Sheri Bachstein, CEO of The Weather Company and GM of IBM Watson Advertising, joins ChedHER to discuss her successes in this role, and how she's helping women thrive in the c-suite.

chedHER

CEO of The Weather Company on Helping Women Thrive in the C-Suite

joining us now is Sherry boxed in Ceo of the weather company and GM of IBM Watson Advertising, Sherry, thank you so much for joining us today. How have you been able to accomplish such growth and what have been some of your biggest successes here? Well, hi Chloe, it's great to be here and yeah, it's definitely been a great run and and we look at 2022 very optimistically as well, I really think it comes down to three things that helped us get to the success so far. One is the value that we bring to our customers really focusing on that one great example is our subscription business. You know, we started this business because we knew our consumers wanted choice around privacy or they just wanted more advanced weather technology and weather data and so we stood up that business, we just achieved one million subscribers. So what started as a way to super serve our customers actually has turned into just a really strong revenue growth stream for us. The second thing is around partnerships, we have a lot of strategic partnerships that have really expanded our reach and now we're working to distribute our weather data into the ad ecosystem. So again, our customers don't have to come to us for the data wherever they want to use the data that's available to them. And then really the third thing, it really comes down to your people and your culture, you know, that has to be at the forefront of, of what you do and it has to be, you know important and we, you know, really are building a strong team, We're giving people opportunities for growth and really doing everything we can to make sure that people feel appreciated um and that they can bring their authentic self to work. I want to ask you, you know, you took on this new position during the pandemic, how has the advertising space changed in the past couple of years? Yeah, definitely. We're still seeing the impacts of the pandemic obviously with our technology but you know, really you know Chloe, I think um you know, the ad industry started seeing changes before the pandemic. This upheaval around changes with privacy legislation, changes that big tech have been making to make it increasingly harder for marketers and consumers to connect. What I think the pandemic did though, is it helped to accelerate the innovation that we need to actually really rebuild the industry. So that's really a positive aspect of that. Now. You presented at the Interactive Advertising Bureau's annual Leadership meeting this week on Selfless Innovation, how would you define that? And how are you using it for your business? So, selfless innovation is a concept where you deliver value for your customers or consumers that above all else, you know, when companies set out to innovate. Oftentimes they do it to solve a business problem. You know, we look to increase revenue, increase our margins or even do um you know, innovation around cost savings. Um and you know, I want to achieve those two as a business leader, but I really want my teams to earn those business outcomes because they put the people that we serve at the center of that innovation and I have strong reason to believe that this concept works. Um and that all tides will rise if you do this, you are all about having more women in leadership roles. Your team now consists of women leads at CMO Cto and now cr oh why is this diversity and leadership? So critical. So Chloe, I built a diverse leadership team for a few reasons. You know, I want the diverse thinking, I want a range of perspectives and point of view. I want people that come to the table with different experiences, not only professionally or personally because we learn from those and then I have found that a diverse team really fosters discussion and debate and I think a company needs that because I think through debate in these types of discussions, you make stronger decisions that then really lead to your success. Now, both advertising and tech industries have been male dominated for many years. So how is it that we go about shifting this dynamic? Yeah. You know, um as you say that you know, korn Ferry put out a study back in 2019, the top 1000 U. S. Companies. And when you look at the technology sector, 10% of CTS were women, 5% were Ceo? S so definitely you know, there needs to be that shift there. So I think this is really a shared responsibility. So I think it's first that companies have to have a diverse slate of candidates as they're looking to bring on these positions. Um, they have to ensure that women have the same opportunities, the same education and really, you know, the same meaningful work um, in order to show what kind of outcomes that they can deliver on. The other token, I think as women, we also share that responsibility. We need to work together. I'm sure you've probably experienced in your career that as women, we can be really critical on each other. We can be really fierce with each other. Um, we have to stop that behavior. We have to support one another. We need to be happy when one another succeeds and and really pull each other up. Um, and through that we become much stronger. I think you're getting into this a little bit. But do you have any specific advice for women out there who are seeking leadership positions themselves? So, two things that I would say that I think would be important. One. You need to find a sponsor inside of the company, especially if you work in a large company. You need someone that's advocating for you because we can't do this alone. No one can do it alone. So find that person that's going to share, you know, your great results with others that will um, you know, recommend you for opportunities. I think that's really important. I think the other thing as women, you know, we need to know our self worth, you know what I know what you want to achieve and then go after that and make sure that you have the skills to actually do that um and you know, do what you say you're gonna do and deliver on outcomes. Because at the end of the day, business leaders are looking for people that can deliver outcomes. I'll tell you, I'll share just a quick story with you years ago, my mentor as we were talking about my career, he said something that was really interesting. He said you have to help break your own ceiling and I sat that for for a minute and I thought about that. And what he was saying is, you know, you have to figure out what contributions are you going to be known for, what are you going to stand for and then you you need to go after that. And I found that comment to be so empowering that it actually changed the trajectory of my career. And so as women, we do have more control over our destiny, which is a great thing um and we just need to go out there and really try to break that glass ceiling Sherry, thank you so much for your time today. I'm so glad we got a chance to speak to you. That's sherry Boxing Ceo of the Weather Company and GM of Ibn Watson Advertising.