Aishwarya Valli

I got inspired by notable female personalities such as Indra Nooyi, Malala Yousafzai, Harriet Tubman, Shakira, Florence Nightingale, Anne Frank and so on. Beyond that, my success comes from my adaptability and resilience in moving from one country to another, which required me to understand root causes of challenges and get a grip on them. At the same time, being true to yourself. I've also learned to embrace continuous learning, whether through my Lean Six Sigma Green Belt certification, AI, Certified Scrum Product Owner, or understanding Healthcare Compliance.  My willingness to take on unexpected opportunities, like becoming the MBA Women in Leadership at William & Mary or taking additional responsibilities in my work have been crucial. I've learned that you need to grab as many opportunities as you can because you may not know what doors they might open for you.

The best career advice I've received comes in two parts. First, you need to show your authenticity, and at the same time, you should not keep your achievements in a box - you need to showcase them to people and let them know about your accomplishments. During my MBA, my Co-President and I coordinated with one of the Sentara Hospital Presidents to give us a hospital tour and understanding her day to day responsibilities. After the tour, she showed me and other participants her office, her wall was covered with her achievements and mementos from speaking engagements. She taught me that it's important to display what you've accomplished so people know your expertise and will come to you. Second, I learned that it's not about changing who you are to fit in. Initially, people told me I spoke too fast because of my nervousness - I wanted to make everything so clear and focused. But through training with my Employee Resource Group Chair Emeritus who is my speaker trainer, I realized it's not about speaking fast or changing my accent. You don't need to change to fit into what others expect. You just need to be yourself and follow some rules to improve your pronunciation and enunciation so you can articulate well. This advice applies not just to speaking engagements, but to your job as well - you need to communicate clearly with your team. The key is authenticity while continuously improving your skills. Third, during my undergrad, one of my professors told me that you need to equally improve both professional and personal life. Because your attitude at home would affect your professional life.

My advice for young women entering this industry is to embrace continuous learning and adapt to new technology, especially in this age of AI. Keep learning and don't be afraid of new technology. Second, grab as many opportunities as you can. You may not know what doors those opportunities might open for you. I never expected that organizing one of Sentara hospital tour would lead to my internship at Sentara Health, or achieving William and Mary Fall 2024 Values in Action Award. Say yes to opportunities even when they seem unexpected. Third, be curious all the time. If you don't ask questions about why you're doing something and just follow orders like a robot, you may not get the meaning behind it and you won't enjoy the process of doing the work. Being curious helps you understand and find fulfillment in what you do. Finally, when working with your team and manager, be super honest because that's how you build trust and relationships. Ask questions, embrace AI, grab opportunities, stay curious, and be authentic in everything you do. Financial freedom is very important because you may not what life circumstances throws at you and never worried about your finances.

I attribute the biggest challenges in healthcare compliance to the pace of regulatory change, the need to protect sensitive patient data, and the complexity of managing compliance across teams and systems. At the same time, I see a major opportunity in using analytics, automation, and process improvement to make compliance more proactive rather than reactive. In my view, the best compliance teams are not only focused on avoiding risk, but also on improving operations, strengthening trust, and supporting better decision-making across the organization.

In my professional life, The values most important to me are curiosity, authenticity, and honesty. I believe you need to be curious all the time, because if you don't ask questions about why you're doing something and just follow orders like a robot, you won't get the meaning behind your work and you won't enjoy the process. Curiosity helps you understand the purpose of what you're doing. Authenticity is crucial - you need to show your authentic side and be yourself rather than trying to change to fit others' expectations. I learned this from amazing women I have met and through my own journey while staying true to who I am. Finally, when you're working with your team and your manager, you need to be super honest because that's how you build trust and develop strong relationships. Honesty is the foundation of trust, and trust is essential for meaningful professional relationships.

In my personal life, I strongly believe in being independent and staying grounded. I also value kindness, strong relationships, and the ability to support and uplift others along the way.