We are continuing our celebration of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) in May, when we celebrate the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched our history and are instrumental to our future success.
At Quantcast, we’re taking the time to shine the spotlight on our team members with Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. This week, I spoke with Christine King, Chief of Staff and Sales Operations, to discuss her role at Quantcast, who inspires her, and her advice for others in tech.
1. First, tell the world about your role at Quantcast.
I’m the Chief of Staff to the CEO at Quantcast. I work with our CEO Konrad and the rest of the executive leadership team to drive operating mechanisms, strategic initiatives, institutional planning, and issue resolution within the organization. I also lead our global Sales Operations team, which supports our global commercial colleagues.
2. As we celebrate APAHM, can you tell us why it’s important to you?
As an immigrant to the United States from Taiwan, my upbringing is firmly rooted across both Western and Eastern cultures. I’m proud of being an American, but my Taiwanese background makes me who I am. This month gives me the opportunity and space to remember my heritage and share it with my non-Asian family members, friends, and colleagues.
To commemorate the month at Quantcast, I love how we’ve celebrated not only the East Asian heritages that are more populous in the U.S., but also the full Asian diaspora. It has been an amazing learning experience for me and has given me the opportunity to learn about more of my colleagues’ backgrounds.
3. What leaders in history have inspired you?
It is actually a more recent historical event that left me inspired. Kamala Harris’ groundbreaking and glass-ceiling-shattering election to Vice President of the United States of America has been one of the most inspiring and consequential events in my lifetime thus far. We still have a lot of work to do as a nation, but her win gives me hope that we are moving, albeit slowly, towards a world of broader acceptance and equality for minorities and women.
4. What advice would you give to other Asian American and Pacific Islanders in tech?
Be yourself! I’m a firm believer that to relate to and influence others, you must be true to yourself and your beliefs. If you act with integrity, you will win the trust of others, and more importantly, not let yourself down. Another principle I subscribe to is to live without fear–take on new responsibilities; speak up; do bigger and scarier things. It’s not always easy to do, but you don’t want to miss out on opportunities and experiences.
5. And lastly, as we’ve all had the shared experience of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, can you share with us one of your bright spots over the past year?
I’m lucky to have two bright spots. Over the last year, I finally had the time to plant a vegetable garden, which I’ve always wanted to do. My husband and I harvested zucchinis, cucumbers, tomatoes, and more last summer. We are eating fresh and very local!
The pandemic has also forced us to be creative with our activities. We began doing urban “hikes” around the East Bay area of San Francisco every weekend. We explore public stairs, back alleys, and really cool neighborhoods. I love seeing all the local architecture, and it gives us a great excuse to be active with our pup.
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We’ve loved sharing some of our inspiring team members with you during Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in May. If you missed them, be sure to read about Diana Sull, Lead Product Marketing Manager and Rodney Champaco, Senior Manager, Technical Client Services.
Make sure you follow us here and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook as we continue to celebrate our team.
Finally, we’re hiring!