Redefining Ambition with Viviane Paxinos
Whether starting on their own or growing an established business, those at the helm have made a name for themselves as being among the best of the best. So, what makes them tick and what ultimate goals propel them forward when all is said and done?
For our featured cover story, Brand You had the pleasure of chatting with Viviane Paxinos, the trailblazing CEO of AllBright, a global collective of 500,000 driven women dedicated to forging a more equitable world. We wanted to know how her journey started and what it means to be a ‘Woman of the C-Suite’, standing as a beacon of leadership at the intersection of ambition and empowerment.
“I knew I wanted to merge my passion for business growth with purpose and a belief in the potential for commercial success.”
Viviane begins by telling us how much she was influenced by her upbringing – her parents moved to Canada from Greece, with barely anything, not even knowing the local language. She watched them work hard for every accomplishment and, as a result, she developed grit early on. Paying her way through university, working 30 hours a week whilst studying, taught her valuable life lessons, and that she was responsible for her own story.
Her professional journey began in the buzzing world of media and advertising, where she honed her talents over 15 years with iconic brands such as MTV, Viacom and BBC Discovery Warner. Learning from the best, she soaked up insights, skills and a thirst for progress.
But Viviane’s never chosen to dwell in comfort zones. Her bold leap from media to the uncharted territories of tech was a gutsy dive into a whole new universe. “I never stay in one lane,” she says, a glint in her eye. “Progress and impact drive me. I crave learning every single day.” With this mindset, she propelled a tech marketplace platform from seven to a staggering 20 million users, showcasing her unparalleled ability to navigate unexplored domains.
Things then took a compelling turn when she landed at Allbright as COO in June 2022 to spearhead a startup, amid a pandemic and in an era of chaos and closures. This was no ordinary career shift but another daring choice fuelled by a yearning to make a tangible difference. “I thought over what I wanted out of my career. It was a risky move and I went from a team of 250 people to 60, but I knew I wanted to merge my passion for business growth with purpose and a belief in the potential for commercial success. Within a few weeks of joining the organisation, I was asked to step up to the CEO role. It was an overnight change, and I’ve loved every minute!”
Since then, she’s been turbocharging AllBright, turning a five-year legacy into a scale-up powerhouse. Her secret weapon? Her corporate playbook, often underestimated in the entrepreneurial world, now the bedrock of her success. She paints a colourful picture of leadership brimming with grit, curiosity and an unwavering drive for impact. “It’s about being bold, asking tough questions and making the right calls, even if the outcome is uncertain. That ethos has always been my North Star!”
Her creation of the ever-popular Dinner With a CEO began as a commitment to peer-to-peer learning, but with ulterior motives. “I actually started this event selfishly because I knew I wanted to build my own CEO network,” she admits. It’s since grown into a colossal platform where C-suite women engage in discussions about themes crucial to their careers. “It’s not about snubbing men; it’s about realising women need tailored workplace support”.
“I actually started this event selfishly because I knew I wanted to build my own CEO network.”
“Women crave the know-how, to make the right decisions, build killer teams and weave a network of the right people – male and female – supporting their CEO role in a world rocked by challenges, such as economic uncertainties, trading difficulties and geopolitical conflicts,” Viviane highlights. She knows only too well about the importance of knowing you’re not on your own and that everyone is facing similar challenges. “In a world where the pressures of leadership can be isolating, the notion of a collective journey emerges as a unifying thread”, she adds.
This is no ordinary networking event. It’s a haven for a career rollercoaster, where stress, mental health issues and the pervasive challenges of leadership roles take centre stage in candid conversations. Constant connectivity, long working hours and the need to always be available can be exhausting and wear away the boundary between professional and personal life. Viviane’s own brush with burnout after her second child during COVID becomes a touchstone for discussing the importance of intentional self-care and balance. “How can you lead the charge if your own well-being’s in the rearview mirror?” she asks.
We shift gears to Viviane’s driving force: the elevation of women in the workplace. AllBright conducted its Future of Work study 12 months ago, after noticing a trend emerging within their community where the number of women who were leaving the workforce to start and run their own businesses was increasing year-on-year.
They wanted answers – why wasn’t the corporate route cutting it for these women and how could they reel in top female talent at all levels? “The intention isn’t to favour corporate over entrepreneurship,” Viviane asserts, “but to ensure organisations are staffed with and led by people who represent the customers they serve, as well as the communities in which they exist – that’s crucial to the health and wealth of our society.”
Spanning 2,000 female pros, the survey unveiled some harsh realities:
- 75% feel their career growth is hindered by factors including unrealistic expectations, lack of leadership engagement and unconscious bias.
- Just 10% are satisfied with their career progression and that figure rises to only 17% at the ‘top of the ladder’.
- 27% cite growth potential would make them more likely to feel loyal to their organisation.
- 56% want urgent support to develop their leadership and management skills, believing this to be integral to career success.
- 38% feel they need to enhance their digital and tech skills to keep up with their role’s requirements.
- Women are much more likely than men to face micro-aggressions from their direct manager and are disproportionately affected by caring responsibilities for family and friends, which often impacts their career speeds and paychecks.
“The tangible impact of this initiative is that our partners have now reduced the gender pay gap by 2%.”
It was a loud wake-up call. Change was overdue. A new landscape of hybrid work means businesses must urgently address a need for community and networking to close the gender gap or risk losing their most valuable resource.
Data shows that by 2030, a quarter of women will need to adapt their skillsets in line with emerging technology. The shelf life of digital skills is reducing exponentially – a trend that is sure to impact businesses in the coming years. Viviane saw the writing on the wall and got the message: “If women are not supported in the right way, they’re going to be left behind when it comes to new technologies like AI,” she cautions.
That’s why the Allbright Alliance was created to support better recruitment, retention and progression, and ultimately drive business success. “We listened to our partners and leveraged the collective knowledge gained from upskilling over 100,000 women, and channelled it into supporting corporates”, she proudly states. “The tangible impact of this initiative is that our partners have now reduced the gender pay gap by 2% because more women are getting promoted. Ultimately, businesses who get it right are more innovative, profitable and inclusive so it’s incredibly exciting to have created something that’s a true win-win.”
As a result of running multiple focus groups, listening to their community and asking a lot of questions, Viviane notes that one keyword has emerged:
Ambition.
“We realised there was this funny feeling when women talked about ambition. In fact, they didn’t want to talk about it at all,” she observes, acknowledging the word alone conjures up images of aggressiveness, selfishness and cutthroat competition. “For too long, I’ve witnessed women shunning their full potential due to these stereotypes.” A revelation that would become the catalyst for Allbright’s mission to redefine the meaning of ambition.
Passionately elaborating on her vision to rewrite the rulebook, Viviane asserts, “I think it’s really important to be ambitious. When you’re ambitious for yourself, you also lift others around you. As women, we must own our drive and stop underselling ourselves and playing small, not for ego, but for purpose, creativity and community care”. She continues by saying, “It’s about turning a blind eye to societal pressures nudging us to shrink, blend in, be cautious. Squashing our dreams because they seem ‘unrealistic’ or ‘outside the norm’.”
For Viviane, the message is clear: when we support each other, we all rise and that produces results far beyond what any one person could achieve alone. Redefined ambition shares ideas, makes introductions and spotlights the work of others. It recognises that without others nurturing us along the way, we could not succeed.
The study demographics show there are 5% of respondents between the ages of 18 and 24. We’re interested in knowing what her thoughts are about forming the CEOs of tomorrow. Viviane responds enthusiastically by shedding light on the remarkable growth in business launches within this age group in the UK. She also observes they are not eyeing the corporate scene, but deciding to shape their own destinies. “We have a strong commitment to fostering the entrepreneurial spirit among the younger generation, such as the Female Founders Club, Pitch Days and our Mentor Matching scheme involving thousands of women. It’s a digital platform, designed to be accessible and affordable and aims to support individuals from diverse backgrounds.”
“Women aren’t a movement, we’re not a moment in time, we’re 50.5% of the global population.”
The conversation turns to the future, with a spotlight on AllBright’s immersive signature event for 2024. “Our Step Forward Summit takes place this year on 8th March – International Women’s Day – at the Old Sessions House in London. We’re totally fired up for a world where gender equality takes centre stage, and have assembled an amazing line-up of change-makers, including leaders in business, philanthropy, fashion, music and the arts, to share how they’ve made an impact.” She goes on to urge us to think of this: “The Covid vaccine took a year to roll out. Landing on the moon took 10 years. By 2040, we’ll have electric cars everywhere, and yet we’re still more than 100 years away from achieving gender equality at work! It’s too long – we need to prioritise it.”
We finished by asking Viviane if she gets frustrated that there’s still a fight to be had. “Yes, of course,” she replies vehemently. “I want to see a more balanced world. Women aren’t a movement, we’re not a moment in time, we’re 50.5% of the global population. Companies need to step up and accept that men and women need different support in the workplace. Women aren’t sticking around because something isn’t working, and if we can make work work for women, we make it work for everyone.”
“Continuing to grow with like-minded partners by our side, an amazing community of women, male allies and the most incredible team. That’s my mission at Allbright.”
INTERVIEW BY OLIVIA MAROCCO – EDITOR-IN-CHIEF – BRAND YOU MAGAZINE
Article published in Brand You Magazine – Edition 29
Viviane Paxinos – CEO AllBright
Viviane , CEO of Allbright, leads a global collective of 500,000 women, brought together by ambition who want to connect, upskill, supercharge their careers and create a more equitable world for all.
Website: allbrightcollective.com
Instagram: @viv_paxinos
