A Look at Our Event with American Express
On November 14, 2018 American Express partnered with PowerToFly to present our third networking event together. After sold-out events in Florida and Arizona, it was amazing to host an evening at American Express' New York office and the night did not disappoint.
As our guests came in from the cold (there would be a huge snowstorm in NYC the next day), they were invited to receive a complimentary headshot photo (a must when looking for new opportunities) before helping themselves to an impressive buffet spread.
PowerToFly's CoFounder & CEO Milena Berry kicked off the night by officially welcoming everyone and introducing Katrina Roberts, SVP of Technology and Unit CIO at American Express. "This is my second family," explained Katrina, a twenty-seven year veteran of the company. "We work together to achieve amazing outcomes and it does feel like a true team. So that's one of the reasons I've stayed. The second is the challenges are endless. I never stop learning. I'm still learning all the time and I'm always given the opportunity to develop."
When Katrina wrapped her moving keynote address, the audience was treated to a pair of product demos highlighting innovative American Express technology. First up, Shek Lee, American Express Engineering Director spoke about the American Express Chat Bot and the role machine learning plays to help the company deliver customized customer experiences. As Shek explained, "the digital concierge learns your preferences over time and then provides personalized recommendations to help you book your travel."
The next product demo began with a hilarious television commercial starring Tina Fey and featuring Amex's "Pay It, Plan It" tool. American Express Vice President Anna Knizhnik broke down this great feature that allows Card Members to pay for small purchases right away, or make a plan to pay for larger purchases over time.. "People love Pay it, people love Plan it," Anna said. "They can manage their balances and manage their large purchases in a very responsible way. That is one example of the powerful backing of American Express."
Milena then brought back Katrina for a panel discussion where they were joined by American Express technology Vice Presidents John Ahn, Urvashi Tyagi and Divyangi Anchan. After Milena asked the panel some questions, we had a few minutes to open the floor to some very perceptive audience questions. Katrina, who serves as the Global Sponsor for American Express' employee network WIT (Women in Technology) shared how diversity and equality is part of Amex's DNA: "It's about creating safety, comfort, sharing common challenges and creating a sense that we can change things, not just from senior leadership down, but across the organization."
Once the panel wrapped up, our attendees still had plenty of time to network with the American Express team and to ask some more follow up questions. As our guests departed into the soon to be snowy air, they walked away with gift bags and memories of a great night.
American Express is hiring! Follow Amex on PowerToFly to learn more about open opportunities.
PowerToFly's CEO Milena Berry welcomed our attendees.
Katrina Roberts, a twenty-seven year veteran of American Express provided the evening's keynote address.
Shek Lee, American Express Engineering Director, lead a product demo about ChatBot
American Express Vice President Anna Knizhnik discussed the "Pay It, Plan It" feature.
Our panel discussion featuring from American Express: Katrina Roberts, Divyangi Anchan, Urvashi Tyagi and John Ahn.
Divyangi Anchan and Urvashi Tyagi
John Ahn and moderator Milena Berry
Katrina Roberts answers an audience member's question.
Our amazing panel.
Attendees had plenty of time to network.
Attendees had the chance to not only meet members of the American Express team but their peers as well.
Lead Together: Behind the Scenes of Facebook's Women@ Leadership Day
Tatiana L. is a global client partner based in Miami.
Tatiana is part of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group and helped plan Women's Leadership Day, an annual global community summit. While the highly-anticipated event takes place over just one day, its massive impact is felt over the course of the entire year.
Amy W. is an operations lead based in London.
"Women's Leadership Day is more than an event. It's energy, and it's a movement," Amy W., an operations lead in London, says. "Moments like this can completely change the perception of women in technology."
From choosing the content and programming for the event to making it accessible for women around the globe, we went behind the scenes with seven members of the Women@ Facebook Resource Group to learn more about how women are empowered—and are empowering one another— in their career journeys at the Facebook company.
Behind the scenes with Women@
Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager based in Singapore, speaking onstage at 2019 Women@ Leadership Day in APAC.
"I've always been passionate about empowering women, but I didn't know how I could do it at work. My first Women@ experience changed how I felt at Facebook," Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager in Singapore, remembers. "From then on, I wanted to help other women feel heard, valued, and confident."
Planning the global event, which brings together women from more than 20 countries, calls for close collaboration across multiple teams, regions, and timezones. Members of Women@ also partner with other Facebook Resource Groups, such as the Pride@ Resource Group, Latin@ Facebook Resource Group, Desis@ Facebook Resource Group and Black@ Resource Group, to ensure all women at Facebook are represented and feel included.
Vivian V. is a program manager based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
"Across regions and communities, we each bring unique differences and powerful stories. When one of us moves forward, we have the opportunity to bring all of us forward," Vivian V., a program manager in the San Francisco Bay Area explains. "While planning the summit, we meet weekly to talk about what women in different regions are experiencing. From the event theme and content to planning speaker sessions and fine-tuning details, we each have items to own. Two months before the summit, we meet daily to share updates and make sure nothing slips through the cracks."
"Just like me, women in APAC look forward to Women's Leadership Day all year long," Amanda says. Planning something that's deeply meaningful to so many people can feel like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it's uplifting. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to talk about our individual and shared challenges, and we map out ways we can build community while empowering leadership for women across the globe."
Empowering confidence, equality, and leadership through storytelling
Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, and Amanda M. collaborate with women across the globe to plan Women@ programming and events.
Women's Leadership Day encourages women to talk about challenges like experiencing imposter syndrome, breaking through barriers, and how to manage work/life flexibility. "Storytelling is a huge part of the event," Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, explains.
Vivian says, "I've been at Facebook for nearly two years and help plan these events, and honestly, I never really understood imposter syndrome before I got here. Working with the Women@ community and hearing from our speakers—who are talented, brilliant superstars—I've seen firsthand how it affects them too."
Michelle C. is a client partner based in London.
Michelle C., a client partner in London, says that the summit's speaker sessions, which feature people from inside and outside of Facebook, are a highlight of every event. "We had a speaker from Tel Aviv who talked about the importance of balance in her personal life and how she co-parents with her husband. She shared specific things she's done, like adding her husband to the WhatsApp chat groups for mothers she's in and reminding her daughter's school that her husband is also available when their child feels sick. Her message was that we'll never be equal in the workplace until we're equal at home, and it really struck a chord."
Paris says that in APAC, Eva Chen's talk about facing challenges amidst the coronavirus pandemic and how she's raising her daughter was a top-rated session because it was so relatable. "From talking about her daughter's love for dinosaurs—a "boy" thing—and raising kids to fully be themselves to opening up about what it was like to grow up with immigrant parents from China and Vietnam, Eva inspired us with her authenticity and openness. Her struggle to feel supported while working in fashion and tech, rather than medicine, is something a lot of people in APAC understand."
"Every woman has a unique story," Michelle says. "Hearing from others is inspiring, validating, and truly eye-opening. It reminds us that we're not alone."
A memorable and lasting impact
It's no surprise that with the tremendous amount of planning and careful consideration that goes into the summit, its full impact is impossible to measure.
"It meant so much to me when people shared such positive feedback about Women's Leadership Day," Paris says. "We heard that some attendees felt inspired for days and weeks."
Kira G. is an agency partner based in Berlin.
Kira G., an agency partner in Berlin, has witnessed how the summit's programming can inspire action, even helping people push past a career plateau. "We might reach a point in our careers when we think, "I can't do this anymore, I'm not moving forward'," she says. "Women's Leadership Day gives us fresh perspectives, shows us new approaches, and starts important conversations. This can unlock new paths for growth and help us move forward."
Impact is felt in other Facebook groups, communities, and across teams too, inspiring interest and allyship. Amanda explains, "I felt so proud when a male VP from the Sales team came to us after hearing about what people talked about at Women's Leadership Day. He told us he wanted to learn more because it's everyone's responsibility to be an ally."
Empowering the community throughout the year
While Amanda describes Women's Leadership Day as a "bump in energy and inspiration" and "an injection of adrenaline", Vivian says that the real magic is what happens afterwards—and takes place all year long.
"When we think about Women's Leadership Day, our focus is on making sure that the powerful messages we hear and experience serve us throughout the entire year. We ask ourselves questions like, "How can we sprinkle these themes into our programming throughout the month or quarter? How do these ideas fit with our Women@ initiatives?" Going through something awesome together is just the beginning. Our work takes place year-round and we're constantly building on it to do more."
Paris agrees: "There's no shortage of amazing stories from our Women@ community throughout the year. Women's Leadership Day is just one channel for those stories, and I love how it stays top of mind with people and empowers them to do more good. When we come together, we can do anything we dream of."
"We're building a sisterhood and a community," Tatiana beams. "It feels so good to know there's always someone there to support you."
Learn more about Facebook's Employee Resource Groups, including Women@ here.
