Aparna Bawa is Chief Operating Officer at Zoom, and prior to that was Chief Legal Officer at Zoom. Aparna brings to Zoom an expertise in building infrastructure for rapidly growing technology companies as they scale. Previously she was SVP, General Counsel for Magento Commerce and helped sell the company to Adobe in 2018. Prior to Magento, Aparna was the VP, General Counsel for Nimble Storage; she was instrumental in the company’s initial public offering in 2013. Later, she was a key contributor in Nimble’s sale to Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2017. Aparna was also a lawyer at Wilson Sonsini, and an investment banker at Lehman Brothers and Deutsche Bank, where she executed multiple IPO and M&A transactions for clients.
What has the coronavirus pandemic meant for Zoom as the company is trying to help people connect? What are the leadership lessons you can share from this time?
We have a lot to be grateful for at Zoom. When the pandemic hit, we lifted restrictions for K-12 schools in approximately 25 countries to provide continuity of education for kids and young adults. It took off from there. Virtual events started to happen: happy hours, parties, funerals, weddings and all sorts of events. Zoom was a workplace collaboration platform up until Dec 2019. Yes, we had a free service, but it wasn’t intended to be a consumer platform.
We now feel a tremendous obligation to help connect people when they need it the most, to provide that human connection in times of fear and isolation. It is a huge responsibility and a cost to us to host infrastructure for all our non-paying customers, but it’s the right thing to do. We need to ensure connectivity in times of physical isolation and continuity of education for kids. We at Zoom feel grateful because the pandemic resulted in the proliferation of our user base. We took care of our employees by distributing our workforce, checking in with them on a regular basis and strategizing on self-care policies coincident with our work-from-home policy.
We heard some criticism from the public on our security and privacy practices, but to lead through this when the company is going through a strong growth phase and supporting a plethora of new users is difficult. One of our values is always to “care” and “be transparent.” It is very important for us to get customer feedback and respond to it on a timely basis. And it’s not any different from what we were doing before. So, pandemic or no pandemic, I think it is imperative for a company to know what your values are and what you stand for, and to stick to that even in times of stress.
As General Counsel at Magento Commerce, you helped sell the company to Adobe in 2018. Prior to Magento, at Nimble Storage you were a key contributor in Nimble’s sale to Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2017. How did you scale the organization to the point of being able to sell the company?
I wasn’t thinking about selling when I was in the process of scaling either company. Scaling an organization requires you to believe that a company’s product or services can address critical needs. You are making a bet that if you invest in a smart way, your investments will pay off, either because the market is expanding and the company is growing really fast, or you have the ability to take share from other players.
At some point it may be clear that you can do more with a company that has already achieved economies of scale. Then you have the ability to reach further into the market with a bigger company that has reached a level of sophistication and has infrastructure to support it, versus building your own infrastructure. When you get to that point, the buyer will also see a lot of synergies because they already have the infrastructure, you have the growth profile, and they want to be able to leverage their infrastructure so they can achieve even more synergies with the product and/or service. It’s a win-win and a more efficient use of resources altogether. So there was a time when we realized that scaling the company further would require more infrastructure and it would be beneficial for everyone to expand the product/service. This is the rationale supporting when and how we wanted to sell the company.
From the perspective of an in-house General Counsel, what are some of the important aspects to consider when raising capital? And what are some of the misconceptions companies have when raising the capital?
A capital raise is really for companies who believe that they can put money to work and achieve more with it than what they paid to get that money. When you raise money with equity, you are giving a bit of ownership away at a certain valuation, but you as a company are making the bet. You put that cash to work to grow more and expand the pie for everyone, and the dilution of your value is absorbed through your enhanced performance. A lot of folks forget that. They think that an IPO can help your brand, or that it’s a status symbol for the CEO or entrepreneurs. Fundamentally, it serves a fund-raising purpose and can deliver incremental value for all shareholders, old and new.
How would you describe your leadership style? Has it evolved over time? How do you lead in the times of adversity?
I am very straightforward and am able to flex or adjust to different people or different situations. I’m also very direct with my team and loyal. I try to give people as much constructive feedback as possible to help them be most effective at their jobs. My leadership style is to be tough but loving. My team likes to have a lot of fun together; we really care for each other. I try to get to know them as individuals and not just teammates.
From government interventions to breaches in security, in-house counsels are tasked with not only keeping the company safe and compliant, but with protecting the C-suite from personal liability. With that in mind, what are the most challenging aspects of being in-house counsel?
The most challenging thing is making decisions with imperfect information. You’ll sometimes need to make decisions where there is a huge element of risk. What I do is try to remember what I am trying to accomplish and make the decision that I feel is going to be good for the company and its stakeholders. You just get better at it over time.
In the United States, women make up 31% of the general counsel population, according to data from 34,000 GCs on LinkedIn. What is your perspective on diversity in the field?
Before the pandemic, I had to travel a lot while taking care of our family. Kudos to all the mothers who work full-time, travel and look after their kids. My colleagues will usually say to me that lawyers are hired because, “we want their brain-power.” I think it’s a role well suited for women’s analytical intellect. Women are meticulous and able to make trade-offs on a day to day basis: Should I make dinner, or should I order out? Should I let my kid watch TV or not? So I’m not surprised when women have to make analytical trade-offs in the workplace based on imperfect information. I do that all day long as a mom; it’s what we are good at and that’s why we are so naturally suited to multitasking. Actually, if you take the combination of those factors, it seems to make sense that you would have a lot of very thoughtful female General Counsels out there who can serve as advisors to management teams.
Women have fear of the “ask”. In your opinion, what is the biggest deterrent to women succeeding in the workplace?
I think some of that is true, but some of that is learned behavior. I believe that when you grow up, you shouldn’t be told that you’re bossy. Don’t tell girls they are bossy, and don’t put them into buckets so quickly; this starts early in our childhood. It’s interesting you asked me, because I actually have quite a direct style. I’m pretty assertive and I’ve been like that since I was two years old. As I was going through the ranks in my career it was tough because people are not used to dealing with assertiveness from a woman. My voice is feminine but what I say may not be and there’s a disconnect.
People at times have said about me, “She is so tough,” but it’s just a matter of understanding. Is it my issue that someone expected flowers and roses and they got stainless steel? It takes a while to get that confidence. It’s about the right environment and having the courage to speak up or stand up for what you believe in. I was told by one of my mentors that if you’re in a meeting, always say something. This may sound contrary to conventional wisdom which may recommend you say something only when you have something good to say. But if you don’t say anything, you are just like furniture in that meeting room.
Did you ever find yourself hitting a wall? Were you ever in a bind? How did you deal with it?
Many, many times! In fact, I think it was mostly around balancing family and kids. I tend to be okay with not being the perfect parent or perfect employee. There is no work-life balance. At one point in time work will be more important and at another time, family. The beauty is in finding those ebbs and flows, coming to terms with it and not feeling so bad about it. If you expect perfection in every facet of your life, it’s going to be disappointing. Nobody is perfect but you can make a conscious effort about what you’re going to focus on and for how long, what imperfection you’re willing to accept, or what perfection you’re going to demand of yourself. It’s all about setting expectations right.
In your experience has your South Asian heritage been an issue at all? An asset? If so how? Were there any challenges or opportunities that you experienced because of your ethnic/cultural background?
I think there are some stereotypes in the form of assumptions that people make about South Asian women, and assumptions we make about ourselves. It’s exhausting to navigate through these assumptions. While growing up, I actually never thought I couldn’t do anything I wanted to do. I appreciate the efforts of my parents to create a genderless sort of upbringing.
I never realized there was anything I couldn’t do until I was about 25 and started working as a professional. I then realized, “Okay, things are different. People react differently because I’m a girl.” That is going to be the reality and you get to decide how you react to it. My straightforward and on-the-go attitude is because of my upbringing. I was never told to be afraid of anything. I was never told I could not achieve anything in this world.
If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your 15-year-old self?
Don’t try to plan everything perfectly because it will never turn out as you expect. Just go with the flow and things evolve on the way. Never lose your patience. That is the hardest thing to do but it does reward you at the end. Also, it is helpful to be situationally aware. I would probably also tell my younger self to chill out a bit – I used to get so anxious about things!
What advice do you have for those aspiring to the role of General Counsel?
In any situation, try to push yourself into uncomfortable places. Trust me, that is what this profession is all about. Your value as a General Counsel is your ability to think outside the box, consider someone else’s point of view and find a solution that meets the needs of other people, even when you think the answer is no. So, for me, it’s really about pushing boundaries. I don’t come at things with a closed mindset because doing that will really hurt my clients.
Lawyers sometimes struggle to juggle what is right and what is wrong, but there is no right or wrong because most stuff is in the gray. The black and white stuff is easy. So really push yourself to think outside the box and take other people’s perspectives into consideration, and that will help you figure out the best thing to do.
What is one thing you are passionate about apart from work? What is your biggest stress reliever?
I love dark chocolate; it is my guilty pleasure. I will eat dark chocolate every day even if it is just one or two pieces. I also love fashion. People don’t realize this until they spend some time with me but I’m obsessed with fashion. Lastly, I love to make people laugh. I try to crack jokes every chance I get, even in very serious meetings.
Author Bio Sonal Chandna has worked in Strategy and Operations at Pitney Bowes Inc in India for five years. Aspiring to be a digital marketing professional, she is looking forward to advancing her career with an MBA degree at CSU East Bay. Sonal is also a PADI certified scuba diver, a resilient traveler and an avid animal lover.
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