Commonwealth Club: Alchemizing Heritage into a Leadership Superpower

Heritage is simply learned wisdom, the stories, myths, traditions and rituals that we inherit from our ancestors. What if we could alchemize that into a superpower as business leaders, instead of burying, hiding or running away from it?  In this conversation with Kamini Ramani, author of Lotus Leadership: A Modern Playbook of Ancient Wisdom (Harper’s Business), and two powerful CEOs and board members—Chinese American Jenny Ming and Indian American Yamini Rangan—legendary journalist Sarah Lacy will unpack their journeys from Mumbai and Coimbatore to Macao to reveal the secret to owning your power. Ramani has been called “a barrier-breaking former tech leader," and her new book called “a playbook about leadership for everyone.” Her playbook for success is culled from the inspiring stories of a cadre of luminary women business leaders of Indian heritage along with other women of color. Ramani interviewed more than 30 of the top female leaders for her book and tells their stories, highlighting not just their successes but also unveiling how they got there. In this program, our speakers will cover how you can: • Fuse where you came from and who you are now into one identity; • Embrace a yoga-for-business rather than hustle-culture mindset; • Compose a life as well as fulfill your ambition. Join us for a rewarding and fascinating conversation among tech and business leaders about leadership, success and life. About the Speakers Kamini Ramani is a native of Mumbai, India, who attended Yale and Stanford Universities. In her four-decade career as a technology marketing leader, she advised legends such as Steve Jobs and established Mayfield, a top-tier venture capital firm, as the first stop for founders. She continues to work closely with Silicon Valley leaders as a founding member of the South Asian women’s network Neythri. She is a 35-year resident of San Francisco. Jenny Ming is a board member and former CEO of Rothy’s, Inc. where she scaled the fast-growing sustainable retailer. Prior to joining Rothy’s, Ming held various executive roles at Gap, Inc., including founding member and president of Old Navy. Ming then joined specialty retailer Charlotte Russe as president and CEO. She has also served on the boards of Kendra Scott, Poshmark and Affirm, and currently serves on the boards of Levi Strauss & Co. and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan & Hospitals. She has been recognized by Fortune, BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times for her outstanding leadership in business. Yamini Rangan is chief executive officer at HubSpot, the publicly-held business software company. A tech industry veteran who has led teams at Dropbox, Workday and SAP, Rangan has more than 25 years of experience ranging from product marketing, sales, and strategy. Rangan currently serves on the board of the Haas School of Business, Berkeley, and was previously on the board at Splunk. She has been recognized as one of the Most Influential Women in Business by the San Francisco Business Times and was recognized as the Best CEO for Women by Comparably. Sarah Lacy is a veteran investigative journalist, serial entrepreneur, three-time author, independent bookstore owner and collaborative writer. As a journalist, she has written for BusinessWeek and Fortune, helped build TechCrunch, and co-founded Pando.com. She has written three books about entrepreneurship and Silicon Valley. She divides her time between San Francisco and Palm Springs.