Jumpstart at Party City — Sarah Dodds Brown
Starting at a company you’re not familiar with may be scary at first, with the new environment and unknown certainty of the future. Connecting and exchanging your ideas, advice, and support allows you to gain new insights and a better understanding of the company. Taking part in company tasks, even if you’re unfamiliar with them, gives you the first-hand advantage of grasping the issue and challenges the company is facing.
Sarah is an experienced commercial lawyer with organizational intelligence who uses her field of expertise to guide businesses in the right direction. As a systematic thinker, she serves as an adviser and thought partner at the most senior levels of organizations. Using her leadership and legal background, she implements effective strategies to work across businesses and avoiding risks.
In the video, Jumpstart at Party, she discusses her experience working with Party City as an independent member of the Board of Directors and a part of the Audit Committee.
“I do sit on the audit committee so there’s a lot of information that comes along with that. I was excited to have that committee assignment because I do feel like you’re really getting into the guts of the organization and understanding all the issues and challenges.
“Having the ability to connect with other directors outside of the boardroom has been really important. We had an open general position and the company management reached out and wanted my advice and assistance with that search. So that kind of engagement and partnership was also wonderful in terms of establishing rapport and relationships.”
It is about taking the first step to understanding and being part of the company that matters. What you are familiar with may one day help the company in ways you can’t imagine. Absorbing and understanding materials may take some time but it is about persistence and effort that helps you get a sense of what you are doing for the company.
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About Sarah Dodds-Brown: Sarah is a legal strategist who uses her field of expertise to influence business. She strives to thoughtfully challenge status quo thinking and widen the pipeline of professional talent to include more diverse and underrepresented candidates. Currently, she works as the Executive Vice President & Managing Counsel for Global Enterprise Services & U.S. Market at American Express.
