Episode 35: Mai Ton
"It's tough to be a female leader in tech. Some days you have to make sure that you're still doing what you want to do and you're principled in what you believe in.”
Mai Ton, VP of People/HR in tech, on taking up space as an Asian woman in tech
Mai Ton brings over 15 years of experience to her role as VP of People for tech companies. She helps employees better integrate their personal and professional lifestyles so that they can be their authentic selves in the work place.
Mai learned to take up space especially being a petite Asian woman in the competitive world of tech. She learned to speak up as a female leader in a room full of men. She purposefully walks the floor so that her co-workers notice her. Mai is a big proponent of investing in professional development, especially in emotional intelligence skills like compassion and empathy.
Podcast Details
Find out from the podcast how Mai:
- Defines diversity, inclusion and belonging and what that means for her working as an Asian female leader in Tech
- Walks a fine line as a petite Asian female and asserts her power in the corporate world
- Invested in a specific kind of coach and why she believes that soft skills are irreplaceable
- Changed her own beliefs and maintains a “work life blend”
- Listened to ‘cruel’ feedback and owned it to make changes in herself
- Constantly puts herself outside of her comfort zone to make her presence stand out
- Aspires to write a book on all of the stories in the tech world
- How she defines success
“Do whatever you put your mind to. It’s a very different world and it’s a world where you truly feel empowered. People are bypassing college, inventing things and going after their dreams in a way where you don’t have to wait till you’re 70 to fulfill your bucket list items. Do them throughout your life”. –Mai Ton
About Mai
Mai Ton brings over 15 years of experience to her role as VP of People for HelloSign. In this role, she is charged with scaling HelloSign’s people strategy in line with the challenges associated with rapid organizational growth. By instituting the programs and cultural framework for unleashing the full potential of employees, she drives the team’s long-term development, while developing the company’s stature as a “Great Place to Work”.
She is a frequent speaker and shares her HR leadership and management experience to help others in the competitive landscape specific to Silicon Valley.
Previously, she held HR leadership positions at OneLogin, Trulia, RichRelevance and PriceWaterhouseCoopers during transformative periods. All companies were among Fortune magazine’s “Great Places to Work” during her tenure. She is the proud parent of an eight year old daughter and lives a block away from work in San Francisco.
Mai received her BA in Sociology from the University of Texas, Austin