Meet the Women Behind Faces of Change: Nurit Shiber, CPO, Sisense

Last year, Insight Partners launched the Faces of Change Executive Leadership Academy with a cohort of six inspiring women from our portfolio of ScaleUp software companies. The program provides these executives with resources, connections and coaching to support their development and the advancement of female and minority employees.

To celebrate Women's History Month, we interviewed each of the women who were selected to be a part of the program. In the interview below, learn more about one of the members, Nurit Shiber, Chief People Officer, Sisense.

What does it mean to you to be a part of the Faces of Change Leadership program? 

Being a part of this program is an honor, but it’s also an obligation. As a leader, I realize the importance of being a role model for other females and understanding that it’s possible to scale organizations and culture. This program will help me improve myself, which will help me pay it forward. 

How did you get to where you are? What was your career path? 

I began my career as an organizational psychologist in the Israeli Navy, but I wanted to get into technology and be in a position to influence others to create healthy business environments. To achieve my goal of becoming a VP or CPO, I mapped out my career path and was very intentional about how I moved forward. I started in a people partner role in one unit, progressed to another unit, was promoted, and then changed to another organization because I thought it was important to learn what it looks like in another corporate environment. Then four years ago, I jumped into the startup environment as the CPO and have been growing with Sisense ever since. 

What’s been the most unexpected part of your career?  

I would say there two unexpected parts of my career. Early on, I came into an organization as a HR consultant and only after six months, one of our VPs decided to promote me. She was willing to give me a chance even though I didn't have tenure, which was highly unexpected. This taught me to pay it forward with people that show high potential. The second unexpected part of my career was before I began at Sisense, I relocated countries, got a new job, and had my third child. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to balance my professional and personal life. From that experience, I learned how to not give into guilt and that it is important to be reminded that you're setting an example as a role model for your children. There's no silver bullet, so the key is to do your best and be okay with that.

Have you had a mentor? Share a story of how they impacted your growth. 

An important mentor of mine was the woman who prompted me when I was at Amdocs. One thing that she said that resonated with me was to not “walk on your knees” – meaning that you shouldn’t diminish your strengths or minimize yourself. Part of our obligation to ourselves in life is to live up to our full potential and hold yourself accountable. I’ve been trying to do that for myself and for others. 

What’s your superpower that’s made you successful in a ScaleUp?  

One is being open to learning, whether it’s from my mistakes, colleagues, or my peers in the leadership team. I believe that’s a critical skill in a ScaleUp because so many things can go wrong. My second strength is having the courage to stand up for the things that are important to our culture and having the backbone to clearly articulate to our leadership team that certain things are critical to the success of the business.