Angel investor and CEO Kristy Wallace supports women and girls in achieving their dreams. Her current role at Ellevate Network allows her to increase her own and the organization’s impact by providing professional women with a supportive community.
Kristy Wallace is the CEO of Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission of changing the culture of business from the inside out by providing professional women with a supportive community to lean on and learn from. She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate’s Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate’s impact.
Kristy is host of the Ellevate Podcast: Conversations with Women Changing the Face of Business and is also a regular speaker and thought leader on Leadership, Diversity, Social Entrepreneurship, Networking, and Entrepreneurialism. Most recently, Kristy was recognized as a Woman of Influence by the New York Business Journal.
Kristy strives to support women and girls in achieving their dreams. She is an Angel Investor with Pipeline Angels, an organization creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs; a Member of the UN Women Global Innovation Coalition for Change; an Advisor for the 92Y Women in Power Fellowship for Rising Female Leaders; on the Advisory Council for the Villanova University Innovation, Creativity, and Entrepreneurship Institute; Co-Chair of the Leadership Advisory Board for the Girl Scouts of Greater NYC; and a Board Member at Workforce Professionals Training Institute.
Prior to joining Ellevate, Kristy was a founding team member of Zeel.com, where she oversaw operations, business modeling, brand development, partnerships, and fundraising. Prior to Zeel, Kristy served as VP of North America Ad Sales and then GM of International Operations at Vault.com.
Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University and began her career as a financial analyst at KeyBank. A passionate runner, reader and world traveler, Kristy lives in Greenpoint, Brooklyn with her husband and three wonderful children.
3 Key Points
- Tie quarterly goals to your values
- Chase diversity of experience in your own career and in the people you hire.
- Don’t just take the most obvious route. Aim to disrupt existing systems and rebuild them in an innovative and impactful way.
Quote
“You nurture culture in a variety of ways. You have to have guiding principles. Be very intentional about your culture and engage your workforce in that culture all the time.”
What We Talked About
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- 01:37 – Can you tell us more about Ellevate?
- 03:15 – What are Ellevate’s values?
- 06:20 – What can businesses do to create an environment that promotes women’s success?
- 11:00 – Why do leaders fail to support employees’ wellbeing?
- 13:40 – How have you nurtured your company’s culture?
- 17:50 – Vulnerability in leadership
- 19:52 – Why do you want to be a leader?
- 23:17 – On the importance of defining success
- 25:52 – What is it about online business that works so well for you?
- 28:20 – Learning about your passions through career pivots
- 33:30 – Which aspects of the B Corp certification were the easiest and which were the most challenging?
- 39:39 – There aren’t many female angel investors. What led you to that role?
Actionable Tips
- Care about your impact.
- Push yourself to think bigger.
- Seek a disruptive path.
Resources Mentioned
- Visit Ellevate online
- Find Kristy on Twitter and Instagram
- Ellevate on Twitter
- Conference mentioned: Momentum Summit
- Books mentioned:
- The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Books by Daniel Coyle
- Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
- Portfolia: Investing Funds Designed for Women
Resources for Your Business
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Ursula Jorch, Host of The Impact Interviews
Ursula Jorch is a business coach, speaker, and podcaster who shows women leaders how to turn their businesses into profitable agents for lasting change, global impact, and a force for good in the world.