I'm Beyond excited for you to get to know the Silicon Valley tech dynamo that is Shaloo Garg! Shaloo is currently the Managing Director of Microsoft for Startups, where she is responsible for startup business strategy and growth in the global mecca of innovation! Having previously been at Oracle where she led the Global Customer Connect at Global Oracle Innovation, Shaloo has spent almost two decades in the high-tech industry in various roles: corporate development, startups, enterprise Go to Market, strategic partnerships, and has navigated and negotiated within the ranks of the major tech giants of the world. She has also led Go-to-Market for Oracle’s cloud business and was part of the Mergers & Acquisitions team that acquired Peoplesoft, Siebel, Retek, and others.

She keeps regular open office hours to coach and mentor young women and speaks on panels such as Girl Geek X Microsoft Reactor Lightning Talks. UN Women is an organization we both champion, which is how our paths crossed. As a “Champion of Innovation” at UN Women, Shaloo is spinning up virtual technology innovation labs with universities to encourage digital literacy in developing countries for young girls who do not have access to education. She is a firm believer in using the power of disruptive technology to solve pressing issues in the world like hunger, poverty, education, clean water, air, energy etc. She has her MBA in Innovation and Design Thinking from Stanford d. School.

Shaloo embodies the Lift & Be Uplifted philosophy because of her high visibility and accessibility to young women. When we spoke on the phone for the first time, I was in awe that a mogul such as herself took the time to take my call when I inquired about her journey! What actually happened, was she was more interested in learning about what I was doing, and what my goals were, and gave me encouragement. I can see why she is so successful, because instantly I just wanted to be in her circle; her energy is completely magnetic!

Connect with her on LinkedIn HERE!

1. Rarely is someone's journey linear. Can you explain what you wanted to be when you grew up, and how your career landed where you are right now? How has this shaped the way you view human connection and the way you lead others?
I agree, rarely is anyone’s journey liner. My dad was an aeronautical engineer and I  traveled extensively growing up. That required quite a few school transfers. There was an upside to all the awesome travel, I had the opportunity to get exposure to various cultures, religion, people, languages etc. In retrospect, the person I am today has been mainly shaped by those early life experiences.

I have worked in top tech tech companies through out my career, thanks to the wide perspective I gained as a girl. I was exposed to diverse ways of living and thinking,  which was  instrumental in how I approach problems, people and solutions. I’m grateful for that now. Growing up, I wanted to be an Air Hostess ( yes, I had caught the travel bug😊), but it was while I was doing my MBA, that I realized my passion and gift for Technology. I had an Elective in  Technology & Coding and was conducting research for a Technology for Community project, when I went deeper and deeper into my research and discovered the many ways  technology can help drive change in our society, community and economy. Technology was nascent at that time, but I was inspired by it's potential to change the world. THAT was the when I resolved  to build my career in Technology. While professionally, I was working in big tech companies, I continued to feed my hunger for purpose -using technology for good.

In one of my projects partnering with UN Women, I realized the enormous potential for young girls in developing economies, who do not have access to education, that could be educated sitting in their homes- just by properly utilizing advances and connectivity of technology! As this idea grew and developed over years , I took responsibility for driving this core initiative  in conjunction with UN Women.

s2. Which single word do you most identify with?
Courage- and it’s hard to be courageous. It’s not an innate quality. One becomes courageous as they face life experiences of overcoming setbacks and trials and learns lessons from them. With courage also comes responsibility. Being intentional yet bold  is what it takes to drive positive impact. It’s the most important thing I have learned in life and business and something that I personify on daily basis.

I recall an analogy that one of mentors shared with me: "Imagine that you are getting ready to  bungee jump.  You buckle up, you pull all the straps tight and you prepare to jump. All bets are off at that time." The focus here is all the time you have spent intentionally "buckling and strapping up well". You have done your due diligence, weighed out the pros and cons, now don't just stand there- use that courage and boldness and jump in!

3. What moment/experience in your life was the most formative in your development as a leader?
A couple of experiences are still fresh in my mind that have been  points for reflection in my career.

 I was in Mergers & Acquisitions at Oracle, on the team that acquired PeopleSoft. My first week on the job, I was pretty certain that I was not a good fit there. Yet my boss  pushed me really hard, believing in me, giving me confidence that I was capable. I doubted myself,  was almost ready to walk out, but paused and thought through what I had to loose if I failed by giving up vs. what it could mean to my career and my company if I succeeded. This experience taught me how to weigh the pros and cons cautiously and thoughtfully in any career/business situation. The result of my persevering in this situation, and the resulting win, propelled my career forward.

Then when I was at Microsoft. I was 5 weeks into my job here, when we were faced with a wide gap in the market where competition was dormant. We had no play where the market segment was expanding. I did creative thinking with my full due diligence and took a high risk idea to management. Fortunately, I got a go ahead. While I was excited with a go ahead, I was nervous too! 😊 Just a month and a half into the company, I was still building social capital and relationships. THAT was a big, bold, career move for me, where I had to risk everything – building credibility, trust, AND selling my idea, gave me immense strength and courage to lead with confidence. Sometimes when nothing is moving, you must be not just innovative, but bold and courageous as a leader!

Another experience is more personal. When I was at the peak of my career, with bold ambition in the Cloud business, I lost my father and then lost my mom a few years later. Both these life changing events were jolting. While I was able to recover from my father’s death, it took me few years to recover from the loss of my mom. I fought with and questioned myself that I'd lost my courage. One fine day, I decided to completely change the line of business I was in [Go to Market] and enter the Startup space. I had no experience in this arena but I just needed to start again to challenge myself in new ways.
This experience fundamentally shifted my way of thinking which is: no matter what life presents to you or high the stakes are, there is no substitute for hard work. Period.

4. As a woman working in a male-dominated field, what is the biggest barrier you have faced in your career? How did you overcome that?
Without a doubt, Tech is a male dominated field and there are fewer opportunities for women. A great example is the status quo in numbers of women in CEO and Board positions. Why is this number not sky rocketing? It’s not because there isn’t talent in the market, but the opportunities for women to advance are limited.

One of the biggest barriers I faced was just getting a seat at the table to begin with. Initially, I thought I did not have the caliber or the chops. Later, I understood that gender inequity is prevalent no matter where we are and at which level. Regardless, I still believe that rarely do opportunities present themselves on a golden platter. One has to be aware and savvy to identify gaps, tie the opportunity to the gaps- and get that seat at the table. Once you know your stuff well and lead with confidence, there is nothing holding you back.

5. You serve as a mentor for so many young women. Based on your conversations through mentorship, what message do you believe is most important for young women to hear?
Three key things:

1. Do not take a ‘no’ sitting down. Keep pushing.
2. Take risks, experiment - some may work , some won’t. And that’s okay!
3. Train your brain muscle to pay back.

6. Tell us more about your "Work Philosophy".
Trust me, in the early years of my career, I was trying to find out for myself who I was and what I believe in. It’s tough because one is busy learning, exploring and beating the odds. One of my mentors once told me: "Be known for what you value."

Be humble. No matter how high or low you are, always, always be humble. Be open to learning , ask questions and accept both success and failure with grace.

Challenge the status quo. I love this one and relate very closely with this. I love chaos, ambiguity in a business situation because it gives me an opportunity to drive clarity, bring structure and challenge the status quo.

Always be the hardest worker in the room. There is really no proxy for hard work and effort. There are no short cut to success.

7. What has been the most rewarding experience you've had working with UN Women?
Being able impact millions of lives of young girls without ever even meeting them, seeing them or hearing them - all through the power of technology! How awesome is that! Love it!

8. Your word of advice to young women struggling in their careers?
Understand your strengths and weaknesses really well. Self reflect - constantly. That’s super critical. Once you know the areas you can ace, use that ‘creatively’ to your advantage. No situation will ever present itself in a perfect format.

On the flip side, be curious, ask questions in areas where you can do better. Do not give up on them (yet). Tap into mentors and coaches around you who can guide you. And always, always give back. Never forget the young woman you were when you started your career on Day 1.

1. Rarely is someone's journey linear. Can you explain what you wanted to be when you grew up , and how your career landed where you are right now?
I am one of those girls who knew what she wanted to be at the age of 8. I grew up in the Philippines where there is a lot of poverty and the fear of starvation is real. If you needed medical care, there was no medical insurance and no help from the government, so often times, people will pay with  food, or anything that they can grow on their farms or catch in the sea.

One day, I was at my friends home whose parents were both doctors and in their kitchen, I saw  a big bushel of crabs. I asked her where it came from- since I love crabs- and she said it came from  a patient of one of her parents. I love crabs and right there and then, like an epiphany, I decided to be a doctor! I knew I would never starve if I were a doctor! My daughters beg me never to share this story. But as a child, my first instinct was to choose survival,  and a profession that would provide for my family.

As I grew older, I realized that being a doctor is a noble profession, there truly is nothing more rewarding than easing someone's pain or helping someone feel better. I was very focused. I studied medicine in Manila and met my husband while I was in Medical school. He was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida and I eventually moved to the US with him and our 2 children. After finishing my Cardiology Fellowship at Brown University, we decided to move to Florida. 

2. Which single word do you most identify with?
Driven.

3. What moment/experience in your life was the most formative in your development as a woman in the field of medicine?
I knew I wanted to be a doctor, but I did not decide on a specialty until after my second year as an internal medicine resident. The heart and cardiovascular system just made so much sense to me and I felt called  to be a cardiologist. When I looked into Cardiology as a specialty, I realized that not many women chose to go into this field.

At that time less than 10% of Cardiology fellows were females.  Women, especially young women with families or who wanted to raise a family, would never consider going into this field because it was intense and difficult. It was very much still a male dominated field. I saw this as a challenge. I wanted somehow to prove that a young mother can be successful in cardiology and that it was possible to balance family and career. I was able to accomplish this because I had a supportive and understanding partner in my husband. And I was right. I'm proud to say Women Cardiologists are very much in demand now. It was because of a Woman Cardiologist that the American Heart Association's GO RED for WOMEN movement started with the goal to raise awareness among women about heart disease being their #1 health risk, and this has saved lives!

4. Go-to ice cream?!
Mint Chocolate Chip cookies!

5. You have counseled and educated women of all ages on female heart health. What is something you have noticed that most women struggle with? How can we overcome that?
Although more women are aware that heart disease is their #1 health risk, only 13% of women personalize it. So many women tend to think that it will not happen to them. Heart disease is very preventable and you can reduce your lifetime risk for heart events by implementing  a heart healthy lifestyle early on. The earlier you start, the better. But women in their 20's and 30's are not concerned about heart disease. They go to their OB gynecologist for women's health care, and a majority of them are not even aware of their coronary risk factors. They don't know their cholesterol and blood pressure numbers, and have no concept about blood glucose levels. A lot of young women still smoke, which almost guarantees that they will develop heart disease in the future. This can only be remedied through education and awareness, and what motivates me to get involved in the community-to make a difference in the small part of the world I am lucky to call home.

6. As one of the Doctors that formed the Women in Medicine group, why do you feel it is important for more female physicians to aspire to leadership positions in both the  healthcare field and within the community?
When I became the Chief of Staff of Baptist Medical Center Beaches, I was only the 2nd woman to hold that position. The last female Chief of Staff was Dr. Doris Carson, and that was 20 years ago. Now why is that? In an organization where almost half of the medical staff are women, there were no women in leadership positions? I felt we needed more women leaders! So I spoke to Audrey Moran, who is a friend and a wonderful mentor. What we realized is that women waited, wanting to be asked to be in a leadership position, whereas men would consistently volunteer for it, therefore women were never asked.

​I remember recently being in a leadership meeting and we were discussing the future of medical leadership. An excellent young female doctor with great potential was mentioned. I remember that one of the males in the room, agreed she was an excellent candidate however,  stated that he ASSUMED she may not want to do it because she had small children and may not have time to do it. He did not say this out of malice, and he was being considerate about her situation.  So I said, wait a minute, shouldn't she make that decision and not us? Sure enough, when she was asked- she accepted- and she will be great! This is why we formed Women in Medicine; to support women physicians and make them aware that it is important to be at the table, giving a different perspective because our ideas matter.

7. What is your "mantra" or personal "motto" that keeps you motivated and focused?  
I can make a difference.

8. What is the biggest barrier you experienced as a woman in your career?
Myself. I think women have tendencies to doubt themselves. Can I do this? Can I make the sacrifice? Will they listen to me? Doubting yourself and feeling that what you have to say is not important  is something I think a lot of women struggle through during phases in their lives.

9. What advice would you go back in time and give your younger self?
I would tell myself, "You will be okay. You will make the right choices and you will make a difference."

10. Who is your female icon?
My Mother, Paz Rama. In the Philippines, my father was a Congressman, starting a family. We were comfortable and my mother was the homemaker. When Martial Law was declared by the Marcos regime, my father, being part of the opposition party, was one of the first to be incarcerated as a political prisoner. My mother all of a sudden became our breadwinner and had to raise 5 children on her own. She was an avid antique collector, so she decided to sell her collection, which supported us through those hard times. We were young children at the time. I never saw her cry, she kept her composure, fed us,  provided for us, kept us in the same catholic school and paid the mortgage. We were never scared. I realize now how hard it must have been for her and how scared she must have been. But she did this with grace and composure and love. She is my hero!