In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re recognizing influential women at Zscaler who have made a significant impact within their careers, teams, and on the Zscaler family as a whole.
Ashley Albiani currently serves as Senior Commercial Counsel for the Legal team at Zscaler. She joined the company in November 2016, and in that time, she has not only grown in her own career, but also mentored and advised interns that have gone on to have successful careers of their own.
“I’ve watched legal interns go on to work other coveted internships, pass the bar exam, and/or accept impressive full-time positions as young attorneys,” she said. “It’s rewarding to think that their success is at least, in small part, due to the mentorship and positive experience they had while working with me and the rest of the Legal team at Zscaler. I am genuinely excited to see where each of their careers takes them next.”
Q: What advice do you have for women wanting to get into tech?
A: ‘Cross-train’ – Search for opportunities to learn a new skill. Offer to take on a project that doesn’t fit within anyone’s current role or look to where you can add value to other internal teams. This will not only make you a more valuable employee, but keep work from becoming dull and demonstrate that you’re motivated to excel, even outside of your comfort zone.
Q: What professional advice would you give your younger self?
A: Do some research before attending a conference, webinar, or other professional development event and come prepared with a few questions related to the topics. This will make it easier for you to follow along with the presentations and help you get the most value out of the event. Also, I’d tell my younger self to invest more in $ZS!
Q: Based on this year’s IWD theme, “Choose to Challenge,” how will you plan to celebrate women’s achievements and forge a path for future rockstar women in tech?
A: I plan to actively look for areas where there is gender inequality and encourage others not only to recognize those gaps, but discuss them.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone in history (or present-day), who would it be?
A: Ruth Bader Ginsburg - The amount that she accomplished for women’s rights, among so many other things, is incredible, and I’d love to hear every detail of her life story firsthand. She also had a great sense of humor and I’d like to think, along with most women in the legal world, that we’d be best friends.
Q: Is there anything you’d like to add about your career journey or women in tech?
A: I’d encourage everyone to check in on themselves professionally at least once a quarter. Ask: ‘Am I enjoying this work? What could make my work-life better? What progress have I made toward my goals?’ This isn’t anything original, but an important reminder that you need to carve out time to think about the bigger picture in order to grow and stay happy.
Outside of work, Ashley loves to snowboard, surf, hike, play board games, and go wine tasting. During quarantine, she re-watched Jurassic Park and read the book, while also picking up a couple of other rewarding hobbies.
“Since quarantine, I’ve been moonlighting as a Chair Yoga instructor for my grandparents,” she said. “I’ve also been practicing the piano again. I gave it up when I was younger, so my mom is now thrilled that those lessons did not go to waste!”
For more about how Zscaler is celebrating International Women's Day and Women's History Month, read this blog: Fostering Corporate Inclusivity: Honoring Zscaler Leaders on International Women’s Day.
Further reading:
Celebrating Women at Zscaler: Nicole Martinez on Influential Women and Giving Back
Celebrating Women at Zscaler: Wendi Lester and Marina Ayton
Celebrating Women at Zscaler: Melissa Balentine on Professional Growth and the Evolution of Zscaler
