I attended the fireside chat featuring Heather Brunner on April 23rd. Heather is the CEO and chairwomen of WP engine. WP engine, which is also known as WordPress engine has a presence in over 140 countries worldwide. Heather has a bachelor’s degree in economics and joined WP engine in 2003. WordPress is used for content management solutions which are used to build websites and mobile applications. WP even powers about 33 percent of all websites. Heather has been acknowledged for her many great accomplishments including obtaining the EY entrepreneur of the year award as well as being a decades long volunteer. WP engine is currently known for being one of the best places to work for millennials.
The main goal of WordPress engine was to create a platform of tools for development, maintenance, and more to make WordPress easier use. They also sought to increase speed, security, and scalability among websites which would then lead to an increase in SEO and engagement on websites. WordPress covers a wide spectrum of audiences, they service individuals, such as Venture Capitalist, start-ups, and even big companies such as Marriott.
Heather also covered what it is like to be a woman CEO specifically in technology. She explained how it is both a challenge and a privilege. One must build up their performance and endurance and work on creating a valuable personal brand. Which entails getting things done, earning trust, being your word, and earning an advocate to get promoted.
There was no presentation or PowerPoint and the only statistics provided was that WP powers 33 percent of all websites. The purpose of the speech was to educate and motivate.
Heather’s delivery of the speech was at the perfect pace as she thoroughly discussed each topic. It was sometimes difficult to hear her when her microphone would fade out. There were no visual aids but Heather communicated her ideas and thoughts very well regardless. The Q&A was handled nicely, Heather thoughtfully answered each question in depth and even recommend several books on leadership.
The discussion was memorable, and I overall enjoyed it. My key takeaways were to always be authentic. Authenticity can set apart one’s personal brand as well as determine how they create an organizations culture. She mentioned that she wanted to work hard to become the CEO and did not want to disrupt the current culture by taking the position over without working towards it. She also reiterated how important it is to be a team player and to be flexible in situations, especially if they do not go the way they were planned. The question I wanted to ask Heather was when in her career did she realize she as ready to run a company.
I definitely recommend for you all to check her out! Great women leader! Such inspiration!!
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