“Why do you want to be a CEO? You’re already the CEO of your family.” That was the tongue-in-cheek retort of my male sponsor after I told him my career aspirations back in 2015. I sat quietly and let the gravity of that moment sit in. Afterall, I had just been told I was too ambitious—as if being the breadwinner of my family was enough.
Despite my sponsor’s hesitations about my professional objectives, I continued climbing the ladder and eventually became the CEO of Pipeline. Unfortunately, as a woman, my role as CEO is rare.