Jean Zappia

Retired Ashland Executive & Women in Chemicals Advisory Board Member

This week's WOTW is our very own advisory board member Jean Zappia. Jean joined our community with 38 years in the industry. Her background spans a plethora of roles discussed throughout this interview, ultimately landing her her final role as Global Vice President of Performance Additives for Ashland. Jean retired from Ashland in 2020, and now spends her time staying very active in the industry either volunteering as she does for our community, consulting, mentoring and advising, and so much more. 

When asked about pivotal career and learning moments for Jean, she shared with us a story about a time in which she didn't get the product management position she really thought she would be offered. She didn't get the job because she didn't vocalize her interests and put her name in the hat! She talked to us about a lot of her "yes" moments in which she stood up to expand her roles, but also the important times in which she said no, like when she was pregnant.

Jean talked to us about her awareness of her key strengths and how she leveraged those throughout her career and still does today. When asked about her key skills in leadership, she told us about falling in to the "expert trap"; where you are assigned to lead a team that knows more than you do. She talks about the importance of listening to her team in times like this, learning from them, and gaining their trust in order to build her credibility.

Amongst many other topics covered in this interview, Jean closed out by emphasizing to us the importance of our network in this industry, and how we can lean on each other when times get tough. 

This episode was sponsored by