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?
Olivia Khalili, VP of Global Social Impact at PagerDuty.
Briefly (1-2 sentences) describe your current role.
I lead PagerDuty.org with the goal to generate long-term value through integrating social impact into the business. PagerDuty.org is responsible for delivering 1% of product, employee volunteer time and equity to help nonprofits expand their impact and improve lives.
What’s the best decision you’ve ever made?
Don’t wait to be asked, or for the job. I started this work 12+ years ago by spinning up a blog on mission-driven business, interviewing leaders and then publishing those interviews so others could learn with me.
This connected me to an incredible network in this field, gave me a living thought leadership portfolio, and brought visibility to a new model of business.
What’s the number one challenge you face as a woman in your industry?
Acceptance and respect for a style of feminine leadership that is rooted in empathy & curiosity and draws on intuition and intelligence.
Do you have any mentors? What does mentorship mean to you?
My previous boss and an exceptional, innovative and generous braintrust of peer social impact heads that lead with incredible integrity.
What advice do you have for women who are just starting their career?
Honor exercise and tend to your light. Discover what makes you special and powerful, and realize the world and business need more that.
Are you reading/listening to anything interesting at the moment? Please share your most recent favorite book or podcast!
Recently, I read Ruth Reichl’s “Save Me the Plums”, a delightful read about her years transforming Gourmet Magazine. I admired her joyous and non-self-conscious leadership style. A friend turned me on to the podcast Buddha at the Gas Pump, which consists of interviews with ordinary “spiritually awakened” people.
What’s something coming up that excites you?
We recently launched the PagerDuty.org Fund with a focus on Time-Critical Global Health. We are on a mission to help organizations provide essential medical care for everyone who needs it, when they need it most. I’ve been on an incredible journey learning about this space, from Community Health Workers to drone delivery, and am excited to deepen our work and partnerships in this new field.
