Women in Tech Series: Kelly Griswold, CEO at Onna shares the importance of a learners mindset.

Global Tech Leaders' Podcast

Welcome to the Women in Tech Series from the Global Tech Leaders Podcast. Today we are speaking to Kelly Griswold, CEO at Onna. Kelly was originally appointed as Chief Operating Officer back in October 2020. Having originally joined the company as Chief Strategy Officer. She oversees sales, customer success, partnerships, finance, marketing, and the people team. Her focus is on the day-to-day operations of the company. She has a strong track record of partnership and deals origination, negotiation and execution experience in the United States and in International markets. This includes M&A execution experience with a top-tier investment bank and in the renewable energy space. She has a deep understanding of financial structuring and growth strategies in energy and financial services.

We kick off by asking Kelly to share her career journey so far and what has led her to where she is today.

• Goal orientated.
• Luck and timing.
• Internship.
• Played water polo.
• Analytical skill set.
• Renewable energy.
• A young mother.
• Align yourself with good people.
• Have goals and be ready to pivot.

We ask Kelly how has she utilised her sports industry experience and applied it in business.

• A company is like a team.
• We choose to be here.
• Accountability.
• How one fits in a team.
• Game plan.
• Coach vs individual contributor.
• A winning recipe.

Then we ask Kelly what are things she can and can't coach, and what she looks for in an interview.

• A diverse set of backgrounds and mindsets to think outside the box.
• Prioritising diversity.
• A unique set of challenges.
• Red flags.
• Level of engagement.
• Be intentional in your sourcing strategy.

Next, we ask Kelly what could we be doing better when it comes to hiring and the image of hiring.

• Bringing in examples and highlighting success stories.
• Making it less daunting for women.
• Don't feel the pressure to conform.
• Learners mindset.
• Pathway paved for success.

Then we asked Kelly to share some of her challenges faced as a women.

• The sea of sameness.
• My leadership voice.

In terms of people she works with, we ask Kelly what role can they play in supporting women in tech.

• Women and men both balance work and family life.
• Paternity leave policy.
• A 50/50 sport.

Next, we asked Kelly to share more about Onna and what they do that is so exciting.

• A platform that collects and structures data from content collaboration and communication applications.
• E-discovery and litigation.
• Search across systems.
• Click to connect.
• A gold mine of insights.

Then we ask Kelly what the future looks like for Onna.

• 150 employees right now.
• Focused on growth with efficiency.
• Customers are the centre.
• Partner with customers.

We dive into asking Kelly how she stays organised and if there is a gadget or tool she can't live without.

• Learners mindset.
• Prioritize and accountability.

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