Pledge 1%’s #WomenWhoLead series celebrates female leaders who are changing the world. Our leaders come from a variety of backgrounds and industries, and are all doing their part to have an impact in their communities and at their workplace. We’ve asked them to share a bit about their background and path to success.
What is your name and title?
Jessica Hyman, Head of Strategy and Sustainability at Atlassian.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I lead Atlassian’s global sustainability program which includes diversity and belonging, climate and human rights.
How long have you been in your current position?
I’ve been at Atlassian 4 years and my role has continually evolved. Previously, I led people analytics, strategy, program management, operations and communications. I also ran our Pledge 1% involvement and sat on the SF Foundation Council. Atlassian launched our formal sustainability program in April and I’ve been the Head of Strategy and Sustainability since.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
After almost a decade in sustainability consulting, I set an intention to start a sustainability program at a tech company. I turned to Naomi Morenzoni who was running Pledge 1% at Salesforce, who gave me the advice to join an HR team at a tech company and try to start a program from that team. Four years later I accomplished that goal at Atlassian.
My path wasn’t direct and took a lot of turns along the way. My mom taught me the power of “polite persistence” and my Dad taught me “if at first you fall, try, try again”.
Over the course of four years, those two lessons of perseverance and resilience, over a perfect plan, got me there.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
This is a tough one. I feel like the challenges change as you grow. However, the most important thing that has gotten me through each challenge has been having people I could turn to for guidance and resilience.
Do have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
I run a women’s mentoring group called Forum. It’s a place where we can be open about where we are at, inspire each other to reach our goals and ultimately hold each other accountable to getting there. I also can count on several people on my team at Atlassian for mentorship in different areas in which I’m hoping to grow or learn.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Get clear on a vision of where you want to go. The path to get there is often unclear so just start taking steps in the right direction and be open to changing your approach along the way.
What woman inspires you the most? Why?
I’m not sure I have a single woman to point to, but I always feel inspired when I see a woman really owning her own voice; especially when it may contradict popular opinion.
I’ve watched several women at Atlassian do this including Megha Narayan, Molly Hellerman, Erika Fisher, Amy Glancy and Bek Chee. I really look up to all of them.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
I just finished reading Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton and loved it. My favorite podcast is the New York Time’s the Daily. However, one of my favorite recent podcast episodes is “Ultra Sitting and the Philosophy of Endurance with Jason Bowman” from the Well. It’s about Vipassana – a 12 day silent meditation program that I did last spring.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
A first attempt at a self-supported 50k run in May, from Point Reyes along the coast to San Francisco with a bunch of my friends.
Originally posted: March 5, 2020
