Meet Janice Roberts: Venture Capitalist, Zebra Board Member, Mom and Blueberry Picker?!
Earlier this year, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, we had the pleasure of speaking with Janice Roberts, one of WomenInc’s Most Influential Corporate Directors. It was clear to us that Janice has built an interesting and rewarding career based on an amazing journey paved with unique experiences. And while she may not have previously listed “managing through a pandemic” on her resume, she has overcome many other challenges which we can all learn from in this 15-minute conversation:
LISTEN TO THE PODCAST
Janice’s wisdom came with time. She had to grin and bear it for the better part of her early career, especially when she first arrived in Silicon Valley and often found herself to be the only woman in the room. Yet, her experience building and selling a startup (to 3Com, no less), building a family and even building things in a factory for a short stint all contributed to the life she enjoys now.
Since social media wasn’t around when Janice started her career, we were curious how she was able to build a name for herself and ensure her voice was heard. Listen to what she said, and then follow her lead…
Just don’t forget to diversify your days. Giving equal attention to your professional job, personal life and philanthropy can go a long way, Janice stresses…
Why Zebra?
Of course, we couldn’t help but ask Janice why she chose to serve on Zebra’s Board of Directors, especially since she didn’t really know anything about the company when she was approached about the opportunity in 2013 and was already super busy serving as a venture capitalist and serving on other organizations’ boards. Her answer might surprise you – or maybe not if you know Zebra CEO Anders Gustafsson.
Zebra’s culture was also attractive to Janice for these three reasons…
Zebra is very fortunate to have someone as sharp, witty and downright humble directing our company. Janice Roberts is truly remarkable, as you’ll quickly realize when you listen to her life story in the full podcast [link to podcast].
Just make sure you stay tuned in all the way to the end. We really tried to peek “behind the stripes” as we say here at Zebra, and Janice revealed more than a few fascinating facts about herself and the evolution of the technology sector. We were very surprised to learn which one job challenged her the most early in her career, even though she admits that it ultimately set her on the current (very successful) path she is on now.
LISTEN TO THE FULL CONVERSATION
We had the opportunity to speak again with Janice recently, and she asked us to send her best to all our Your Edge readers and podcast listeners. She hopes that you and your families are keeping safe and well in these challenging times. No surprise there based on her keen interest in people!
Zebra’s “Your Edge” Blog Team
The “Your Edge” Blog Team is comprised of content curators and editors from Zebra’s Global PR, Thought Leadership and Advocacy team. Our goal is to connect you with the industry experts best-versed on the issues, trends and solutions that impact your business. We will collectively deliver critical news analysis, exclusive insights on the state of your industry, and guidance on how your organization can leverage a number of different proven technology platforms and strategies to capture your edge.
