Climbing the Ladder as a Black Woman

All too often, a Black woman’s corporate career trajectory is impaired by racial biases, microaggressions, and lack of opportunity. Stella Danso is no stranger to these adversities, yet grew from an individual contributor to an accomplished cybersecurity and technology leader. Now the global senior director of security governance, risk, compliance, and privacy at Expedia Group, Stella joins us to share how she forged her career path, as well as her best advice for other underrepresented professionals climbing the corporate ladder.

Stella Danso

Ayla Morwin

Prior to joining Expedia Group, Stella held leadership roles at McDonalds Corp, Kellogg’s, Allstate Insurance and 3Com in the US, and Siemens and Optus in Australia. Stella brings vast experience and strong leadership in strategy design and execution of enterprise-scale information security, privacy, and business transformation initiatives. Stella is passionate about partnering to protect and enabling business growth in a data driven world while forging digital trust.

Noelle Johnson

Bridget Finkeldey

Noelle Johnson is a Global DEI Strategist and Trainer with over a decade of experience working in operations across industries and has been recognized for her expertise on mentorship and sponsorship. Noelle has been featured in Forbes, Fast Company, NPR, and more.