Jessica Margetich
GEMBA'26
American
I originally come from a small town known for mushroom farming in Pennsylvania, USA. From the beginning, I’ve been very curious and adventurous; always wanting to explore new places and understand their people. In my first 30 years in the states, I moved 12 times (living in Pennsylvania, New York, Arkansas, and California) and visited 14 other countries.
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is how much a new environment can teach you.
What drives me is a passion for continuous learning and improvement; I believe that there’s always an opportunity to better others’ lives and your own.
I spent the first years of my career in various technical and data roles, specialising in operations efficiencies and consumer behaviour prediction. From there, I shifted into a DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) role, focused on promoting women and African Americans in technical careers. Working in this role informed much of the leadership philosophy that I carry with me to this day.
What role do senior leaders play in fostering an inclusive environment that empowers women?
Senior leaders are accountable for establishing and upholding the culture of the organisation; therefore, they play an indispensable role in ensuring inclusivity and empowering their women.
The roles they play to foster this include:
- Champion: At the most foundational level, leaders should champion the culture and values of their organisation.
This can be observed through their leading by example; they will ensure that women are represented in their domain and ‘give them a seat at the table’ for decisions and high-visibility initiatives. - Sponsoring: A sponsor goes a step further to pledge themselves as an advocate; in this case, for women’s empowerment. They empathise with the group’s collective struggles, actively seek to alleviate these struggles, and facilitate a safe environment for conversation, shielding members from retaliation.
- Mentoring: Mentors offer support on a more personalised, individual basis.
In marginalised groups, it can be especially lifechanging to have access to a mature mentor who has faced similar struggles and can speak to how they’ve navigated through their challenges.
How have you used your influence to support other women in achieving more in their career?
I have used my influence to elevate women in their careers by both directly addressing causes of biases and through partnership with leading women’s organisations to petition for greater flexibility and accommodating policies for mothers in the workforce.
My direct approach addresses three causes of this bias's perpetuation: others’ perception of women, women’s self-perception, and lack of access to resources and community.
To address others’ perceptions, I co-created VR immersive learning modules to combat unconscious biases in the workplace. This programme prompts users to engage with diverse (varied sex, race, and age) virtual individuals in an interview setting; they must ask questions and respond to the individual’s statements. When complete, the interview is replayed, allowing the user to hear their tone and observe the body language they exhibited in their reactions to different individuals, confronting them with their biases. This program has been extended to 1.6 million individuals in the United States.
Addressing women’s self-perception is more nuanced, as it is easier to identify negative self-talk in others than yourself.
Many women will not believe they qualify for or deserve a promotion or raise and grapple with imposter syndrome.
Resolving this requires access to resources and community, and community and is generally more successful with a localised approach. In 2018, I secured commitments from 18 companies (ranging from Fortune 500s to start-ups) to establish a professional women’s community in Arkansas; connecting 200+ professional women to strengthen their professional networks and offer them cross-company mentorship.
What tangible steps can organisations take to create a culture of equality at the leadership level?
Take steps to understand, act, and ensure accountability. Every organisation is unique, but this three stage approach can be broadly applied to any organisation.
Before implementing a plan, an organisation must first understand its culture and limitations.
This starts with assessing leadership representation (e.g. percentage of female executives, salary comparisons) and surveying employees on their sense of equality.
Next, the organisation should act through policies, resources, and values. Policies must be updated for transparency, accountability, and fairness. Leadership gaps in representation or pay should be addressed accordingly. Resources like mentorship programmes and employee groups can foster communication and work-life balance. Embedding ‘equality’ in company values is impactful when widely supported, and reinforced through town halls and team discussions.
Once implemented, leaders must be held accountable for these changes. Regularly assessing equality and inclusion creates a continuous feedback loop for improvement. An ‘open door’ policy further encourages transparency and dialogue.
Remember: shared values, equal policies, and representation in leadership positions will be essential for success.
What advice would you give to those looking to champion women’s leadership in their organisations?
Be genuine: Do not pursue this solely to ‘check a box’ or reach a quota.
Create space: Some of the best leaders I’ve had the pleasure of working with were incredible advocates. ‘Creating a space’ was a simple action that they would perform that made a huge difference. All that is required is observation and redirection
Celebrate each other: At the end of the day, unification gets us much further than division, at the office and at home. Ambitious as we are, we can’t be truly successful in isolation. Each of us has different strengths and ideas that bring something unique and valuable to the table. Advocate for more than yourself and celebrate each other’s different strengths and successes. Bringing others up around you empowers both the organisation and yourself. Remember: when one of us wins, we all win!
More information about the programme Jessica attended:
The INSEAD Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) offers experienced executives an intensive 14 to 20-month fast-track to the top via one of the world’s most prestigious and multicultural business schools, while making an immediate impact in your organisation.
Programme benefits
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