Stacie Wang on leading a sales finance team
As a former investment professional, Stacie shares her path to Dropbox, where she’s passionate about empowering her team.
What did you do before Dropbox?
I was an investment banking analyst at Goldman Sachs before joining a private equity firm as an investment associate. I was addicted to my Blackberry.
What surprised you about Dropbox when you joined?
How brilliant and multi-talented everyone was! Also, how well the company took care of its people.
What team are you on and what do you do at Dropbox?
I’m on the strategic finance team. We crunch a lot of numbers to make sure that our business model scales profitably, and that we have financial room for growth. We also do a bunch of investor relations work which includes keeping our existing investors updated on — and excited about — our business.
What’s unique about working in finance at Dropbox?
First and foremost is the team. I’m so lucky to work with a talented and fun group, with a super cool team lead. The other unique aspect is the immense exposure we get to all parts of the company and the ability to work alongside various teams on interesting projects.
What’s it been like to be a part of growing the strategic finance team at Dropbox?
I love it because I find myself so invested in something that’s much larger than just my own job, and my individual performance. It can be challenging making judgment calls on which of the dozen things being thrown at my team we should focus on. But it’s all worth it as we see the bar rise, and keep doing the best work of our lives.
What do you try to keep in mind while managing people on your team?
Provide direction but don’t micromanage. High performers are more motivated when they have ownership. I’m not perfect at this yet, but I try to remind myself.
What have been some of your favorite moments at Dropbox so far?
There are a quite a few. One that comes to mind is one late night when I was working on slides for our Board of Directors meeting with a co-worker, and he shared a Youtube video of goats that sounded like humans. I laughed until I cried. That seems to happen a lot here.
What have you done that few people have done?
After high school, I interned at MTV in Singapore, which is where I’m from. I got to meet Ashlee Simpson and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in between working the teleprompter.
What are you looking forward to next, for yourself and for Dropbox?
For Dropbox: It’s extremely special to be part of the ambitious, quirky, iconoclastic team that is Dropbox. It still feels like a startup — yet it’s grown into this global organization that’s playing in the big leagues. I look forward to seeing Dropbox continue on that path to becoming more than any of us had dared imagine back in the day.
For myself: I look forward to reading the Tuck Shop dinner menu in about ten minutes.
Dropbox is growing. We’d love for you to join us.
