Fireside Chat with Personal Brand Expert Sarah McNally » MnTech

Demystifying the importance of “personal brand” for the technology community

MnTech’s Director of Member and Community Engagement Jade Denson recently sat down with Sarah McNally, personal brand expert and CEO of The People Brand Company, Michelle Hines Director of Technology with Thomson Reuters Corporation, and Tam Gregersen the Director of Enterprise Security & Operations with EQ Holdings to discuss one important question: Why is personal brand so important for technology leaders?

During this virtual fireside chat, the panel engages in a rich discussion and nuances perceptions around brand in a way that challenges the “superficial” or “frivolous” connotations people often associate with caring about one’s personal brand.

Sarah breaks down the most important things to understand about our personal brands and the group shares their insights and perspective into the following questions:

· What do you know now about your brand that you didn’t realize before?

· Why does Brand matter as a technology leader?

· What are you doing with your teams to create a stronger brand for yourself?

· What is the role of technology in the brand experience?

· What has been the most helpful tool in personal brand building for you?

· How long have you been conscious of, and thinking about your brand? Where and how did you start thinking about your brand?

Jayshree Seth
Corporate Scientist, 3M

Jayshree Seth is a Corporate Scientist at 3M and currently holds 77 patents for a variety of innovations, with several additional pending. She joined 3M in 1993 after an MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University, New York. She is a Distinguished Alumni Award recipient from her alma mater REC Trichy India, now NIIT Trichy, where she earned a B. Tech. in Chemical Engineering.

Jayshree was appointed 3M’s first ever Chief Science Advocate in 2018 and is using her scientific knowledge, technical expertise and professional experience to advance science and communicate the benefits of science and the importance of diversity in STEM fields. She is also a member of Carlton Society which is the 3M Science and Engineering “Hall of Fame.” Jayshree is the fourth woman and first female engineer to be inducted. In 2020, she was awarded Society of Women Engineers (SWE) highest Achievement Award. She is also the first-ever winner of a Gold Stevie® Award in the new Female Thought Leaders of the Year – category in the 18th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business in 2021. Jayshree was featured in a docuseries titled Not the Science Type that premiered during the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival and accepted for Brand Storytelling Showcase, a sanctioned event at Sundance Film Festival. She is the author of the books, The Heart of Science – Engineering Footprints, Fingerprints, & Imprints, and The Heart of Science – Engineering Fine Print published by the Society of Women Engineers, and all sales proceeds go to a scholarship for underrepresented minority women in STEM. She is a sought-after speaker, globally, on a multitude of topics such as innovation, leadership and STEM advocacy and has featured in local, national and international media.

Jayshree has served on the CEOs Inclusion Council, chaired the 3M Asian Employee Resource Group A3CTION and serves on the Steering Committee for 3M Technical Women’s Leadership Forum (WLF). She also serves on the Board of the Science Museum of Minnesota, Engineering Advisory Council for Clarkson University, AAAS Committee on Science, Engineering and Public Policy (COSEPP), Advisory Board for Innovation – The Conference Board, and Advisory Group of Aspen Institute Our Future is Science program.

Jayshree has two adult kids, and her husband also works at 3M.