Her Story
About Olesya
Olesya Golub serves as Chief of Staff supporting senior leaders at Microsoft, a role she has held for approximately five years within her 14-year tenure at the company. Her background centers on marketing and sales, where she previously led marketing teams at Samsung Electronics for nine years before transitioning to Microsoft. She earned an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business in 2010, along with two higher education degrees from Russia, and maintains certifications as a Chief of Staff and as an executive coach through the International Coaching Federation. Golub belongs to the International Coaching Federation and Chief, an organization of senior women executives. She attributes her success to her parents' emphasis on setting high goals, working hard, and persevering through hardships with optimism and a clear North Star vision. The best career advice she received, from her former boss at Samsung, was to be brave and unafraid of taking risks or failing, which encouraged her pursuit of an MBA. She advises young women entering the field to pursue portfolio careers by developing multiple interests and passions while continuously learning, especially amid rapid changes driven by AI. Golub values kindness and empathy above all, both professionally and personally, and supports Breakthrough T1D to advance research for type 1 diabetes, motivated by her son's diagnosis.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Olesya
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute a lot of my success to my parents as well. Being able to set a goal and trying to achieve it, but at the same time honestly working hard. This perseverance through hardships because I definitely had to overcome a lot in my life and stay optimistic. Believing that impossible is nothing, living by your North Star, setting goals high and having this vision and going to achieve the vision.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be brave. Don't be afraid of taking a risk and fail, because only through failure and taking risks you can succeed. This advice came from my best boss at Samsung who encouraged me to go to the University of Chicago.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Portfolio careers is something that people need to start considering early on. You need to have multiple interests and multiple passions. Thinking about portfolio career is the way to go in the future because with AI everything keeps changing so quickly. Keep learning and follow your passions building these multiple interests and career paths.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
There is a lot of fear around AI in technology. People don't know what it means and struggle to catch up and stay relevant as everything changes every day. The hardest thing is to unlearn what worked before. The biggest opportunity is everywhere for those who are curious and able to learn. The opportunity is limitless as professions are being redefined.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Kindness and empathy are most important. I want my kids to be good human beings who are kind and empathetic to others and hardworking. I don't like lazy people.
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