VP and CMO Sandra Lopez on Embracing a Growth Mindset

Sandra Lopez spent a little over 15 years at Intel, beginning as director of consumer marketing strategy, to director of new business marketing—where she established, built and nurtured new and adjacent businesses. To her longest role at Intel vp and general manager where she led Intel’s efforts for the digitization of sports. Her extensive experience has led her to her current position, CMO for Microsoft Advertising. “I recently joined the marketing team for Microsoft Advertising," she says. "While there is plenty to be excited about—Microsoft Advertising’s continued expansion into digital and native, our recent launch in 29 new markets and Microsoft’s announcements that highlight our intention to acquire Xandr and Activision—what drew me to my position is that at our core, we are deeply committed to helping businesses of all sizes grow and we are deeply focused on team culture.” Covid-19 has accelerated the growth of the digital advertising industry, growing Microsoft’s audience to more than 1 billion users, including the rise of an audience Sandra and her team like to call the "Workday Consumer," who increasingly turn to their PCs throughout the workday, for professional and personal needs. Learn more about Sandra’s journey to CMO of Microsoft, pivotal moments that changed the trajectory of her career—and how she overcame setbacks along the way. ADWEEK: How did you get to where you are today? SL: To me, one’s professional journey is based on intellect, network and luck. First, one should always remain curious and embrace the growth mindset because the world is forever evolving—and we need to evolve with it. As for networking, if I reflect over my career, 90% of the new career opportunities has been because of my network—I was either recruited by a former leader, whom I have worked with in the past, or my name was recommended by somebody I knew. And then there is luck. You have experiences in your career whether you meet someone new or have an unexpected challenge that will transform your life forever. I remember meeting Lauren Joseph, former World Economic Forum Global Council Lead, for coffee in New York. It was an impromptu meeting, scheduled for 30 minutes, but lasted two hours. We spoke both about the future of technology and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). That interaction gave me the opportunity to be a participant of the World Economic Forum Davos—an experience I will never forget. I advise female leaders to always network wide (inside and outside of your organization) and always take that meeting or call. You never know how that interaction will change the course of your life. Can you share a situation in which you've been unfairly characterized in the workplace, due to conscious or unconscious bias? How should women address these microaggressions and slights when they occur? As a Latina woman, I have numerous stories—as do so many in the LatinX community related to wage gap—behavioral stigma (like “too passionate”) and differences in cultural norms (such as respecting hierarchy in a way that can hold you back in your career). However, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss another topic that I also face frequently: motherhood bias. When I had my daughter, many colleagues assumed how I wanted to work, namely that I wanted to travel less and stay at home more. The key word is “assumed.” My colleagues projected their own narrative of what was best for me, instead of simply asking me. Even more concerning is how frequently mothers and expecting mothers are overlooked for career advancement. According to nonprofit advocacy organization National Women’s Law Center, in 2017, “women who were mothers were recommended for significantly lower starting salaries, perceived as less competent and less likely to be recommended for hire than non-mothers.” Checking our assumptions and projections on others can be beneficial in an intersectional way to how we eliminate bias. Especially now, as there are a growing number of reasons why we take time off work or return to work. What's one thing we can start doing today to help close the wage gap between men and women? As a leader, have you looked within your team to ensure there is pay equity? I think you’d be surprised how much work there is yet to be done within your immediate organization. Change starts within your immediate sphere of control: your team. Ensure you have the most diverse team and your teammates are getting paid equitably. The past two years have proven to be challenging on our mental health. How have you prioritized your own mental health? Covid did affect my mental health from lack of socialization to attempting to be my daughter’s teacher, while also parenting my daughter during a stressful year. As such, I developed rituals to address my mental health, focusing on three very specific activities: First, I’m loving myself. To ensure, I could show up as the best human across all circumstances— leader, manager, mom, daughter, friend, or partner—I needed to take the time to do the hard work on myself. Honestly, it has been the most challenging work of my life yet when you learn to love yourself, everything in life is easier. Change starts within your immediate sphere of control: your team. Ensure you have the most diverse team and your teammates are getting paid equitably.Sandra Lopez, CMO Microsoft Advertising Second, I found a system that worked for me. Every morning I focus on SAVERS, by Hal Erod. SAVERS, which stands for silence, affirmations, visualizations, exercise, reading and scribing, has been a life-altering experience in resilience. Over the past months, I have faced hardships, but they no longer affect me as they would have in the past. Finally, I’m building and nurturing my tribe. I have two girlfriends that I talk to every day. They are my cheerleaders and I am theirs. Identify who you need in your tribe to make you better. I call it the “ER” multiplier: BettER, HealthiER, SmartER, etc. It takes time to build your tribe yet when you do—they will always have your back. What’s one effective way you’ve seen companies address the existing need for diversity related initiatives? At Microsoft, I have been exposed to many programs driving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion, but one has had the longest lasting impact on me—Open Narratives. Founded in 2018 by Mallory Harwood, a product marketing manager for Microsoft Advertising, Open Narratives began as a career panel to amplify women in leadership—and where women could share their career journeys and seek advice. What particularly struck a chord with attendees were women’s personal anecdotes— and the safe space where a real sense of intimacy and belonging was developing. It became so popular that the program is now global and open to all women—and the ally community of Microsoft Advertising. I participated in one recently, Dealing with Burnout & Establishing Boundaries— something we can all relate to. The discussion explored how we can all let go of perfectionism, put our oxygen masks on first, set boundaries and have courage to ask for the support that we need. I want to share a quote from one participant: “We are all dealing with so much and I absolutely love and need this community. Each person’s story resonated and served to remind me that we are not alone. While we show up at work as best as we can, we all have something we are dealing with—and the empathy this community shares is irreplaceable.” How Passion and Intuition Led Anisha Raghavan to CMO This is how psychological safety in the workspace forms: a safe place where one is comfortable sharing their most vulnerable story. It is a testament to Mallory’s leadership but also Microsoft’s emphasis on “Care.” Tell us about one major setback you've had in your career—how did you handle it? When reorganizations happen, they can be hard on anyone. For me, I lost my team, budget and remit in one email send. I became a team of one. My immediate reaction was to question myself, “Am I not a valued team member? What is next?” I decided to take time to re-center myself in my worth and capabilities. It took a period of time to get past my initial anxiety and to reframe the situation as an opportunity. As the saying goes, “Everything happens for a reason.” And while at the time I did not see the immediate opportunity, the reorganization allowed me to embark on a journey that would expand my skillset beyond marketing, which enabled me to uncover new skills that I never had time to cultivate. I became more adaptable. I am a walking case study for “things happen for a reason” as I know I would not be where I am today without the gift disguised as a setback. What’s one way you’ve broken the rules and challenged the norm in your career? Since I can remember, I’ve been guided by my morals and values, even if that meant breaking the rules at times. When I was in college, I aspired to attend school abroad in Italy. My traditional, Mexican Catholic parents were less enthusiastic about this idea. I took destiny by my own hands and secured a scholarship so that I could participate—and didn’t rely on my parents for financial stability. While my parents disagreed about school abroad, I learned more in that one year than my three years in college. As a recent college graduate, I decided to resign the day after the chief operating officer informed me there was a glass ceiling. I was not going to have an organization dictate my success. Thereafter, I have challenged leadership in the spirit of focusing on what is right for our business and society. My journey was forged by three simple principles: Be You, Do Right for Our People and Do Right for Our Business. As an executive, I lead by example by choosing to be myself, which entails not conforming to corporate norms whether it is what you should wear, hierarchal structure or how you engage with your team. I have often been given the feedback, “You are not corporate and real.” I pride myself on being real, as life is too short not to be. I know if I can be myself, I can inspire others to do the same. And as a business leader, I thrive in establishing new norms to help address archaic systems —and business practices that impede us from moving the business forward. When someone says “NO” it cannot be accomplished because of historical processes and it makes zero sense for the business climate of today, I respond with “ON.” It is time to turn ON a new process so that we can deliver on our goals. Architect Turned CEO on Building Next Gen Social Status in the Metaverse What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? Ask for help. We are human, and it takes a village to win. When I was growing up, asking for help was ingrained as a sign of weakness. Yet, a mentor helped me see it differently: “it takes a village to establish a flourishing business.” We create a network effect when we ask for help: Provide the opportunity for others to shineCreate an opportunity for you to learnModel a culture of teamworkMinimize undue anxiety.

Women Trailblazers

VP and CMO Sandra Lopez on Embracing a Growth Mindset in an Ever Evolving World

How she found success, with her intellect, networking and a little bit of luck

Netta Thomas

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Netta Thomas