Becoming a Female Leader in Post-Sales: A Fireside Conversation
This spring, Women of Customer Success is heading to San Francisco for a candid fireside conversation about what it actually takes to lead in post-sales - and what no one tells you on the way up.
We're sitting down with women who've built leadership careers across some of the most influential companies in tech. We’ll talk about the realities of growing in post-sales, the decisions that shaped their paths, and the lessons they wish they had known earlier.
This isn't a highlight reel. It's grounded perspective from women who've done the work.
Whether you’re two years into your CS career or twenty, you’ll leave with perspective, practical insight, and inspiration you can carry forward.
Agenda
4:30–5:00 PM: Arrival, networking, and drinks
5:00–5:45 PM: Panel Discussion - Becoming a Female Leader in Post-Sales
5:45–6:00 PM: Q&A
6:00–6:30 PM: Guided Workshop Activity
The Conversation
Becoming a Female Leader in Post-Sales
We're bringing together Amara Okoli (Senior Director, Global CS, Horizon3.ai),Shannon Crane Holsberry (VP of Customer Success, 6sense) and Brooke Badger McAlinden (Director of CS and Ops at Linqia). These leaders are shaping the future of customer success and exploring what leadership really looks like in post-sales roles - beyond the org chart.
We'll cover:
The career inflection points that changed everything — and how to recognize yours
Which skills actually matter most in today's customer-centric organizations
How to build influence when you don't have the biggest team or the loudest voice
Navigating the tension between execution and strategy as you move up
Practical moves that help women rise in post-sales — not someday, but now
Leadership Lenses — Networking Activity
Every person sees their career through a different lens - the moments that shaped them, the skills they can't explain but can't lead without, the pivots they didn't see coming.
After the panel, you'll take part in a short, guided networking activity designed to help you find your lens - and meet someone who's looking through a different one.
You'll have two short, prompted conversations with women you haven't met yet. The questions are loosely connected to what you just heard on stage, but this isn't a debrief - it's an invitation to go somewhere more personal. Think of it as the conversation that happens after the good part of a conference talk, when you turn to the person next to you and say "wait, did that land for you too?"
Who This Is For
Women in Customer Success, Account Management, Support, or Post-Sales Operations
Current and aspiring leaders who want to hear how other women have navigated the path
Anyone who wants a CS event that's honest, practical, and genuinely worth showing up for