An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
Addressing Unconscious Bias: Provide company-wide training on recognising and mitigating unconscious bias, particularly in hiring and promotion processes. At AllBright, we’ve implemented AI-assisted blind resume screening to reduce initial bias.
Despite strides towards equality, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management roles across various sectors. In this series, we would like to discuss the barriers to female advancement in these areas and explore actionable strategies for change. We are talking with accomplished women leaders, executives, and pioneers who have navigated these challenges successfully, to hear their experiences, tactics, and advice to inspire and guide the next generation of women toward achieving their full potential in leadership and management roles. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Viviane Paxinos.
As CEO of AllBright, Viviane Paxinos leads the world’s largest collective of women in business with a global reach of 10.3 million. Based at the Mayfair headquarters of the membership club, Viviane was appointed to the leadership role in October 2022 with her extensive experience in driving tangible results and business growth. Prior to AllBright, Viviane was Global GM of UNiDAYS, one of the world’s leading student affinity networks, and held senior roles with BBC Worldwide, Comcast and Discovery Inc.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit more. Can you tell us a bit about your “backstory”? What led you to this particular career path?
I moved to London from Montreal 20 years ago with just a backpack. I had no contacts, or really any idea of what I wanted to do. I saw an advert in the paper to work for MTV, which kickstarted my journey in the media and comms industry. I then worked my way up the ranks for some of the largest media companies in the world, always through the lens of business growth and transformation.
Then, I intentionally decided to move into the tech sector. I moved on to a tech marketplace, which I scaled quickly from 7m to 20m, before deciding I wanted to do something which combined my two passions: business transformation and purpose.
This led me to AllBright. I joined AllBright as COO and moved up to the CEO role within a few weeks of starting at the company.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
When I was in Uni, I had to work two jobs to pay for my tuition. I was working at a gym as a receptionist from 6:30am-2pm whilst taking evening classes and working in restaurants at the weekend.
Whilst my friends were going out having fun, I made myself stay focused and disciplined to achieve my goals. I knew I wanted more. As a first-generation Greek, I had seen my parents work hard and struggle to give us what we needed growing up. My father taught me early on that I’m in control of my story. He emphasised that hard work was required to achieve my goals. This taught me resilience and discipline, which I believe are key components to business success.
Can you share a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your path to leadership?
A turning point in my career is when I was offered the opportunity to step up from COO to CEO at AllBright. Changing that one letter in my title changed my life forever. I went from being in the background, to a very public facing role. I went from not enjoying public speaking, to speaking on a regular basis.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
I’m incredibly grateful for my husband, his support is a big part of how I can blend work and personal commitments. It’s not easy, as I have a busy working life. It requires a lot of patience, planning, and often humour when we get it wrong!
Is there a particular book that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?
Without a doubt… “‘When Breath Becomes Air’ by Paul Kalanithi had a profound impact on me. This memoir, written by a neurosurgeon diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, explores the meaning of life in the face of death.
Kalanithi’s journey from doctor to patient offered a unique perspective on the human experience and the practice of medicine. His reflections on how to live authentically and meaningfully, even when faced with limited time, challenged me to reassess my own priorities and the impact I want to make in the world.
One passage that I really love is when Kalanithi wrote, ‘You can’t ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.’ This idea influenced my approach to leadership and innovation. It reminded me that while we may never achieve absolute perfection in our products or processes, the continuous pursuit of improvement is what drives progress and excellence.
Do you have a favourite “Life Lesson Quote”? Do you have a story about how that was relevant in your life or your work?
A quote I live by is ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,’ by Paulo Coelho from his book ‘The Alchemist.’
This quote also reminds me that passion and perseverance can create a kind of magnetic effect, attracting the resources, people, and opportunities needed to succeed. It inspires me to think big and not be discouraged by initial obstacles.
How have you used your success to make the world a better place?
Our mission is dedicated to advancing women in business, which gets us closer to gender equity and we know that women are the solution to many of the challenges we face today.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. According to this report, only about 31.7% of top executive positions across industries are held by women. This reflects great historical progress, but it also shows that more work still has to be done to empower women. In your opinion and experience, what is currently holding back women from leadership and management?
In my experience, some key factors include unconscious bias in hiring and promotion processes, lack of visible role models and mentors for women in leadership, and persistent challenges in balancing career advancement with family responsibilities.
This might be intuitive to you, but I think it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you share a few reasons why more women should become leaders and managers?
Women bring unique perspectives and skills to leadership roles, such as strong emotional intelligence, collaborative problem-solving approaches, and often a more inclusive leadership style. Moreover, diverse leadership teams have been shown to improve decision-making, increase innovation, and boost financial performance.
Having more women in leadership also creates a virtuous cycle by providing role models and mentors for the next generation, helping to address the pipeline issue. In tech specifically, having women leaders ensures that the products and services we create are designed with diverse users in mind, leading to better solutions for everyone.
Can you please share “5 Things We Need to Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management?”
1. Building Strong Professional Networks: Encourage and facilitate networking opportunities, specifically for women in the industry. For example, we’ve launched a ‘Women in Tech Alliance’ that connects women across different companies and roles in our sector. This initiative has led to numerous collaborations, job opportunities, and support systems. We host quarterly events, both virtual and in-person, featuring speakers, panel discussions, and networking sessions. These networks provide a platform for women to share experiences, seek advice, and create valuable professional connections.
2. Flexible Work Policies: Implement policies that support work-life integration, such as flexible hours and remote work options.
3. Leadership Development Initiatives: Create targeted programs to build skills and confidence. Our Accelerate programme has been particularly successful in preparing mid-level managers for senior roles. And our Elevate programme prepares women for c-suite or board level roles.
4. Addressing Unconscious Bias: Provide company-wide training on recognising and mitigating unconscious bias, particularly in hiring and promotion processes. At AllBright, we’ve implemented AI-assisted blind resume screening to reduce initial bias.
5. Setting and Tracking Diversity Targets: Establish clear goals for women’s representation at all levels and regularly report on progress. We’ve tied executive bonuses to meeting these targets, which has driven significant change.”
In your opinion, what systemic changes are needed to facilitate more equitable access for women to leadership roles?
We recently collated data on this, which quickly revealed that leadership is often a more difficult path for women. Women are left taking on both additional work and emotional labour, without the reparations and leadership title to go alongside it.
At AllBright, we want to help women build their confidence and key leadership skills to gain and negotiate the recognition they deserve. But every employer needs to take responsibility for this gender equity in the workplace, through upskilling female talent to lead teams, negotiate competitive salaries, and climb the ladder all the way to the top for enduring career success.
What strategies have you found most effective in mentoring and supporting other women to pursue leadership positions?
I think there is a great deal of power in upskilling and education, particularly with the interpersonal skills required to be an effective leader. It’s why, at AllBright, we place so much emphasis on group coaching and networking in our learning programmes. Data shows mentoring can increase retention by 50%, so we know it makes a real difference.
There is also value in the art of active listening. Really hearing what it is the women you are mentoring really need out of the experience. Emotional intelligence-based skills are becoming more and more desirable to workplaces, so I would encourage women in leadership positions to build upon those skills.
How would you advise a woman leader about how to navigate the challenges of being a woman in a leadership role within a male-dominated industry?
AllBiright recently conducted a survey on just this. Having surveyed 2,000 female professionals across different countries and industries, we discovered that 75% of respondents consider their career growth to be hindered by factors including unrealistic expectations, lack of leadership engagement, and unconscious bias — barriers to growth that male counterparts experience less.
We also found that women are much more likely to face micro aggressions from their direct manager and are disproportionately affected by caring responsibilities for family and friends, which often impacts the type of work and salary they can secure.
How do you balance the demand for authoritative leadership with the stereotypical expectations of female behaviour in professional settings?
In a business world that often values toughness and assertiveness, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking we need to suppress our empathy and compassion to be taken seriously as leaders. Especially female leaders. Recent research from Catalyst points out how unhelpful these stereotypes can be, with women being subjected to ‘additional scrutiny’, leading to a ‘double bind’ where women are ‘damned if they do, damned if they don’t’ in terms of more compassionate management.
But nothing could be further from the truth. Leading with kindness and compassion is not a weakness. It takes a lot of strength and courage, emotional intelligence, and resilience to prioritise our employees’ needs alongside difficult decisions and driving results. So, I honestly feel the best way to balance this opposing demand is to find the value in both, and then use that to a leadership advantage.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good for the greatest number of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
If I could inspire a movement, it would be to make AllBright Alliance the largest collective of businesses pledging to achieve gender parity by 2050. The Alliance aims to revolutionise the business world by unlocking the full potential of women leaders and fostering truly inclusive, high-performing organisations. We have the data and evidence, we know it can be done, this is the solution to optimising companies for greatness. And as a result, empower everyone in the workplace.
The AllBright Alliance focuses on several key areas:
1. Leadership Acceleration
2. Corporate Culture Transformation
3. Innovation Through Inclusion
4. Cross-Industry Collaboration
5. Global Perspective
6. Next-Generation Preparation
7. Male Allyship
8. Metrics and Accountability
By illuminating the path for women leaders, the AllBright Alliance can create a ripple effect that transforms not just individual careers, but entire organisations and economies. When we harness the full spectrum of talent and perspective that women bring to leadership, we drive innovation, improve decision-making, and create more sustainable and profitable businesses.
This isn’t just about equality — it’s about excellence. The AllBright Alliance recognises that in our complex, rapidly changing world, the skills often associated with women leaders — such as empathy, collaboration, and adaptability — are increasingly crucial for success.
Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.
Thank you!
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Viviane Paxinos Of AllBright On How We Can Increase Women’s Engagement in Leadership and Management was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.