When She Speaks

Launched in Silicon Valley in May 2006 and sunsetted in December 2024, FountainBlue LLC’s monthly When She Speaks panel discussions featured senior men and women leaders from partner tech companies speaking on leadership and innovation topics. Our online interactive conversations were known for being inspiring, educational, practical and fun. Today, we have several options serving our clients and our community.

Executive Coaching

FountainBlue’s Executive Coaching and Leadership Development services assist leaders at all levels, across various industries, roles, and locations, in cultivating the clarity, initiative, and resilience necessary to achieve strategic, communication, operational, and engagement goals. The primary objective of FountainBlue’s coaching services is for clients to experience a tangible impact on their innovation agendas.

Leadership Certifications

FountainBlue offers Leadership Certifications at four levels: Clarity, Initiative, Resourcefulness, and Impact. 

Each program builds upon the previous one and consists of an onboarding form, weekly half-hour phone calls, and an assessment or report. Each program costs $1,000 and includes a complementary 15-minute exploratory call.

What’s Next Coaching Series

FountainBlue offers a four-step coaching series that helps our clients leverage ​p​ast learnings ​along ​with ​today’s passions and skills to step into ​future ​opportunities. The themes for each half-hour coaching conversation are:

Week Four: Accountability and Timelines

Week One: My Journey through the Good, the Bad and the Ugly 

Week Two: My Read on the World Outside

Week Three: My Fit with the Opportunities

Leaving a Legacy

FountainBlue will launch a ‘Leaving a Legacy’ initiative to connect seasoned executives (Boomers) as investors, advisers, customers, or advisers to world-changing tech startups with Gen X founders to facilitate collaborative innovation and leadership. 

More information will be provided as the initiative unfolds.

Custom Workshops, Programs and Events

FountainBlue leverages its two decades of experience producing custom events, workshops, fireside chats, interactive training, and other interactive programs both online and on-site to partner with select corporate partners to produce custom events of interest to internal staff members as well as external partners and customers.

Notes from our recent events.

Below are links to notes from our past programs, also available at https://fountainblue.substack.com/s/when-she-speaks.

Seventh Annual: Men Who Open Doors Panel

Thursday, December 12, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

The 2024 Men Who Open Doors Honorees are:

This program also features a light roasting and introduction by our nominating executives:

  • Cynthia Dote, R&D Operations Leader, Pure Storage
  • Mio Harimoto, Venture Director, Corporate Venturing, Honda Innovations

This annual event inducts sponsoring male executives into FountainBlue’s Men Who Open Doors Hall of Fame.

Thursday, November 7, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Sixth Annual Mentorship Best Practices 

If you have a dedicated, hard-working, and intelligent staff at any level, Mentorship becomes THE difference-maker. Sure, education and experience matter, but Mentorship can frame that education and experience and make them into learning opportunities.

Sponsorship is important, but without Mentorship, it’s hard for the sponsor to make a business case.

Culture is important, but mentorship helps mentees (and mentors) succeed and even thrive in existing cultures. Indeed, mentees and mentors can together even shape the culture so that more people benefit.

This year’s mentors and mentees will share their strategies, advice, and best practices.

Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue

Mentors:

  • Roman Medina Perez, NPI Technical Program Manager, Lam Research  
  • Archana Muralidharan, Senior Manager, Governance, Risk & Compliance, Palo Alto Networks 
  • Diana Pohle, Senior Director, Commercial Analytics & Insights, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals

Mentees:

  • Denise Cable, NPI Program Manager/Project Manager, Lam Research
  • Soraya St. Claire, Senior InfoSec GRC Analyst, Palo Alto Networks 
  • Mentee from BioMarin Pharmaceuticals to be confirmed
  • 7th Annual Men Who Open Doors Awards Event, December 12, 2024

Thursday, Oct 10, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Hosted online and possibly on-site by ASML

Stay in Front of the Change Curve

Change happens. And it will continue to happen, only faster and more unpredictably.

Proactive companies and leaders discover and create ways to stay in front of the change curve. This month’s When She Speaks panel will cover themes around innovation and technology as well as strategic planning and adaptability/continuous learning. Our panelists will generously share strategies for spotting trends and balancing short- and long-term goals as we all navigate the change curve.

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue 
  • Panelist Amber Barber, Associate Vice President, Jade Global
  • Panelist Shari Begun, Vice President, Worldwide IOT Sales, Renesas
  • Panelist Cynthia Gao, Head of Global HR, ASML
  • Panelist Diana Pohle, Senior Director, Commercial Analytics & Insights,  BioMarin Pharmaceuticals

Thursday, September 12, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

One of the Onlys 

It’s not easy to be ‘one of the onlys’ – the Only (pick a gender, background, disability, special power, etc.,) on a team, in a meeting, on a board. 

We are all unique, and encouraged, at least ostensibly to be ‘fully present’, bringing your ‘full self’ to work. Yet how do we fully show up confidently as one of ‘the onlys’, get engaged, and deliver results, accepting a ‘seat at the table’ – the opportunity to impact companies at the strategic and tactical level.

This panel will share their challenges and opportunities, their strategies and hurdles, as well as their recommendations on how we can all invite more diverse leaders at the top.

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue 
  • Panelist Cynthia Dote, R&D Operations Leader, Pure Storage
  • Panelist Harshita Jayakar, Senior Technical Program Manager, Lam Research
  • Panelist Suchitra Narayen, GVP & Deputy General Counsel, North America Commercial Legal, Informatica
  • Panelist Krista Pavlakos, Vice President, Digital and Communications, Renesas

Thursday, August 8, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

What He/She Said, What He/She Meant

This month’s When She Speaks panel will cover how men and women are communicating and working together. Our panelists will help us to better understand what was said and what was meant so that we can all better connect and collaborate on a common mission. 

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue LLC 
  • Panelist Sanchita Gupta, Senior Director, Human Resources Business Partner, Samsung Research America 
  • Panelist Eunice Kim, General Counsel, Securonix
  • Panelist Nehal Mehta, Director of Global Strategic Alliances, Genesys
  • Panelist Susan Norton, Senior Director, Human Resources, BOLD

Thursday, July 11, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Ways to Lead

Much has changed since Daniel Goleman presented his iconic description of six leadership styles for Harvard Business Review in 2000. 

Braden Becker captured the leadership shifts well in his 2023 article for HubSpot about leadership styles.

This month’s panelists will speak to how they leverage each of these styles in their day-to-day leadership and management duties, and how we can all be more self-aware and other-centric while we lead, wherever we are sitting in the organization. 

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue
  • Panelist Carolina Amador, Associate Director, Corporate Intelligence, BioMarin
  • Panelist Amber Barber, Senior Director, Program Management, Jade Global
  • Panelist Sanchita Gupta, Senior Director, Human Resources Business Partner, Samsung Research America
  • Panelist Regina Hancher, Director, Customer Success, Gigamon

FountainBlue’s When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Online Program, Thursday, June 13, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Build Clarity and Alignment on Purpose

The pandemic has made us all think deeply about living our dreams and working for a purpose. We are, in general, more motivated to make a difference that’s both financially viable and also provides sustainable, social, and environmental impact – doing well while doing good. This month’s panelists share their wisdom and best practices for building clarity and alignment on purpose while driving business results. 

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue
  • Panelist Diana Pohle, Senior Director, Commercial Analytics & Insights, BioMarin Pharmaceutical
  • Panelist Veronique Rozan, Senior Director, Product Management, Industrial and Medical Sensors, TE Connectivity
  • Panelist Yvonne Thomson, Vice President, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, OpenText

Thursday, May 9, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 
Expand Your Circle of Influence

Originally introduced by Stephen Covey’s iconic book ‘The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People’, our panelists this month are living examples of how to be more influential, focused, and productive by strategically expanding their circle of influence. We look forward to hearing their stories from the trenches and their advice for how we, too, may expand our own circle of influence.

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue 
  • Panelist Amber Barber, Senior Director, Program Management, Jade Global
  • Panelist Suchitra Narayen, GVP & Deputy General Counsel, North America Commercial Legal, Informatica
  • Panelist Krista Pavlakos, Vice President, Digital and Communications, Renesas
  • Panelist Vicky Watson, Senior Manager, Production Control, Lam Research

FountainBlue’s When She Speaks Online

Thursday, April 11, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Build Customer Experience as the X Factor 

You can reward, ignore, tolerate, or condemn behavior to manage it, but you can’t build a culture and a loyal following by doing so.

You can innovate and collaborate and connect, but that won’t have much meaning unless you provide a Customer Experience that addresses their problems and serves their needs.

The ACTUAL X Factor is the Customer and Employee Experience. This month’s panel of experts will share how their focus on building exceptional employee and customer experiences has led to a more satisfied, more productive workforce and community as well as a thriving and growing organization.

FountainBlue’s When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series

Thursday, March 14, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Manage Your Mindset

One of the greatest lessons of these tumultuous pandemic-laden years is that Life happens, and generally NOT according to plan!

But we’ve all witnessed the different responses to similar circumstances and recognize the value of a growth-minded, positive, and constructive mindset.

Our panelists this month will share their stories and best practices on how their mindset – how positive, productive, and responsive they were to their own circumstances – supported themselves and others they touched. Learn how having a more resilient and agile mindset will help us all navigate the next ‘normal’, no matter what that looks, feels, smells, tastes and sounds like. 

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue LLC
  • Panelist Sondra Bollar, Senior Director of Program Management, Oracle Application Labs (OAL), Product and Portfolio Center of Excellence (PPCOE), Oracle
  • Panelist Carina Fang, Director, Program Management, Data Center, AMD
  • Panelist Kelly Haan, Director of Change Management, Cisco

FountainBlue’s When She Speaks, Women in Leadership Series

Thursday, February 15, 11:50 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Online

Lead with Passion, Agility, and Resilience

What do you count on when nothing’s normal?

If you are Passionate, Agile, and Resilient, you will shoot over par – building more momentum, creating more opportunities, and pivoting more readily. Our panelists share their stories and strategies on how to go farther when nothing is predictable.

  • Facilitator Linda Holroyd, CEO, FountainBlue
  • Panelist Suzanne Amidon, Director, Customer Value Management, Coupa Software
  • Panelist Windi Hary, Quality and Regulatory Leader, Elucid
  • Panelist Adriane McFetridge, Head of Platform Performance & Disaster Recovery, Stripe
  • Panelist Susan Norton, Senior Director, Human Resources, BOLD

For notes from March 2019 through December 2023, visit https://fountainblue.substack.com/s/when-she-speaks/archive?sort=new.

For notes between June 2011 and March 2019, visit https://fountainblue.wordpress.com/category/when-she-speaks/

E-mail us if you need notes from May 2006 through May 2011.

Thank you to everyone participating in FountainBlue’s When She Speaks series! Whether you were a host, a sponsor, a speaker, an attendee, a volunteer, or a vendor, your personal input, support, and participation have touched the lives of so many people in a good way.

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