Last October marked the inaugural meeting of Criteo FLOW (Future Leaders of the World), an initiative started by Criteos Dhoreena Ventura and Emily Sinsheimer that’s focused on building, supporting, and inspiring leadership at Criteo.
On Thursday March 8, 2018, Criteo FLOW hosted their first International Women’s Day Panel in Criteo’s New York Headquarters, moderated by Senior Account Strategist Emily Sinsheimer and featured five of our very own Criteos from diverse backgrounds and career paths.
Erin Kurland, senior director of marketing for Americas, sat alongside Randi Roberts, senior compliance officer, and Olivier Kividiti, director of account strategy in our New York office. Marc Grabowski, EVP global supply and business development and Meridith Goldman, VP of global partnerships tuned in from Criteo’s Chicago office to share their experiences and insights on gender parity and diversity.
How Criteo is Raising the Bar
When asked how Criteo can raise the bar and do better than other companies when it comes to gender parity, Marc Grabowski kicked things off. He pointed out that aiming for gender parity was a smart investment for not just Criteo, but for any company’s future.
“If we don’t have women in leadership positions, then women who are coming up through the ranks won’t aspire to look to leadership roles, and they’ll go elsewhere.”
But even before women can see the leadership opportunities available at any organization, they must first be hired.
For Grabowski, this means making diverse hiring practices not just a topic of conversation, but a focus that might involve deeper searches for more diverse candidates. “We can always do better [with the hiring process],” said Grabowski, “If we see a list of twenty guys for one opening, as hiring managers, we need to be more patient and make sure we’re waiting for a more diverse pool.”
For Women: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask For More
On salary negotiations, Meredith Goldman and Randi Roberts drew from their years of personal experiences to share with the audience their key takeaways.
“There are two parts,” said Goldman, “First, self-awareness – being aware of your strong skills and characteristics and which areas you need to grow. Second, make sure you’re a strong brand. You need to put the work in and understand what your value is in the market.”
Roberts advised women to go forth without fear. “[Women] generally care about being liked, especially when it comes to salary discussions. You’re afraid that if you come in with a certain number you won’t be liked. That’s a trap.”
Take Risks – Advocate for Yourself
All the panelists agreed that they wouldn’t be where they are today if they didn’t have a few great managers along the way or, more importantly, if they hadn’t advocated for themselves.
When asked what a past manager had done to make them feel powerful or successful, Erin Kurland said without hesitation, “Trust. A lot of people respond well to that because they want to feel like they can own something.”
For Olivier Kivitidi, the best managers were those who encourage you to take risks, “even if that means you might leave their team.”
But at the end of the day, as Roberts put it, “You can’t sit back and wait for someone to do it for you. You have to think of yourself as the CEO of your career. No one’s going to look after your career better than you.”
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