Forging her own path: how a love of people brought a strong leader to Everest Group

Many who meet her say that Robin is one of the most discerning people they’ve ever met. “I think that’s a good quality to have when trying to figure out how people work,” she says. Robin brought this discernment to her Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Revenue Operations role at Everest Group. Coming from a long and successful career in sales leadership at UPS, she entered the firm in January 2021 as VP for US Sales before progressing to her present role.

Robin’s passion for understanding people has likely powered her extensive career. She earned an operations management degree in industrial engineering and wasn’t initially looking to enter sales. Robin wanted to work at a large global company, and while she was a sophomore in college unloading trucks at UPS, she realized she was already at a great global company, just not in the role she wanted. It made sense for her to try and forge a career there.

There were barriers to entry, however – and it was not because of her skill set. At that time, the attitude was that women didn’t work in industrial engineering. So, UPS placed Robin, like the few other women they employed at the time, into sales.

Robin soon realized that a sales role fit her better than crunching the numbers. “I like interacting with humans and figuring out what makes them work more than calculations and finding efficiencies,” she notes. From these beginnings, her career in sales skyrocketed, thriving due to her extensive perceptive and discerning social skills. Her ability to read people made her a master negotiator and leader. “I feel very thankful for the career I’ve had and the blessings that have come with it,” she says.

Robin’s experiences have led her to develop a passion for helping others find their footing. “As a leader, I must be able to connect with each person differently to understand motivation, how they communicate and how they receive communication, to get the best out of their performance and development. At this point in my career, my true fulfillment comes from impacting and developing the next group of leaders to help them reach their personal goals and accelerate the company’s growth and journey,” she explains.

In particular, she wants to be a role model and a mentor for other women who want to be in leadership roles. Robin feels a drive to help others learn from her experiences. As her career accelerated and she progressed in sales leadership, the lack of women became even more prominent. As a result, she did not have a female mentor at work. Without someone understanding the same challenges she faced, it was harder to know how to fight inequalities and overcome obstacles, and she often felt lonely. At times, Robin sought support outside of work, which suffered from a lack of context-specific guidance.

Fast forward to today, Robin now works hard to ensure that women with leadership ambition can reach out to her. “I mentor women, and I try to let people know I am here to help, that I’m a safe place to go and can help women navigate the challenges. I had to do it independently; I want aspiring female leaders to be spared of the same difficulties I had.”

She is passionate about leveling the playing field for all to fulfill their potential. “The disparity between men and women in leadership positions in the world has to change, and in my mind, it only changes if we can get more women into leadership positions. We must break those barriers that prevent women from attaining the roles I’ve been fortunate to occupy.”

This learning, evolving attitude is one of the reasons Robin loves working at Everest Group. “I count my blessings every day I work here,” she says. “Everest Group truly has a fantastic culture of caring about their clients and their people, which drives a greater level of passion and commitment universally felt by everyone working here.”