Her Story
About Gabriella
Gabriella Dumo serves as a talent professional at Boston Consulting Group in Chicago, where her primary responsibility is helping staff new consultants onto projects during their first six months. Passionate about the people-focused aspects of talent development rather than traditional HR policies and processes, she draws on her background in organizational psychology to guide consultants through diverse projects across industries while balancing business needs with employee interests. Prior to her current role, which she has held for a little over a year and a half, Gabriella worked at Dyson in the talent and inclusion space, overseeing all nine employee resource groups for Dyson Americas across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. She earned her Bachelor's of Science in Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 2023 after shifting from an initial interest in speech pathology. Gabriella is actively involved in professional and community initiatives, including membership in Jewish at Work, the Jewish United Fund Chicago Young Leadership Division, and serving as an Anti-Defamation League fellow and advisory committee member, BBYO advisor, and Words to Action teacher. She also teaches second graders Judaic studies and Hebrew on Sundays. In recognition of her accomplishments and support for the Jewish community in Chicago, she received the 36 Under 36 Award. Gabriella attributes her success to her support system, including her mother and entrepreneur brother, and views her background in psychology and her perspective as a younger professional as strengths that allow her to bridge generational gaps and bring a human-centric approach to her work.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Gabriella
01What do you attribute your success to?
I definitely attribute my success to my support system, for sure. Like I said, my mom grew up with a single mom, and she has always been in the corporate world, and she would tell me what it was like to be the only woman in the room. Another example is my background in psychology. For a while, I wondered if it would hinder my ability to get a job in the workplace. But really, it made it easier for me to find roles that I really was a good fit for. So I would say definitely my support system. And my brother, my brother is an entrepreneur, and he just goes after it, and I really admire his tenacity and his bravery to just follow his dreams.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I've ever gotten is, Even if you're afraid to take the next step, or you're not there yet, or you don't know what your next step is, try to do something every month or every year that brings you closer to whatever your dreams are. For example, I would really like to go back to school one day... each month, I engage with literature from the higher ed school that I want to go to. In the workplace, I'm not a manager yet, but I meet regularly with more senior people, take on side projects, and call out my accomplishments.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say think about what aspects of your background or of yourself that maybe you think would put you at a disadvantage, and actually view that as your strength. Reframe it for yourself, and use that as what sets you apart. I look at a lot of resumes for psychology undergraduate students who are trying to get into the business world... it's all about how you frame it as something that actually sets you apart in a good way, and gives you an advantage.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Biggest challenge in my industry currently, I would say, is there aren't a lot of room for growth. A lot of times, we can get very stuck. It's either a big jump that doesn't feel appropriate, or staying where you are. The talent and HR space is very predominantly female, and that's a powerful thing. We have to be better at supporting each other, at lifting each other up, and remembering that someone else's success does not take away from yours.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I would say integrity is a big value for me in work and in my personal life. Trying my best to do the right thing, even if there would be no consequences if I didn't, is really important to me. Another value I have is Tikkun Olam, which basically translates to making the world a better place, and helping to repair the world. I believe that in any room or any meeting I'm in, I have the opportunity to make it a better place to be.
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