previous slide arrow
next slide arrow
Jul 28 2022

Lead together: Behind the scenes of Women@ Meta Leadership Day

When you think about strong female leadership, what comes to mind? For Tatiana L., a global client partner in Miami, it’s about more than having an executive seat, being a mother, or making dreams come true. “Good leadership is about being open, flexible and able to understand different perspectives,” she says. “It’s about fostering collaboration, bringing people together and empowering them to connect.”
"Tatiana smiling."
Tatiana L. is a global client partner based in Miami.
Tatiana is part of the Women@ Meta resource group and helped plan Women’s Leadership Day, an annual global community summit. While the highly-anticipated event takes place over just one day, its massive impact is felt over the course of the entire year.
"Amy W. standing against a white wall, wearing floral shirt."
Amy W. is an operations lead based in London.
“Women’s Leadership Day is more than an event. It’s energy, and it’s a movement,” Amy W., an operations lead in London, says. “Moments like this can completely change the perception of women in technology.”
From choosing the content and programming for the event to making it accessible for women around the globe, we went behind the scenes with seven members of the Women@ Meta resource group to learn more about how women are empowered—and are empowering one another— in their career journeys at Meta.

Behind the scenes with Women@ Meta

"Amanda M onstage at a 2019 Women@ Leadership Day APAC."
Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager based in Singapore, speaking onstage at 2019 Women@ Leadership Day in APAC.
“I’ve always been passionate about empowering women, but I didn’t know how I could do it at work. My first Women@ experience changed how I felt at Meta,” Amanda M., an internal recruiting manager in Singapore, remembers. “From then on, I wanted to help other women feel heard, valued and confident.”
Planning the global event, which brings together women from more than 20 countries, calls for close collaboration across multiple teams, regions and timezones. Members of Women@ Meta also partner with other Meta Resource Groups, such as the Pride@ Meta, Latin@ Meta, Desis@ Meta and Black@ Meta, to ensure all women at Meta are represented and feel included.
"Vivian standing in front of an ivy wall."
Vivian V. is a program manager based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
“Across regions and communities, we each bring unique differences and powerful stories. When one of us moves forward, we have the opportunity to bring all of us forward,” Vivian V., a program manager in the San Francisco Bay Area explains. “While planning the summit, we meet weekly to talk about what women in different regions are experiencing. From the event theme and content to planning speaker sessions and fine-tuning details, we each have items to own. Two months before the summit, we meet daily to share updates and make sure nothing slips through the cracks.”
“Just like me, women in APAC look forward to Women’s Leadership Day all year long,” Amanda says. Planning something that’s deeply meaningful to so many people can feel like a lot of pressure, but at the same time, it’s uplifting. I appreciate that we have the opportunity to talk about our individual and shared challenges, and we map out ways we can build community while empowering leadership for women across the globe.”

Empowering confidence, equality and leadership through storytelling

"Paris Z and Amanda M on a video conference side by side."
Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, and Amanda M. collaborate with women across the globe to plan Women@ programming and events.
Women’s Leadership Day encourages women to talk about challenges like experiencing imposter syndrome, breaking through barriers and how to manage work/life flexibility. “Storytelling is a huge part of the event,” Paris Z., a vertical strategy lead in Singapore, explains.
Vivian says, “I’ve been at Meta for nearly two years and help plan these events, and honestly, I never really understood imposter syndrome before I got here. Working with the Women@ Meta community and hearing from our speakers—who are talented, brilliant superstars—I’ve seen firsthand how it affects them too.”
"Michelle C. standing in front of a green background."
Michelle C. is a client partner based in London.
Michelle C., a client partner in London, says that the summit’s speaker sessions, which feature people from inside and outside of Meta, are a highlight of every event. “We had a speaker from Tel Aviv who talked about the importance of balance in her personal life and how she co-parents with her husband. She shared specific things she’s done, like adding her husband to the WhatsApp chat groups for mothers she’s in and reminding her daughter’s school that her husband is also available when their child feels sick. Her message was that we’ll never be equal in the workplace until we’re equal at home, and it really struck a chord.”
Paris says that in APAC, Eva Chen’s talk about facing challenges amidst the coronavirus pandemic and how she’s raising her daughter was a top-rated session because it was so relatable. “From talking about her daughter’s love for dinosaurs—a “boy” thing—and raising kids to fully be themselves to opening up about what it was like to grow up with immigrant parents from China and Vietnam, Eva inspired us with her authenticity and openness. Her struggle to feel supported while working in fashion and tech, rather than medicine, is something a lot of people in APAC understand.”
“Every woman has a unique story,” Michelle says. “Hearing from others is inspiring, validating and truly eye-opening. It reminds us that we’re not alone.”

A memorable and lasting impact

It’s no surprise that with the tremendous amount of planning and careful consideration that goes into the summit, its full impact is impossible to measure.
“It meant so much to me when people shared such positive feedback about Women’s Leadership Day,” Paris says. “We heard that some attendees felt inspired for days and weeks.”
"Kira G. stands in front of a gray background."
Kira G. is an agency partner based in Berlin.
Kira G., an agency partner in Berlin, has witnessed how the summit’s programming can inspire action, even helping people push past a career plateau. ”We might reach a point in our careers when we think, “I can’t do this anymore, I’m not moving forward’,” she says. “Women’s Leadership Day gives us fresh perspectives, shows us new approaches, and starts important conversations. This can unlock new paths for growth and help us move forward.”
Impact is felt in other resource groups, communities and across teams too, inspiring interest and allyship. Amanda explains, “I felt so proud when a male VP from the Sales team came to us after hearing about what people talked about at Women’s Leadership Day. He told us he wanted to learn more because it’s everyone’s responsibility to be an ally.”

Empowering the community throughout the year

While Amanda describes Women’s Leadership Day as a “bump in energy and inspiration” and “an injection of adrenaline”, Vivian says that the real magic is what happens afterwards—and takes place all year long.
“When we think about Women’s Leadership Day, our focus is on making sure that the powerful messages we hear and experience serve us throughout the entire year. We ask ourselves questions like, “How can we sprinkle these themes into our programming throughout the month or quarter? How do these ideas fit with our Women@ Meta initiatives?” Going through something awesome together is just the beginning. Our work takes place year-round and we’re constantly building on it to do more.”
Paris agrees: “There’s no shortage of amazing stories from our Women@ Meta community throughout the year. Women’s Leadership Day is just one channel for those stories, and I love how it stays top of mind with people and empowers them to do more good. When we come together, we can do anything we dream of.”
“We’re building a sisterhood and a community,” Tatiana beams. “It feels so good to know there’s always someone there to support you.”

Learn more about Meta’s employee resource groups, including Women@ Meta here.
This post, originally published on March 8, 2021, was updated on July 28, 2022, to reflect our shift to Meta and new details about team members, roles and responsibilities.

Stay connected