Mona Rousefid pursued a career in tech after realizing that she was drawn to industries that valued both creative and outside-the-box thinking, and that operated under a flat organizational structure.After working at Google, Amazon, and Meta, she grew increasingly interested in understanding the intricacies of the French Tech space.This is what led her to enter into discussions with a number of tech companies.Unsurprisingly, it was her conversation with Believe that piqued her interest.&nbsp;Now, at the age of 33, Mona is chief of staff and is proud to work at a company that is intentional about diversity, equity, and inclusion.Could you please give us some insight into your role at Believe?You're asking the million-dollar question!&nbsp;I think the beauty of a chief-of-staff role is the fact that no two days are the same.At its core, a Chief of Staff is responsible for supporting and amplifying the impact of the executive with whom they work.&nbsp;In addition to supporting the executive team, the Chief of Staff often works as the right-hand advisor, and sounding board to the CEO and possesses in-depth knowledge of daily operations.It is for this reason that all of my tasks are separated into three buckets. Bucket one comprises everything related to business rhythm and operations, i.e. ensuring everything runs smoothly for the executive team and everyone is set for success. After a while, it pretty much becomes second nature.&nbsp;Bucket two consists of all of the projects and strategies that can shape the direction of the company. This is one of the most interesting parts of the role since you get to contribute to the future of the company while collaborating with leaders.&nbsp;And, finally, bucket three is the mixed bucket that can include any task that needs to get done on a given day.&nbsp;&nbsp;As a Chief of Staff, you learn to stretch and challenge yourself because you are constantly learning and experiencing new things on the job.&nbsp;During these challenging moments, you may not necessarily know what to do, or the protocol to follow. So, this is exactly when you should use your better judgment, and rely on your experience and knowledge of the company to tackle the issue at hand, to the best of your ability.&nbsp;&nbsp;These teachable moments will definitely prepare you for future challenges.&nbsp;Is it safe to say that you're a problem solver?I will let my peers and colleagues be the judge of that!&nbsp;However, I must say that if you don't like solving problems, you're not going to enjoy being a Chief of Staff. You really need to have a genuine appetite for it and be able to approach problems with an open and curious mind.&nbsp;In my humble opinion, you have to be willing to be selfless since every project you work on, all of your interactions, and the work that you put in are all about advancing the company’s goals and objectives, supporting executives, and driving projects forward.&nbsp;It's never about you. It's always about the needs of the collective and doing what's right for the company. Essentially, you become a direct enabler of the company’s success which is the biggest motivation one could have.&nbsp;What made you want to work at Believe, in the first place?It was really a combination of three main things: Believe’s innovative DNA, its mission and values, and the opportunity to come on board as one of the first Chiefs of Staff.&nbsp;Believe was founded in 2005 when digital was just emerging, taking most industries – including the music industry – by surprise. The company envisioned a new model that would allow artists, labels, and music creators to build and grow their careers through technology. Their vision turned out to be revolutionary. From that day on, the company has never stopped thinking about how advancements in the tech industry can continue to drive the industry forward.&nbsp;Moreover, the company’s mission to support recording artists and labels through each stage of their development in the digital world is deeply inspiring.&nbsp;When it comes to career development, I tend not to focus on the job title but rather on who is leading the organisation, what their values are, and whether these values align with mine.&nbsp;Throughout the recruitment process, I found myself deeply resonating with Believe’s values of equity, fairness, transparency, and respect. All of this may sound trivial in 2023 (which is a small victory in itself!) but a decade ago, they were not at all the norm, let alone in the music industry.&nbsp;In addition to how great the company is, the opportunity to come on board as one of the first chiefs of staff and to actively contribute to the company’s growth was too good of an opportunity to pass on. Now, here I am, almost a year later in the role, and I feel beyond grateful to be working here.&nbsp;The music industry has developed a reputation for not always being gender inclusive. Yet, the number of women working at Believe is quite impressive. What do you think is the reason behind this?I think that Believe’s values and principles are the main reason that 40% of its employees are women.&nbsp;I often find myself in meetings, counting the number of women and men in attendance. And, it’s usually 50/50 or 40/60. So, gender equality is definitely being achieved at every single level of the organisation. Not only are employees aware of this, but they are also actively supporting the company with its gender parity efforts through initiatives, such as the ambassador programWe also try to be fair, inclusive, and transparent in the recruiting and hiring decisions that we make. It's something that leadership openly stands and advocates for. So, naturally, it empowers everyone to openly advocate for more representation, and I have to say, it's pretty awesome to watch.Has the fact that you’re a woman ever negatively or positively impacted your career?I feel extremely grateful and privileged that there have only been very few instances where being a woman has slowed down my career.Thankfully, at Believe, equality is such an integral part of the company culture that being a woman hasn't ever seemed like a disadvantage, since we’re all on a level playing field.However, I would say that one advantage of being a woman, who is also a Chief of Staff, is that I have a bird's eye view of what’s going on and first-hand knowledge of what’s being discussed in meetings. Therefore, I do my part to ensure that everyone, regardless of gender, feels empowered to share their opinion and feedback.&nbsp;During my daily interactions, I always try to create a space that encourages two-way dialogue so no one will shy away from sharing their point of view.&nbsp;Moreover, I try my best to be an active ally by encouraging my women peers and colleagues to speak up no matter what and cheer them on when they need that extra push since I believe that everyone deserves to be heard.Which tech roles would you like to see more women occupy in 2023?I would love to see a future where we have more women engineers. In my previous experiences, I had the opportunity to work with engineers and witnessed firsthand high levels of gender disparity.&nbsp;This is why I was so happy when several of my close female friends decided to leave their jobs and learn how to code. Now, many of them are landing product manager and engineering jobs!The fact that they had the courage to follow their dream, and now feel so fulfilled, is definitely something that I truly enjoy watching.We definitely need more women in engineering!We just rang in the new year. This is usually a time when everyone is talking about their resolutions. So, is there a professional goal that you'd like to achieve this year?The one soft goal that I set for myself is to learn a bit more about the work of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion ambassadors at Believe so that I, too, could hopefully become an ambassador!Is there anything else that you would like our community to know?I've had the privilege of working at a number of different companies which all genuinely embraced diversity and inclusion.However, when you bear in mind everything that has occurred since the start of the pandemic, I have to say that I deeply value Believe's commitment to educating everyone at the company about the importance of DE&amp;I.&nbsp;They truly walk the walk and talk the talk, which means that they are both action and results-driven.&nbsp;Everything they do starts with a very strong intention and that intention drives every single action taking place internally.&nbsp;It's been fantastic to watch and I'm really excited to start actively contributing to it.

Strong Intention Drives Action

Team 50inTech