Glassdoor’s senior vice president of comms: ‘Never stop learning’

Samantha Zupan, senior vice president of corporate communications at Glassdoor, started her ascent as an industry leader as one of Glassdoor’s first 20 employees in 2008.

She says that some of her best advice for PR pros looking to join the ranks of top executives is to foster curiosity, learn the business backwards and forwards and to be constantly flexible.

Here are some of her takeaways from her journey to the top:

Key skills for leadership

The skills that prepared Zupan for her leadership role were an “insatiable curiosity,” and a willingness to adapt. By absorbing as much information from her environment as possible, she was ready to take on new responsibilities when the opportunity arose.

“To be an effective communications leader, you need to have a strong understanding of what’s at play so that you can do your job well on behalf of the company,” she says.

Being adaptable is a crucial skill in a high growth business, or when facing potential headwinds and trying to navigate a crisis. Only with a high level of consciousness can you be as effective as you need to be to provide support to your clients or brand, Zupan says.

“My success in leadership has come in part due to an awareness of the needs, wants and mindsets of all audiences connected to the company I represent,” she adds.