Her Story
About Leah
Leah Donner is a strategic revenue and sales leader with over 22 years of experience spanning hospitality, technology, retail, and consumer brands. She currently serves as a Regional Strategic Sales Director at Cvent, where she partners with hotel brands, chains, and management companies to drive revenue growth through AI-enabled and data-driven sales strategies. Recognized as a consistent top performer, she has earned multiple “Quota Crusher” distinctions across 2024 and 2025 and was named a Q4 2025 Game Changing Award Winner. Her work focuses on building scalable client relationships, strengthening enterprise partnerships, and delivering measurable business impact across a dynamic global portfolio.
Leah’s career began in the early 2000s in online business development and marketing for major retail brands including Gymboree and Gap Corporate, where she played a role in launching Gymboree.com alongside her sister. After nearly a decade in digital commerce, she made a deliberate transition into the spa and hospitality industry, becoming a licensed esthetician and spending approximately 10 years in spa operations within luxury resort environments. This experience sparked a deep passion for hospitality and guest experience, ultimately leading her into hotel sales and strategic account management roles, including leadership positions at Point Hospitality Group and later Vice President of Customer Development at the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
Over the past several years, Leah has continued to evolve her career in hospitality technology, where she now blends her background in psychology, business, and customer experience to support large-scale revenue strategy and transformation initiatives. She is also an experienced public speaker who overcame an early fear of presenting after being unexpectedly placed on stage in front of senior executives, a moment that ultimately accelerated her confidence and communication style. Today, she regularly presents to audiences of 300 or more and leads strategic conversations with senior hospitality stakeholders. With a foundation built on adaptability, client success, and leadership, she is focused on advancing into executive-level roles, particularly within technology-driven organizations and startups.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Leah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to pushing myself outside my comfort zone and facing my fears head-on. One of my biggest fears was public speaking, and I got thrown on stage a month into my current job without anyone telling me that would be part of my role. The company said okay go present in front of Kimpton at a conference with all their executives, I had to wing it. I remember thinking, okay, I think I can do this. Four years later, I'm confidently speaking in front of 300 plus people. That experience of conquering my fear of public speaking has been one of the best things I've accomplished, and it's enabled me to take safe risks in other areas of my life too. I've also learned that having a strong team is critical - I represent a company with thousands of products, and it's hard to keep up with all the technology, so my differentiator is really about using my team effectively. And finding leaders who authentically want to see you succeed and staying connected with them has been so important throughout my journey.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Leah emphasized the importance of surrounding herself with supportive mentors and leaders throughout her career who genuinely encouraged her growth and leadership development. She also shared that her sister, an SVP of Product in the retail industry, has been influential through their shared experiences working together on early e-commerce initiatives such as Gymboree.com.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find your tribe. Find those leaders that want to see you succeed, and those that don't have an ego, that really, truly, authentically want to help. Stay with them and stay in contact with them, because they will help you go far. They are so important. I've been fortunate to have mentors like my sister, Kelly Helthall, who is now an SVP of Product at a hunting clothing company. She and I actually launched Gymboree.com together in the early 2000s when I was an intern and she was on the marketing team. She was and still is my inspiration. I think she's so smart and a true authentic leader.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Traditionally, technology has been run by male engineers and men in general in this field. I think that just becomes a challenge being a female. But the more that you push those barriers and you push the norms, I just think it's going to make way for more women to step up into this role and to get into STEM programs. It's really important for young women to pursue STEM, not just men. My dad was an engineer, and I wish he had pushed me a little more into the field of technology. Growing up in Silicon Valley area it was engrained in you. The challenge is real for women to break through the tech field, but I see it as an opportunity - every time we push forward, we're creating space for the next generation of women in technology.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Leah values authenticity, mentorship, resilience, connection, leadership, and personal growth. She believes in supporting and uplifting other women while continuing to challenge herself personally and professionally.
Keep Exploring
More Influential Women · Colorado
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.