Women of Spiro: Amber Braband on Leading with Inclusivity, Fairness and Trust

What lessons can we take from savvy women leaders making strides in the events & experiences industry? Spiro’s global chief integration officer dishes insights—including how AI innovation & remote work are changing HR’s status quo.

Supporting women leaders is important to Spiro and the events & experiences industry. Only 28% of women in U.S. leadership roles hold a C-suite position, making it even more important to elevate their voices & glean insights from their experiences & expertise.  

Kicking off Spiro’s Women of Spiro series, which celebrates Spiro’s women leaders, is global chief integration officer Amber Braband. With nearly two decades of global leadership experience, Amber is committed to creating & maintaining an inclusive, diverse environment & workforce. Working on a grand scale, she works to enhance positive employee productivity, attitudes & behavioural change industrywide.

Check out what the team learned as Spiro sat down with her for a recent Q&A: 

Q> What is the most difficult part of being a woman in a leadership role?

Amber> I lead with inclusivity, fairness & trust. It can be challenging at times when team members with dominant traits are celebrated for their personality rather than results. I am pleased to see how the workforce is commanding a new type of leader. A leader that is successful in today’s workplace must be agile, self-aware & a lifelong learner.  

Q> How does having employees work remotely impact the culture of a company?

Amber> Research shows that millennials (born 1981 – 1996) are the generation that most prefer to work from home. I would layer that statement with additional considerations such as stage of life, level of mastery in your profession & personality type. 

I believe that the impact depends on the preference of the majority as well as taking into consideration the evolution of remote work in your company. For example, if your company had a physical office & then moved to remote work with heavily tenured employees, you may find the impact stronger given the significant change your workforce has undergone. 

If you look beyond personal preferences, remote work is balanced with both pros & cons. The largest impacts are building meaningful relationships & the sense of feeling connected. When teams are out of sight, they are out of mind. It is easy to get narrowly focused in your own world when you don’t have reminders “living” around you. Also, we have lost opportunities to connect personally because we jump from meeting to meeting. I believe that if we can make meaningful connections through the art of conversation, we would be able to build back that sense of connection. 

Q> What is your superpower?

Amber> If I had to identify a superpower that has served me well, it would be having a high emotional intelligence. Being attuned to others & responding appropriately allows me to diffuse situations & be more proactive. It also gives me the ability to be more introspective & grow at a faster rate from self-identified mistakes. I use self-regulation techniques to combat stress, increase adaptability & have fewer automatic responses. 

Q> What would you say to your younger self?

Amber> My value comes from living my core values & being true to myself. It is easy when you start your career to determine your value based on accomplishments. I would have loved to have taken more time to reflect & even celebrate what I learned from failing. 

Q> What is your personal brand & how has it evolved?

Amber> I attribute my brand to my guiding principles. As I surpass milestones in my life, one or two of my top core values may need a rotation, but honesty & transparency never waver. I have become more in tune with this & can make decisions faster because of these guiding principles. 

Q> What advice do you have for other female professionals? 

Amber> When you are faced with microaggressions, it is healthy to remember that you have limited control over people, but a tremendous amount of control on how you respond. 

Finding the balance on when & how to address this can be an art form in the workplace. It is always helpful to reflect on the best approach rather than being reactive in the moment.   

Q> What is a humbling experience you’ve had that you still apply to your life today?

Amber> When I was mid-career, I took on a promotion to lead operations for the U.S. The individual that was in this role prior was an industry veteran & had two decades with the organisation. I was taking on their role as well as additional responsibility. I had never been in a role similar in terms of scope coupled with the fact that we were not profitable. 

After a reasonable recovery period, we were able to make huge strides on how we operated by putting in standards, training, expectations, etc. This allowed us to focus on growth & become a healthy & sustainable business. We were getting top scores on our net promoter score (internally & externally) and were able to scale the business due to the high demand. 

It was inspiring to see the power of a connected team. A team that had a foundation of trust, shares knowledge & has each other’s backs. I was able to witness the strength of small adjustments that resulted in everyday habits within the company. Our culture was transformed & because of that, we were able to support our employees better and in turn our customers better.  

Q> What are you most proud of in your life?

Amber> From a personal standpoint, my primary role is to ensure that my children are kind & well-rounded humans. I have been able to give my children learning experiences that encourage them to expand their mind, so they are able to see different perspectives. This ranges from psychologically to physically. Whether it is a person, place or belief, I enjoy seeing them challenge “what is.”  

Q> How will AI change the status quo for the Human Resources industry?  

Amber> When speaking about generative AI, it can & will be powerful for multiple industries. The speed of adoption has been incredible, and it is utilised the most effectively when in partnership. ChatGPT, for example, is infused with limited logic, so it doesn’t replace critical thinking skills. 

From a human resources perspective, practitioners are already utilising prompts for performance reviews & writing job descriptions. Another use is in the talent acquisition space where you use AI to customise the outreach to candidates when sourcing for a role. Currently, from an onboarding perspective, using chatbots for baseline information for new hires such as where to find resources & who do I contact. 

Q> What’s your favourite podcast or publication that you follow?

Amber> My learning style leads me to watch Ted Talks more than Podcasts. One of my favourites is Frances Frei, "How to Build Trust". I also enjoy the Ted Talk, "What Great Teams Have in Common" by David Burkus.  

Although, as of late, podcasts have been a great travel companion. One of my recent favourites would be "The Diary of a CEO". I enjoy the interesting range of topics & the experts communicate in a straightforward way that resonates with me. 

Amber & other Women of Spiro don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. Making up 41% of our agency’s leadership roles, these pros are a diverse & exceptional group that take our client & Spiro•naut communities to new heights. Learn more about Spiro’s leadership here.