Jennifer Marszalek has a passion for results and a bias to action.
Currently the Chief People Officer at Revolution Global, Jennifer is a strategic Human Resource business partner with deep experience in high growth tech, advertising and retail environments, and works with leaders to help shape organizational culture and scale their workforce to drive business growth. Previously, Jennifer held the position of VP of People at Home Chef. And before that, she led the Talent Team at Havas’ Chicago Village consisting of Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, DEI, HRBPs and employee culture. Prior to joining Havas, Jennifer led the People Team (encompassing all of HR) at Grubhub and was the head of human resources at SurePayroll, a subsidiary of Paychex.
In March 2021, Jennifer joined us as one of the panelists in AboveBoard's first-ever digital event: An Era of Opportunity. During the all-women-led roundtable panel, we brought together experienced executives and board members and touched on embracing opportunity and making your mark.
We caught up with Jennifer afterwards to expand on her insights. Ahead, she talks women in leadership, and making the most out of any opportunity.
What are the driving forces behind these changes in opportunity for women in leadership?
Many organizations have looked inward and found that while they have many women in entry level and junior roles, the female populations shrinks the more senior you look across the organization. This self reflection has spurred action with a focus on developing emerging female leaders, an appetite to offer more workplace flexibility and family-friendly perks and mandates to seek out more gender-diverse candidates for leadership roles.
How can executives make the most out of opportunities that are available to them?
Be open. Build relationships outside your circle, research organizations that do work in areas you find interesting and look past titles when considering a move. Be fearless. Take on projects that feel like a stretch, speak up and pursue roles that may make you uncomfortable. Be rigorous. Make it happen, even a little bit, every day.
