Julia Chen ─ a next generation disruptive innovator!
December 15, 2020 • 3 Minute Read
Updated October 2022
Julia Chen
VP Partner Core
Amazon Web Services
(Previously — Vice President of Partner Transformation
Cisco Systems)
Are you looking for a next generation technology leader who is well versed on the business and technology issues, transformation strategies, and rethinking how to manage the business through data? We know the person ─ Julia Chen!
Julia is a next generation disruptive innovator. She is currently the Vice President of Partner Transformation at Cisco Systems in the Global Partner Organization. Prior to her current role, she was in the Office of the CEO for Chuck Robbins at Cisco. She has the ultimate educational roots with a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering from Princeton and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In her spare time, she is also the mother of two young children.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Julia Chen!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
Most of my business colleagues don’t know that I moonlighted as a cardio kickboxing instructor at 24 Hour Fitness early in my career.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
I was already restricting my travel before the pandemic to avoid too much disruption for my two young kids. But before kids, I was on the road 40 weeks out of the year with a billion miles (not sure of the exact number).
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
The most adventurous food I have eaten is sour cream and onion flavored roasted crickets—in the Cisco San Jose headquarters. One of my mentors was investing in cricket farms as the next clean, sustainable protein source and invited me to try some. They weren’t bad!
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
The top two experiences that shaped my journey as a successful leader are:
i. Passing my Ph.D. qualifying exams at Princeton for Computer Engineering. It was by far the most challenging set of exams I have taken. When I passed, I gained a level of confidence in my own intellectual capability that I lean on throughout my career.
ii. At Boston Consulting Group, I led a team of five through a challenging project for a client who was demanding, argumentative, and always yelling. I worked hard to shield the team from the negativity and sought advice. I spent time getting to know the team to encourage/enable them better to leverage their strengths and build skills for the long haul. At the end of the project, the client implemented our recommendations. My team chose to work with me again. Most importantly, I learned how to lead under fire and separate the signal from the noise.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
Yes, I have been lucky to have many mentors. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my mentors was how to disagree without being disagreeable.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
There are times when the “life” part of work-life balance matters more, but outside of those times, lean in and go hard. Read tons, talk to subject matter experts often, and take on stretch assignments. Prioritize learning and building up your skill set.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
I am the product of many wise and generous mentors. So, I pay it forward and remain a resource for early-career people by regularly mentoring half a dozen early-in-career colleagues, engaging in mentoring calls each month, and speaking at events for early-career professionals, women, Asian Americans, and at innovation forums.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
The most exciting project I have recently worked on is helping Cisco and its partner ecosystem move from selling products to selling business outcome solutions.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Continuous learning through reading about the latest developments in IoT and data science, particularly machine learning and artificial intelligence. I believe that data is the blood and the fuel of the digital economy and she who has the best / most data wins, so long as she also can analyze it and translate that analysis into fast decisions and business outcomes.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
“Building the plane while flying it.” What was relevant six months ago, like business trips and live, in-person conferences, is now inconsequential. Priorities and business drivers are different and require us to pivot quickly. Therefore, coordinated agility of strategy, implementation, and team capability are my most significant business challenges today.
