Interview – Stephanie Neuvirth

I conducted an informal in-person interview with Stephanie Neuvirth, the Global Vice President, People and Organization with Mars Veterinary Health. As an influential female leader working within the veterinary division of Mars Inc., she has an extensive network of valuable connections from her efforts in building relationships since the beginning of her career and her understanding of the power of a network. Jim Collins also inspired her in his book, Good to Great, and the idea of who before what. As an Asian American, working mom, who has achieved an executive leadership position, she can serve as a role model for young women who aspire to rise to leadership positions as well as other working moms. 

What is your educational background? I have an undergraduate degree in marketing from the University of Denver and a Masters in International Labor Relations from US international University, and I am currently a candidate for my doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California. 

Do you know your Myers Briggs score, and if so, what is it? My Myers Briggs is INTJ. [Introvert, Intuition, Thinking, Judging]

Has it changed over time, been impacted by your career, or influenced your choice of career? I am borderline between N and S [sensing], and I have become more data-driven over time, and I am more focused on data to support outcomes and support problems.I believe that my career choice has shaped the way I answer the test questions because of the perspective I have gained. For example, I need more facts and data to prove out concerns and issues.

What is a powerful statistic about women in leadership that has resonated with you or that you would like to discuss? So I have a couple for you. One is that women make $0.77 on the dollar to men for the same work, which still is concerning. More women have been graduating college than men since the 90s, yet there are still very few senior women leaders and government leaders. Also, the fact that there are very few female CEOs of the Fortune 500 is very concerning to me. So the question for me is, why aren’t there more women in leadership?

Do you think it is better to be authentic or to assimilate into your work environment? I think it is very difficult to be authentic; however, ultimately, at the end of the day, you need to be who you are. As you start out, it is very easy to assimilate to the culture of the organization and to assimilate to the culture of those you work with, but as you develop more confidence, your ability to be more authentic to who you are becomes more natural. 

If you knew what you know now in high school, what might you have done differently? Specifically, for those in high school, you don’t need to know what you are doing with your future, and you should explore as many career possibilities as you can to learn what you like and what you don’t. Ask people what they do, what they like and don’t like, and why, in the effort to create more relationships. Networking. Exactly. I think that relationships are the key, and having lots and lots of relationships are really important to your ability to succeed. 

Who is a female role model for you, and why? Ruth Bader Ginsberg – she had the courage to speak up and change the world. 

Can you offer some advice for young women on their way to college? First would be to be courageous and spend your time on things you are passionate about. Second would be to collaborate not compete and ask people for their thoughts and help. Third would be to build relationships because the key is who you know, and you know yourself.