Shelby Hawker

It’s just such an amazing collection of talent. People who approach problems from very different angles and come up with stronger solutions together because we don’t see the world in just one way.

I’ve been lucky to have a few situations where I played an almost surrogate parent role for a brand over many life stages, helping it come into its own and navigate an ever-changing world. It’s an honor to get to highlight the special qualities of a brand that maybe its “parents” can’t always see because they are so close to it.

Being inspired by incredible colleagues every day.

When I was in advertising working on P&G, I found myself really excited about all the fundamental work they shared around the target audience, brand strategy and visual language. I realized I was more interested in shaping the long-term meaning of a brand than in coming up with its next campaign.

Katharine Graham, who led the Washington Post for more than 20 years. She showed such vision, courage and grace in a time when our country needed it, and in a context where people doubted that women had the goods to be strong leaders.