Her Story
About Emily
I started my career in the tech industry working in sales for SaaS, then moved to the fintech industry at PayPal. While in fintech, I got to work with retail sellers like Kendra Scott, and that experience gave me a glimpse of what working with retail brands could look like. I really started chasing that opportunity, which led me to Amazon. At Amazon, I initially worked in what we call fashion fitness, supporting brands like Kendra Scott, Hey Dude, and Yeti. Getting a glimpse of what it takes to run these bigger brands on an e-commerce platform like Amazon was invaluable, and I eventually fell into the premium beauty space where I am now. Throughout my career, I've been guided by my mentor from my first job at Oracle in 2017, who is still my mentor to date. He was my manager then, and I go to him for quite literally every job move, whether it's negotiating a salary or asking if a lateral move is going to be good for my career. One of my most notable achievements was mentoring a young lady in Guatemala for a year through a PayPal program. We met weekly, and I helped her launch her marketing consulting firm. That experience taught me a lot about helping somebody build their own business, and it was really rewarding to see her progress. I didn't realize that helping launch something could be more fulfilling than launching it myself.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Emily
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my hunger for opportunity has pushed me in my career. Whether that was in 2020 when I was feeling like my career wasn't going quick enough, so I decided to go get my MBA to help progress that, or when I jumped to Amazon and was hungry to get a promotion, so I took on some more projects that would help me get there. It's that continuous hunger for achievement that has continued to push me. The hunger to make sure my family is supported in the way that I want to support them also pushes me in my career.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would give her the advice that the first step isn't going to be your final step. You might start out with a small brand, or maybe a brand you don't know, or maybe a brand or product that you don't necessarily love. But lean into that starter, because that's going to be your base for everything that is to come for you. Your first step is never going to be your last, so don't think that just because you've been given this brand or this company or product that that's where it ends. That is just your starting point, and once you lean in and continue deep diving and learning, it's going to open so many more doors. So just don't stop at step one. Just know that it's just the start.
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