Donna Wilczek's guest appearances

Donna Wilczek

Change Wave

Let's Talk Supply Chain

Prime Venture Partners Podcast

Julie Zhuo

Steve Robinson

Chris Lee

Brandon Krieg

Mike Cohen

Arjun Sethi

Nicolas Dessaigne

Don Miller

Danielle Brown

Louise Pentland

Anne Robinson

Yaron Ben-Zvi

Nischal Shetty

Dan Kelly

Jeff Williams

OwlTail

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Donna Wilczek: innovator, business leader, tech strategist and inventor. Donna is a SaaS technology executive who, over the course of her 20 year career, has worked at major names like IBM and Accenture. As well as currently serving as the senior vice president of product strategy and innovation at Coupa Software and on the board of Optimizely, a digital experience platform, Donna is also an inventor and technology innovator. Today Donna will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for tech; her innovative spirit and talent for invention; and she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, and her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR: Apex Logistics are proud to sponsor Let’s Talk Supply Chain’s Women in Supply Chain podcast and blog series. Our leadership team actively works to empower an industry as diverse as our workforce with a focus on inclusion, and we’re passionate about promoting the voices of women leaders to drive visibility around their achievements. Find out more over on the Apex Logistics website.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [05.35] Donna’s background and how her natural curiosity and interest in continuous improvement led her to a career in tech. “I was able to join the field at a really interesting time of change… I loved the notion that we would be creating a new frontier and trying to figure it out.” [07.11] How Donna’s early career and experiences at IT brands like Accenture and IBM fuelled her curiosity; and how the industry has changed. “When I joined Coupa, the company was fully 100% cloud, and even 10 years ago, that was a very difficult conversation to have with IT organizations!” [09.59] Donna’s role as senior vice president of Product Strategy and Innovation at Coupa. “We think ‘how would it work, if we were able to do anything!’ And that is the most thrilling part of my role. We’re not limited by anything, other than our creativity and imagination.” [12.07] Why diversity and inclusion is so important in the workplace. “We have a saying at Coupa: ‘none of us is as smart as all of us!’” [13.28] How Coupa has changed over the last 10 years, Donna’s pride and excitement in playing a part in helping them to scale and go public – and why it’s important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. [16.40] Donna’s new role as a board member at Optimizely, a closer look at what they do and the key trends of responsive experimentation and personalization. “Optimizely is a recognition that the customer experience is now a digital experience.” [19.07] How Donna came to secure a board position, and her advice for other’s looking to explore a similar position. [22.55] Donna’s talent for invention, why it’s important for her to nurture her creative side and how she supports other’s in gaining their own patents and protecting their work. “The patents from my history show that I was able to take something, look at it differently and then do something special with it.” [26.25]  Donna’s experiences as a woman in the industry, and how she helps to echo minority voices. [30.41] The mentors that have helped to inspire and support Donna throughout her career. [31.26] What the future holds for Donna, and for innovation and collaboration at Coupa. [33.13] Donna’s words of advice to all of the women following in her footsteps.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: You can connect with Donna over on LinkedIn or Twitter. Check out our other podcasts HERE.

In today’s episode of Women In Supply Chain, I’m joined by Donna Wilczek: innovator, business leader, tech strategist and inventor. Donna is a SaaS technology executive who, over the course of her 20 year career, has worked at major names like IBM and Accenture. As well as currently serving as the senior vice president of product strategy and innovation at Coupa Software and on the board of Optimizely, a digital experience platform, Donna is also an inventor and technology innovator. Today Donna will be talking to us about her career so far; her passion for tech; her innovative spirit and talent for invention; and she’ll be sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, and her words of advice for all of the women following in her footsteps.   SHOW SPONSOR: Apex Logistics are proud to sponsor Let’s Talk Supply Chain’s Women in Supply Chain podcast and blog series. Our leadership team actively works to empower an industry as diverse as our workforce with a focus on inclusion, and we’re passionate about promoting the voices of women leaders to drive visibility around their achievements. Find out more over on the Apex Logistics <a href="https://www.apexglobe.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">website</a>.   IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS: [05.35] Donna’s background and how her natural curiosity and interest in continuous improvement led her to a career in tech. “I was able to join the field at a really interesting time of change… I loved the notion that we would be creating a new frontier and trying to figure it out.” [07.11] How Donna’s early career and experiences at IT brands like Accenture and IBM fuelled her curiosity; and how the industry has changed. “When I joined Coupa, the company was fully 100% cloud, and even 10 years ago, that was a very difficult conversation to have with IT organizations!” [09.59] Donna’s role as senior vice president of Product Strategy and Innovation at Coupa. “We think ‘how would it work, if we were able to do anything!’ And that is the most thrilling part of my role. We’re not limited by anything, other than our creativity and imagination.” [12.07] Why diversity and inclusion is so important in the workplace. “We have a saying at Coupa: ‘none of us is as smart as all of us!’” [13.28] How Coupa has changed over the last 10 years, Donna’s pride and excitement in playing a part in helping them to scale and go public – and why it’s important to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. [16.40] Donna’s new role as a board member at Optimizely, a closer look at what they do and the key trends of responsive experimentation and personalization. “Optimizely is a recognition that the customer experience is now a digital experience.” [19.07] How Donna came to secure a board position, and her advice for other’s looking to explore a similar position. [22.55] Donna’s talent for invention, why it’s important for her to nurture her creative side and how she supports other’s in gaining their own patents and protecting their work. “The patents from my history show that I was able to take something, look at it differently and then do something special with it.” [26.25]  Donna’s experiences as a woman in the industry, and how she helps to echo minority voices. [30.41] The mentors that have helped to inspire and support Donna throughout her career. [31.26] What the future holds for Donna, and for innovation and collaboration at Coupa. [33.13] Donna’s words of advice to all of the women following in her footsteps.   RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED: You can connect with Donna over on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwilczek/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/dwilczek" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a>. Check out our other podcasts <a href="https://letstalksupplychain.com/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">HERE</a>.

228: Women In Supply Chain, Donna Wilczek

Donna Wilczek SVP, Product Strategy and Innovation at Coupa Software chats with Sanjay Swamy Managing Partner Prime Venture Partners.Listen to the podcast to learn about: 02:05 - Donna's journey from first job to SVP at Coupa Software11:00 - Building a culture that attracts the right people and weeds out the misfits15:40 - Adopting the mindset of a public company21:15 - Signs of a mature organisation 25:25 - Build vs Buy. How to think about acquisitions30:10 - Work-Life Balance or Work-Life Integration?35:00 - The new normal and the new way to work and collaborate You can read the complete transcript hereEnjoyed the podcast? Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you are listening to this.Follow Prime Venture Partners:Twitter: https://twitter.com/Primevp_inLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp/ This podcast is for you. Do let us know what you like about the podcast, what you don't like, the guests you'd like to have on the podcast and the topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes. Please share your feedback here: https://primevp.in/podcastfeedback

<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/dwilczek/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Donna Wilczek</a> SVP, Product Strategy and Innovation at <a href="https://www.coupa.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coupa Software</a> chats with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/theswamy/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanjay Swamy</a> Managing Partner <a href="https://primevp.in/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Prime Venture Partners</a>. Listen to the podcast to learn about: 02:05 - Donna's journey from first job to SVP at Coupa Software 11:00 - Building a culture that attracts the right people and weeds out the misfits 15:40 - Adopting the mindset of a public company 21:15 - Signs of a mature organisation 25:25 - Build vs Buy. How to think about acquisitions 30:10 - Work-Life Balance or Work-Life Integration? 35:00 - The new normal and the new way to work and collaborate You can read the complete transcript <a href="https://primevp.in/content/podcast/mastering-innovation-helping-customers-succeed-work-life-integration-donna-wilczek-svp-product-strategy-innovation-coupa-software/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a> Enjoyed the podcast? Please consider leaving a review on Apple Podcasts and subscribe wherever you are listening to this. Follow Prime Venture Partners: Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Primevp_in" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/Primevp_in</a> LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/company/primevp/</a> This podcast is for you. Do let us know what you like about the podcast, what you don't like, the guests you'd like to have on the podcast and the topics you'd like us to cover in future episodes.  Please share your feedback here: <a href="https://primevp.in/podcastfeedback" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://primevp.in/podcastfeedback</a>

#59 Mastering Innovation, Helping Customers Succeed & Work-Life Integration with Donna Wilczek SVP Product Strategy & Innovation Coupa Software

Donna is an energetic software executive passionate about making customers successful. She is an executive sponsor of the Coupa Executive Advisory Board and an inventor with multiple software patents. Donna started at Coupa in 2011 and leads product strategy and innovation; identifying innovative solutions that solve global business spend management challenges elegantly. Her leadership has helped propel Coupa from early startup days to a public company. In her time at Coupa, she has worked with cross-functional teams from product to sales, led customer success teams to success in hundreds of customer projects, and was a member of the Coupa pre-IPO team, culminating in the highly successful Coupa IPO. Prior to Coupa, Donna held leadership roles at TriNet, Ketera, and IBM. She began her career with Accenture where she led PeopleSoft projects in the first iterations of “as a service.” Donna earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Donna is an energetic software executive passionate about making customers successful. She is an executive sponsor of the Coupa Executive Advisory Board and an inventor with multiple software patents. Donna started at Coupa in 2011 and leads product strategy and innovation; identifying innovative solutions that solve global business spend management challenges elegantly. Her leadership has helped propel Coupa from early startup days to a public company. In her time at Coupa, she has worked with cross-functional teams from product to sales, led customer success teams to success in hundreds of customer projects, and was a member of the Coupa pre-IPO team, culminating in the highly successful Coupa IPO. Prior to Coupa, Donna held leadership roles at TriNet, Ketera, and IBM. She began her career with Accenture where she led PeopleSoft projects in the first iterations of “as a service.” Donna earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management Information Systems from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Coupa Software: Donna Wilczek