The Executive Shift: What They Don’t Tell You When You Get the Title
Stepping into an executive role is a milestone that many aspire to — but the reality often comes with surprises no one warns you about. The shift from operator to orchestrator, from managing tasks to leading leaders, demands a whole new mindset, skillset, and way of navigating corporate dynamics.
In this session, you’ll hear candid lessons and strategies from executives who have lived through this transition and thrived:
Wei Manfredi – Vice President of Global Architecture & Data/AI Engineering at McDonald’s Corporation
Lily Zhang – VP & Head of Engineering at Caper AI (an Instacart company)
Moderated by Zoil Li (Executive, Silicon Valley Leadership Community; Data & Analytics Leader), this conversation will uncover the realities of the executive journey — the challenges, the pitfalls, and the playbooks that don’t show up in leadership manuals.
Whether you’re preparing to step into an executive role or already navigating one, this session will equip you with insights to accelerate your growth, avoid common traps, and thrive in your first executive years.
Agenda
Event Title: The Executive Shift: What They Don’t Tell You When You Get the Title
Welcome & Opening (5 mins)
Introduce speakers, frame the theme, and highlight why the executive shift is challenging.Panel Discussion (60 mins)
Topics to cover:From operator to orchestrator: transitioning from managing tasks to leading leaders
Key mindset shifts and skill development for first-time executives
Common pitfalls and lessons learned in the first executive year
Navigating ambiguity, cross-functional influence, and corporate politics
Personal anecdotes and hard-earned tips from Wei Manfredi and Lily Zhang
Audience Q&A (20 mins)
Participants can ask live questions; moderator facilitates discussion with panelists.Closing Remarks (5 mins)
Panelists summarize top takeaways and actionable advice for aspiring and new executives.
Total Duration: ~90 minutes
Guests:
Wei Manfredi
Vice President of Global Architecture & Data/AI Engineering at McDonald's Corporation
"Wei Manfredi is Vice President of Global Architecture & Data/AI Engineering at McDonald's Corporation, where he leads enterprise-wide digital and AI transformation and architecture across 110+ countries and 42,000 restaurants.
As a thought leader in enterprise Data & AI transformation, Wei has been driving enterprise-wide adoption of large-scale data modernization and AI transformation for iconic brands including McDonald’s, Lululemon, VISA, Nordstrom and others. Her strategic leadership encompasses Enterprise data & analytics transformation, multi-cloud architecture, AI-driven business modernization, and large-scale digital platform development.
Prior to McDonald's, Wei served as Chief Architect for Retail/CPG industry at Google Cloud, where she shaped vertical industry Data & AI strategies for top-tier enterprise clients."
Lily Zhang
VP & Head of Engineering at Caper AI
Lily Zhang is a business leader, investor and entrepreneur. She specializes in creating a second growth curve for big companies: either through acquisitions or through building zero to one products internally. She currently serves as VP & Head of Engineering at Caper AI, a subsidiary of Instacart. Caper is the leading smart shopping cart company bringing the best of eCommerce and contextual shopping experience to in-store. She is a YC founder, was founding members of Facebook Stories and Amazon WhisperPlay and co-founded a bullet proof vest company. She was the co-chair of SVLC for the term 2019 to 2023. In her spare time, she co-founded MatchA Angels, building the community of startup founders and seniors leaders from fortune 500 companies. She and her husband, two kids and two cats have lived in the bay area for the last 12 years.
Moderator:
Zoil Li
SVLC Executive
Data and Analytics Leader
Youtuber: "Silicon Valley Bang"
Zoil Li is an experienced analytics and operations leader with a proven track record of driving growth and operational excellence in fast-scaling companies. He is currently at Quince, a rapidly growing e-commerce startup, where he leads analytics efforts on the inventory and supply chain side to support the company’s ambitious expansions.
Previously, Zoil was part of the founding team at ZERO&, serving as Head of Data and Product Operations and helping grow the business from one store to dozens nationwide. At Wish, he held leadership roles as Head of Data Science and Head of Self Inventory, building new business lines from the ground up and driving billions in revenue. Earlier in his career, he held analytics and engineering roles at eBay, Autodesk, Facebook, and Intel.
Zoil holds an MBA from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and brings deep expertise in analytics, operations, and product strategy.