Rhonda Vetere: Global C-Suite Technology Executive & Strategic Advisor
Rhonda Vetere is a true trailblazer in every sense of the word. She is a global top tech executive who has worked across industries for companies such as Esteé Lauder and JPMorgan Chase, the author of two books, a passionate STEM leader, and an ambitious athlete. She is a one-of-a-kind leader with a mindset that breeds extraordinary innovation. It was our absolute honor to sit down with her on Episode 33 of our Catch the Moment Podcast and dive deeper into her journey of becoming the incredible and inspiring woman she is today.
Vetere began by sharing her most treasured moment throughout her multifaceted career. She has spent over 20 years working in India, calling it her “happy place”, and her time there is something she holds very close to her heart. The gratitude that the people of India have is what gave her the ability to be a pioneer for technology and bring new opportunities for innovation to India. Rhonda believes that cultural immersion is imperative as a global leader, which is why she fully engages with and embraces every single culture she steps into. When in India, she ditches the suits and jeans for traditional Indian sarees, allowing her to truly connect with those around her. The DT3 brand sees eye to eye with Rhonda on the importance of diversity of thought and perspective, and she believes that being such a diverse thinker is what allowed her to build and maintain so many meaningful relationships around the world. Whether you are traveling to over 162 countries and managing teams of over 20,000 people like Rhonda, or just trying to make an impact in your own community, these values and lessons surrounding diversity are essential.
In our Catch The Moment podcast episode, we also covered how Vetere cultivated such a remarkable high-performance mentality. Growing up, Rhonda’s parents made it clear that she was going to have to work for everything she wanted on her own. She started working at just 12 years old and continued working full-time to put herself through college. She truly knows what it means to come from nothing and build the life you want from the ground up with grit and determination. Rhonda did not experience instant gratification from her hard work, instead, she had to keep grinding for years before she could reap the benefits. Her humble beginnings are what inspires her to give back today. All it takes is one person opening the door and showing someone how great they are, and Rhonda wants to be that person.
Not only is Ronda an experienced C-Suite Executive and digital transformation agent, but she is also a role model for women in the tech industry. Her success in such a male-dominated field is nothing short of incredible. However, she has made it clear that her success is 100 percent based on her performance and nothing else. “Call me up for performance, don’t call me up to fill a candidate slate for a woman,” Rhonda says, because the excellence of her work speaks for itself, and it has done so throughout her entire career. The thought of her often being the only female in the room never crossed her mind, until people started asking her about it. The men in her field have always respected her because they know she can and always will perform.
While it is undeniable that her hard work has gotten her to where she is today, Rhonda didn’t do it all on her own. The mentors she had along the way, who were all men, challenged her and made her better. There were no women in tech for her to look up to and guide her toward success, so now she gets to be that woman for the next generation. Rhonda believes that “It’s a team, it’s not about I, it’s about WE” and nothing great can be accomplished alone. This teamwork mentality that values putting the collective above yourself has been critical to her success.
As far as the future goes for Rhonda, she won’t be slowing down anytime soon. She believes that “Movement is Medicine” and she wants to continue innovating, growing, and making the world a better place. She is most excited to continue giving back and being very intentional about helping those who truly need and want it. Rhonda Vetere is a woman of such tremendous inspiration and impact, and we can’t wait to see how she continues to change the world. Give our podcast episode with Rhonda a listen to hear her full story!