Conversations with AANHPI C-Suites Recap
Written by Olyvia Chac
Flashback to last week, Asians in Advertising hosted their XX ever, “Conversations with C-Suite” Panel, featuring Jeff Liang (Head of Digital Products at Essence Mediacomm), Prachi Priya (Chief Data Officer at Team One), Jolene Delisle (Founder & Head of Creative at The Working Assembly), and Chris Down (Chief Design Officer at Mattel).
Co-hosted by AIA’s Liz Kim and Christina Lu, the all-AANHPI panelists candidly shared about their journeys to the executive top. They also dropped gems of wisdom on how emerging APIs in advertising can make their next career move, raise in the ranks, and even how to level up to the C-Suite floors. Here’s some of the top takeaways and advice the panelists shared throughout the conversation:
Only 6% of Fortune 500 companies executives are Asian Americans. What are some challenges you’ve faced on your path to C-suite?
“Not seeing people who looked like me in leadership roles was very difficult - seeing someone who likes looks like me, acts, or talks like me served as a point of motivation to aspire to be a leader”.
-- Jeff Liang
“As Asian Asian women, we sometimes put obstacles in front of us before we even try to challenge ourselves to do something. But for me, it was about saying “yes” to things and jumping into them before I knew what it was about. Sometimes, culturally, we are conditioned to wait for our turn, but it’s a matter of making it our turn and jumping that line”.
-- Jolene Delisle
We know how critical mentorship and sponsorship is to career success. Could you tell us about your experience finding or being a mentor or a sponsor?
“We need a combination of mentors and sponsors. And my advice for mentees seeking help from mentors is to be action oriented and be specific on what you want. Because what you want is champions as your sponsors, they’re the ones who will you talking about you when you’re not in the room.”
-- Prachi Priya
“Going beyond mentorship is establishing an advocate, even further, a network of advocates. That has been significant and material and added value to my career. If your advocate is your boss, and you’re being open about what your career goals and ambitions are, when aligning opportunity arises, you’re on their list to put in those roles.”
--Chris Down
How do you balance your professional work life and your personal life?
“I would say tt’s not about balance but about blending - the idea of work is a passion point, your side hustle is a passion point and being with your family is a passion point. Whatever you want to do or your passion, you can find a career that you get fulfillment out of. Figuring out that blend of balance is key.”
--Jolene Delisle
“It’s about work-life integration or blend because work is not the opposite of life. There has to be a synergy between all the areas that define our lives so that friends, family, work, integrates together. We don’t have to give 100%, everyday, to everything, it’s okay to make it work to how we can.”
--Prachi Priya
What is one piece of advice would you give to your younger self?
“It’s not just about the destination but about the journey and the friends you make on the way to the destination. Really appreciating things in the moment and enjoying the moments, not focused on rushing to the next thing.”
--Chris Down
“To spend time to value yourself more and be less critical of yourself. Rather than feeling like you lack confidence and you don’t feel like you’re enough, but see that situation might not be good enough for yourself.”
--Jeff Liang
How can young people find opportunities to work their way up?
“Attitude and aptitude is everything. Your attitude carries everything in your energy, your tenacity to learn, it’s going to be visible to the team you work with. Aptitude and trying to elarn as much as possible and showing others that you’re interested in the work.”
--Jeff Liang
Have you invested heavily in coaches or prioritized mentorships or advocacy on your road to C-Suite?
“Investing in coaches and in my networks to become incredibly visible is critical to setting up my goals and visions and learning more about myself. And establishing networks also help you understand how to validate your experience or act also as a sounding board to help you get to the next level.”
--Prachi Priya
How do you give back to mentors and sponsors to show gratitude and appreciation?
“Keeping in touch with mentors and taking their advice is the reward and appreciation in itself. It showed that people valued my opinion, advice, and that they care about me.”
-- Jeff Liang
“The biggest reward is that mentees are learning through behaviors and putting in the work to being engaging and making the connection to follow through and learn.”
-- Chris Down
While working “hard” is a poorly worn badge of honor, how have you worked harder to get to your C-Suite Level?
“We feel like [culturally] we have to do a task ourselves to get the job don’t right? But it’s about determining where in points in your day can you add the most value and the most impact, and really lean into outsourcing some tasks or ask others to help. Even though it might not be 100% accurate, you’re still able to help coach your coworker through it later.”
--Jolene Delisle
“Feeling comfortable with delegation is a thing because it’s cultural, and we’ve felt that - and when in our career we we are above someone now (in a manager role) versus when we just beside them the day before, delegation becomes more of a mind situation by how you grew up.”
-- Chris Down
Hear more nuggets of advice from AANHPI C-Suite panelists and watch the Conversation with C-Suite’s recording on Asians in Advertising’s YouTube:
Follow the panelists on LinkedIn and learn more about their companies:
Jeff Liang, Head of Digital Products at Essence Mediacom
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffliang/
https://www.essencemediacom.com/
Prachi Priya, Chief Data Officer at Team One
https://www.linkedin.com/in/prachipriya/
Jolene Delisle, Founder & Head of Creative at The Working Assembly
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jolened/
https://theworkingassembly.com/
Chris Down, Chief Design Officer at Mattel
