Her Story
About Louise
Louise Zerr works in customer experience at Instacart, where she has spent the past four and a half years after beginning her career with four years in consulting. A graduate of McGill University with a double major in political science and economics, Zerr originally pursued her studies in Montreal due to her French background and became deeply involved in the non-profit organization AIESEC, which facilitated international work and volunteering visas. In her role, she focuses on bridging technical systems with operational needs, ensuring that automated workflows preserve the human elements of support that define Instacart's service. Zerr values authenticity and honesty above all, advocating for candid conversations early in projects to foster true collaboration. She credits her success to a willingness to learn, having entered Instacart with no data analytics experience and dedicating her first two years to mastering SQL and Python through self-study. Among the career advice she has received, she highlights the importance of being loyal to oneself in the same way one is loyal to teams, and she encourages young women entering the field not to fear being seen trying or learning new skills openly.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Louise
01What do you attribute your success to?
My values of honesty and wanting to learn more have made me successful. I am always willing and eager to get my hands dirty. I came to Instacart with absolutely no data analytics, and for the first two years I painfully prioritized teaching myself SQL and Python. I constantly enter rooms where I'm the dumbest person in the room, and it's truly the best place to be.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be loyal to yourself in the same way that you're loyal to your teams. I am someone that will always prioritize other people's career paths and success over mine, but I received this advice in the context of not wanting to leave a certain team, and it helped me understand that at the end of the day I have to be loyal to myself because if I'm not loyal to myself I can't authentically support the people that I care about at work.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Do not be afraid of being seen trying. There's this common perception that when you enter the workforce you shouldn't be trying, you should already be succeeding. I have learned so much from openly telling folks this is a new space for me, I'm curious, I want to learn from you. It's not embarrassing to be seen trying or to have to learn something that you feel like you've already missed the mark on.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The big challenge is this fear of being left behind. Every day there's a new thing and a company is using it and it's moving faster. How do you still stay curious to learn that new thing but also stay confidently steadfast in your decision and your strategy, because otherwise we keep going back to the drawing board.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I value authenticity and honesty. I would much rather be told candidly what someone thinks than have to extrapolate and read between the lines. I am a huge proponent of not shying away from those uncomfortable conversations at the very beginning of a work stream because being authentic is what unifies you and brings true unison and allows us to work together towards a common goal.
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