Her Story
About Sarah
As Chief Executive Officer of ezTaxReturn, Sarah leads a financial technology company at the intersection of tax, technology, and artificial intelligence. Her career spans executive management and P&L leadership across North America, Europe, and Asia, with deep experience in finance, technology, AI, mergers and acquisitions, operational transformation, and scaling organizations.
Sarah is also a Partner at CloudStreet Partners and has served as an executive business advisor and coach through Stanford Seed, advising and coaching CEOs and founders across countries on strategy, operations, organizational transformation, and leadership.
She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, where her graduate studies focused on artificial intelligence and control systems. She has also completed executive education at Harvard Business School and has received multiple leadership and performance awards and recognitions throughout her career.
At the heart of Sarah’s leadership philosophy is a belief that sustainable business performance begins with people. She is passionate about helping individuals move beyond self-imposed limitations, lead with greater self-awareness, and realize their potential. Her approach combines strategic rigor with authentic-courage, deep inner work, nervous system awareness, and continuous personal growth.
Through her executive leadership, coaching, and thought leadership, Sarah advocates for building organizations where people and performance thrive together, and for developing leaders who have the courage to transform themselves as they transform their organizations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sarah
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to my desire for learning. I love to learn new things, and I like to teach and share that knowledge with other people. I like to learn because I like to share. The other part for me is standing up for what I think is right, based on taking feedback from people but also making my own decision as a leader.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice is, especially as a woman and a female minority, be yourself when you are in a dominant field of opposite energy, because you bring your power in because of the way that you think differently from most people. Be yourself.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Don't look at the outside and step into the field as everything is as you see it. Go deeper and understand that in technology women are still minorities. Every time you show up, you're going to show up with a ladder in your hands because you have to work harder and smarter to fit in. Hold on to your power, be who you are, understand the delta and try to bridge the gap. Be more aware, look for guidance, coaches and mentors.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
AI is disrupting any field in software and fintech. There is a software apocalypse happening. Fintech is very technical and heavily regulated, so software cannot just step in and take over. The challenge is helping people understand AI implementation without feeling unsafe or threatened by job displacement, making things more effective for users and employees.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
It is very important that a leader shows up with their heart before they show up with their brain. Brain already does a lot of the work, but it's important to stop and use the heart to assess situations not from an ego but from real truth on what's happening and what people are experiencing, then stepping in to support people.
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