Meet one of Verizon’s most powerful women - Rima Qureshi.
In our latest Up To Speed podcast, Verizon’s Chief Strategy Officer discusses her dad’s influence, why strategy is everyone’s job and the importance of mentorship.
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Rima Qureshi joined Verizon as Chief Strategy Officer in November 2017. As part of Women’s History Month, Rima sat down with our Up to Speed podcast host, Marie McGehee.
Their wide-ranging conversation covers Rima’s family’s emigration from Pakistan to Canada, the pressure to conform to perceived cultural norms, how her father influenced her career path, her new role at Verizon, how 5G will be a game changer for the tech industry, and the importance of mentorship, especially for women.
When asked about the barriers holding women back in leadership positions, Rima discussed the limitations that women can place on themselves. You may be surprised to learn that despite Rima’s professional success, she sometimes needs to remind herself to be confident in her abilities.
"The first time that I was asked to interview for a role outside of Canada was when I had the opportunity to move to Sweden. When I went to the interview, I started by talking about all of the capabilities I didn't have. And the person who I was replacing who was interviewing me said 'Why do women do that? Why is it men will walk in, and even if they only have 50% of the capabilities, they play up their capabilities that they have. And women, almost without fail will always talk about all of the things that they could improve?' And I hadn't even thought about that. But I do realize that I do it. And I'm trying to be more cautious."
As for a call to action, Rima said, “We have work to do to make the environment for women better. And we have to figure out how we do that, not only all together with women, but with men, because they’re part of the solution.”
Learn more about Rima.
