in Rob Grant, and my company and leadership gave me flexibility when needed. It’s all worth it when I hear my kids explain what I do – “using robot cars to help people” – how cool is that?
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
Walk before you run. As a collegiate runner, maybe it has extra meaning for me, but it’s practical advice to simply take the first step in order to create momentum toward a large goal – and that can be helpful when tackling large societal challenges.
What does generosity mean to you?
True generosity is giving wholeheartedly – not simply giving from a place of plenty. The most generous people I’ve met invited me into their one-room cane houses, opened their lives, hearts, and kitchen tables to me when I lived and worked in an impoverished neighborhood in Ecuador. To be generous is an act of sharing yourself in addition to your resources (beyond cash, think expertise, social capital, and simply being fully present) with others.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Companies today have an intentional choice to make to ensure their business has a positive lasting impact on their community and key stakeholders. At Cruise, we saw that the best way to support sustained, meaningful impact was to forge long-term partnerships with trusted local nonprofits, supporting their work and capacity to deliver critical community needs. We believe that innovation can’t simply be for its own sake, which is why we have pledged to dedicate at least 1% of our fleet to serving the needs of our local communities and we’ve turned to our nonprofit partners to guide us. This type of sustained, community-rooted commitment is how emerging tech like Autonomous Vehicles can serve the public good.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
Resourceful – I have an ability to make things happen when I feel it’s the right thing to do.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
Connecting in person after two years of remote life! I look forward to speaking at the Social Innovation Summit in DC in June, and reconnecting with many friends and colleagues. This is also a big year for Cruise as we begin to commercialize and I’m excited to continue to build social impact in lock step with our business.
Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are paving the way for the next generation. While our featured leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, they are united in their efforts to promote equality for all women in the workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their journey to success, as well as lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Natalie Rekstad
Founder & CEO, Black Fox Philanthropy, B Corp
Boston, MA, USA
What is your current role? Briefly describe in 1-2 sentences.
Orchestra Conductor of epic consulting talent within my company. This ensures that our global NGO clients have the fundraising support needed to fulfill their missions.
What’s the best part of your job? What do you enjoy the most?
The Depth of Connection among the team. We’ve seen each other through a great deal these past two years, and the feeling that we have each others’ backs is part of our culture.
We’ve all faced personal and professional challenges these past two years – what motivates you to keep going?
The leaders and missions we serve around the globe. Their success is paramount because the stakes are so high around the globe. Fortunately our role in their success is deeply sacred work that we love.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
The Impossible Just Takes Longer.
What does generosity mean to you?
Leading with curiosity and question ‘How can I help?’ And mean it.
How do you feel businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s biggest challenges? Do you have any specific stories or examples from your work or colleagues you can share?
Black Fox Philanthropy is a B Corp social enterprise so our entire DNA is centered around business as a force for good.
Businesses can play a larger role in solving today’s problems by Living their stated values. For example, part of a B Corp’s DNA is to have diversity as a core value. That’s important on a number of levels, including the fact that companies who DEI perform better financially and have greater employee retention and morale. A specific example of how we walk tis talk is funding Black Fox Fellows. Launched in 2019, Black Fox Philanthropy funds Black Fox Fellows to help accelerate the pace in which institutional racism is dismantled by supporting women of color in philanthropy in achieving ever-higher levels of influence. We underwrite all registration costs for Fellows to attend the Opportunity Collaboration (OC) annual convening.
So much more to say! One more aspect to do with how companies can play a larger role is to listen to the consumer and the workforce; that is where the true power lies. 1). If we are holding businesses accountable with our consumerism or vendor choices, then harmful business practices cannot be sustained. 2) Well-being and well-doing will need to be increasingly intentional among businesses as the rising workforce is no longer willing to invest their lives in anything less and refuse to participate in systems that are in direct opposition to their values, and the wellbeing of the whole.
If you could describe yourself in one word what would that be and why?
My mainstay word throughout my life has been “grit.” Without grit, I can’t imagine where I’d be today given the early messages I received about my worth. But we evolve, and our words evolve with us.
My word now is “connection.” On the heels of leaving my unhealthy marriage, I experienced severe PTSD. During a time of abject terror, the support of my close friends, parents, and family taught me that being vulnerable and asking for help was actually safe, sacred, and profound. After decades of considering myself (and being seen as) strong and resilient, I allowed others to experience me as lost and terrified. What I hold most dear is the depth of connection to others I now feel as a result of that time. This gratitude and awe bring me to my knees. All else pales in comparison.
If you could pick a song to guide you through 2022, which song would it be?
What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and Rise Up by Andra Day.
What are you looking forward to this year? Are there any goals (personal or professional), activities, or experiences you are excited about?
This is my ‘Year of Yin’, embracing flow. And launching Black Fox Brief 2.0. Building community in Paris!
Is there anything else you’d like to share?
If there is one thing I could change it would be to release everyone from false beliefs about their worth. So many of us ingest thousands of messages about who we are and our worth as part of our “somebody training” by well-meaning families, but also by our culture.
If we could be in touch with our divinity — our power — and remember who we truly are, we would show up differently in a world that needs us to own our worth, take our full space in the world, and bring our very necessary voices to the table. But that voice needs to be informed by inner knowing and that can only come through awakening and healing. We can’t lead while we are bleeding and broken. We can’t have a voice infused with power without trusting our own inner wisdom. While we can acknowledge today’s reality, we can also hold a vision for what can be, and strive, together, to usher in a new era of possibility.