Michelle Boven

Commercial Director

Dow

Please meet this week’s WOTW, Michelle Boven. Michelle was first introduced to Dow during a Co-op opportunity during high school. She then continued her co-op throughout college, and was hired by Dow after graduation. She went to Michigan Tech for a degree in mechanical engineering and pursued her MBA through Northwood University. Michelle has been employed by Dow for 23 years, during which time she has served in a variety of positions, including technical sales and development, research and development, the development of new businesses, marketing and sales roles, product management, and business management. She is currently the commercial director for Dow's Industrial Solutions Business. She discusses how having a large network helped her land her current position and how Dow has a robust hiring process that values equity, inclusion, and diversity.

Michelle discussed with us her favorite and least favorite roles at Dow and the reasons behind them. Michelle shared with us the importance of setting boundaries. She also talked to us about the challenges she has faced while entering into her current leadership position. Michelle did not predict to have the breadth of connections that have emerged throughout her journey as a leader, and she believes it's critical that the people you work with are also your friends. She discussed how she never saw the chemistry industry's male dominance as a barrier, but rather as an opportunity. Michelle describes how she struggled with a severe case of dyslexia as a child but came to terms with the fact that it was a gift that allowed her to think in a different way and that her differences are something to embrace and learn from. In closing the interview Michelle offered the following advice: "Dream big. If you don't dream, how can dreams ever come true?" Be bold, be brave, and be courageous is one of her favorite quotes. She elaborated on the difficulty of doing so and the significance of pausing to reflect on what your core values are. She also emphasized how vital it is to find a mentor you can trust and not just look for one for the sake of looking. Find someone you can be completely honest with, and be prepared to receive constructive feedback. Michelle has two book recommendations for us , What Got You Here Won't Get You There and Good To Great.

This episode was sponsored by: