#008 Jill Hazelbaker, SVP at Uber - Career Challenges and Opportunities - a podcast by Ann Hiatt

This episode of the Bet On Yourself podcast is like no other!

Jill Hazelbaker is the Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs at Uber, leading the teams and global efforts across marketing, communications, and public policy. You know, a small, uneventful job. 

Jill and I discussed so many key things to surviving in a career as ambitious as hers:

Jill talks about how you have to take the initiative and put yourself inside the rooms in which you want to work. This might mean moving anywhere for the job, working for people who want to challenge you and being willing to have uncomfortable debates.

Jill also found that this often means staying the course when things get tough because you recognise the irreplaceable opportunities there.

Before joining Uber, Jill led communications and public policy at Snap. Before Snap, Jill worked for Google, where she led PR across Europe, Middle East, and Africa, as well as government relations in Europe. Earlier in her career at Google, Jill ran the Corporate Communications team.

Jill began her career in politics, having held leadership roles on many local, state, and federal election campaigns. In 2009, Jill served as Press Secretary to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg during his successful re-election campaign. In 2008, Jill was the National Communications Director and Chief Spokesperson for United States Senator John McCain's presidential campaign.

I nodded like a bobble head when Jill explained that a key part of her career trajectory came from realizing that to be competitive you have to create your own space at the table by grabbing a chair (and not waiting to be given one).

This is often the only way women’s voices, offering new perspectives, are heard in the rooms where decisions are being made. This was especially true for her at Snap and Uber where the ‘’bro culture’’ was heavily present when she started in the early years of those company’s evolutions.

Right at the end of our conversation she also gives some great advice on how us normal people can make a difference in the area of misinformation to create a sense of togetherness

And my favorite moment was when Jill explained that her inspiration for working the way she does is so that her children seeing her make a difference in the world.

I can’t wait to hear your takeaways from this one! Please remember to share, rate and subscribe via your favorite podcast app - perhaps right now! Please enjoy!

---

Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/ann-hiatt/support

Further episodes of Bet On Yourself by Ann Hiatt

Further podcasts by Ann Hiatt

Website of Ann Hiatt