Setting the stage for success

When she first joined Gates, Jamey’s first business challenge was to lead the company through its first Initial Public Offering. Her deadline? Five months. Jamey jumped right in and not only helped the company raise $799.2 million and create a market capitalization of $5 billion, but she also built a global legal team to guide the company forward after the IPO. This feat would not have been possible if it weren’t for Jamey’s leadership style. She is adamant that rewards lie in showing up and doing your very best work every day and listening to the needs of your team. She says, “My leadership style and the key to my success has always been a combination of my deeds matching my words, active listening, and perhaps most important, allowing others the opportunity to reach their goals, rise above their fears and overcome their challenges. I am continually encouraged by the dedication and hard work of my team, and when one person excels, we all are successful.”

Jamey draws inspiration from the innovators and inventors of the past, as well as modern-day changemakers such as Airbnb founders Brian Chesky, Joe Gebbia, and Nathan Blecharczyk, and Uber’s Travis Kalanick and Garret Camp. She shares, “Today’s entrepreneurs possess an inspiring level of creativity, tenacity and the courage to see things differently. Throughout our history, the ones who innovate and invent have moved this country and the global economy forward by reimagining the possibilities. It is exciting to think about what new challenges we overcome, what new technologies will be developed, and how our world will change as the innovators and inventors change the business and economic landscape of the future.”

However, it’s not only the innovators and inventors that Jamey looks up to for inspiration. Asked if there were one person with whom she would love to sit down with, Jamey names Ruth Bader Ginsberg as her top choice. She says, “Her passion, intelligence and relentless pursuit for breaking down barriers are evident in her activism and support for both women and men. I admire her tenacity and selflessness in upholding the law and doing what she believes is right for those who cannot stand up for themselves.”