Wendy Howell has held executive positions in the technology sector for a significant amount of time. Her employment history includes time spent in strategy, M&A, and chief of staff positions at VERITAS, Symantec, and Cisco. Wendy is highly passionate about making connections and fostering communities for the greater good, as anyone who knows her will attest. She is a proponent of fostering social impact and lifelong learning.
Below are highlights of the interview:
Tell us more about ECN.
We are an invite-only executive membership community comprised of leaders, executives, and innovators. We have a simple mission. That is to create value for our members. This is why we exist. ECN has three primary value pillars to offer, including events & networking, executive elevation opportunities through our partner ecosystem; and exclusive investing options through our fund and syndicate. Everything we build is for the benefit of our members.
Who is your target audience? How do you create services that align with what they’re looking for?
We seek like-minded thinkers that believe in building community, life-long learning, social impact, and the power of partnerships. We invite executives, thought leaders, innovators, and experienced start-up founders to join our community.
What are the major changes that have happened in client behavior and market operation since the pandemic?
We were born during the pandemic. Honestly, we are one of the “right place, right time” organizations that are seeing an increase in demand for our membership. People are certainly seeking more connection and community, and that is exactly what we provide, along with other benefits.
What gets you up in the morning?
I am an extremely passionate person about many things. However, there are four that stand out above all others in my world: First and foremost, my family. I have a wonderful husband of 20 years and an equally amazing daughter who is about to head off to university in Europe in 29 days to be exact, but who’s counting? (mid-life crisis coming soon). I live to create connections “for good” and have been called a people alchemist according to my Strengths Finder. Building communities is something I do every single day, and this is not just applicable to my work at ECN. I build communities of friends, of mentees, of social impact champions, and of fellow supporters in the non-profit space. Last but certainly not least, I am exceedingly focused on raising the next generation of female leaders and supporting underserved communities through the numerous non-profits that I am involved with. It truly is all about giving back in any way possible.
What are your responsibilities as the CEO of the company?
What aren’t my responsibilities? might be a better question. As the CEO of a young start-up and in partnership with my amazing co-founder and team, together we are responsible for every aspect of Executive Council Network. I would be remiss if I did not specifically shout out to my co-founder Henry Love and the team including my own personal “magical unicorn”, Brooke Meyers and the amazing Bennett Stirton. (I think it and they make it happen). This includes creating the strategic vision, guiding the build out of the member benefit portfolio, and, most importantly, building the culture and community of like-minded people.
It was a pivotal decision for me to make such a change. An interesting transition, to say the least, moving from executive roles at large tech companies to a first-time co-founder at ECN. I would not trade it for the world. I am incredibly proud of the global ECN community that now exists. We are lifelong learners, and we are believers. We believe in social impact, the power of partnerships, and the strength of community.
Kindly describe how you will specifically know what success looks like for you.
If I look a few years out, I see a thriving global community of ECN members that are supporting each other, participating in events, giving back to the global and local community, and making investments in social impact causes.
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
Say yes and figure out how. By that, I mean, never pass up an opportunity, even if you know nothing about it. That is, quite literally, how I fell backwards into M&A. A senior leader asked, and I “said yes and figured out how”! I look at everything as an opportunity to learn, expand, and grow. I borrowed this quote from someone as it resonates so intensely with me: “as you rise, lift”! Give back to those that are early in their journey. What could possibly be more important than raising and moulding our future leaders?
What are your future plans to sustain your and the company’s success?
We are looking to grow our membership by four x over the next two years. We have extremely intentional goals for international growth and expanding our female demographic. We are constantly creating additional member benefits, enhancing our partner ecosystem, and expanding our content programming. Live events are on the horizon as well. Everything we do and everything we create is to support our singular mission of creating value for our members.
Website: www.executivecouncilnetwork.com
