42: Moms in Executive Search

Parents At Work

Lori Mihalich-Levin and Jason Levin are happy to be back after a winter hiatus! In this episode of Parents at Work, they pick up on their tradition of interviewing moms and dads in various industries and sectors.

Today, Lori and Jason talk to two inspiring moms, Christina Cary and Debbie Tang, both professionals in executive search.

Christina is a partner at Heidrick & Struggles. Her search work focuses on functional roles in human resources, including CHRO, CPO, divisional and regional heads of HR, and centers of excellence leaders in talent management, talent acquisition, learning and development, HR operations, total rewards, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Christina is a member of the Georgetown University board of governors. She is a former president of Hoyas Unlimited, Georgetown’s annual fundraising arm for athletics that supports excellence across all the university’s 29 intercollegiate sports.

Christina’s most important job is being a mom to her son Benjamin and daughter Abigail. Benjamin, known as Ben, Bennie, or Bubba, is a funny, curious, and loving little boy who will turn five in June. Abigail, also known as Abby, is a rambunctious, smiley, fearless little girl who will be two in April. Christina is married to Patrick (Pat), and the Carey family resides in Bethesda, Maryland.

Debbie Tang is a partner at Bridge Partners, a black-owned executive search firm focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Debbie leads global executive searches in both the private and public sectors, from Fortune 100 companies to universities, non-profits, and government agencies. She recruits diverse senior executives across all functions, including CEO, CFO, General Counsels, Chief Legal Officers, Board, and regulatory leaders, in a wide variety of industries.

Debbie is actively involved in the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the District of Columbia. She is also on the board of the Washington Project for the Arts and the Norwood School. She received a BA degree from McGill University and a JD from Washington and Lee School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice.

Debbie has a nine-year-old son, Ben, and a six-year-old daughter called C.C.

In today’s conversation, Christina and Debbie talk openly and honestly about being parents in executive search. They share their struggles, talk about workplace support systems, and get into finding the right work-life balance. They also discuss the value of developing relationships with colleagues who are also parents and the support systems they would like to have in the workplace.

Stay tuned today to hear Debbie and Christina’s encouraging accounts of their lives as working moms.

Show highlights:

• When Debbie started working crazy hours as an associate in big law before she became a mom, she used to wonder how the female partners with kids did it. (4:13)
• Christina has experienced a lot of parent flexibility in the executive search world. (7:55)
• Christina found the unpredictable world of executive search an excellent training ground for becoming a parent. (10:52)
• Now that Debbie has kids, she finally understands why high-powered executives sometimes make million-dollar career decisions based on their children. (13:08)
• Debbie explains why she found it easier to be a parent in executive search during the pandemic, when travel demands were reduced. (13:35)
• There are days when Christine feels that she is not doing what she needs to do in any area of her life - as a mom or at work. (14:25)
• Being mentored by a colleague who is a father of five has helped Christina immensely. (15:53)
• Heidrick & Struggles has recently implemented a formalized employee assistance program for anyone experiencing mental health issues. (17:00)
• At Bridge, they have two partners working on every search. That has made a world of difference to Debbie as a working parent. (18:01)
• Blocking out time to do her work has helped Debbie approach her weeks. (19:18)
• Debbie would like to have some backup child care at work for emergencies. (26:01)
• Christina would welcome a formalized support system at work for parents re-entering the workforce after maternity leave. (27:06)
• Debbie explains her role in shaping the conversation around working parents. (34:26)
• At Heidrick, 23 partners got promoted in the last cycle. Six were in Christina’s practice. Five of these six were women, and three had multiple kids younger than six. (37:57)

Links and resources:

Heidrick & Struggles

Bridge Partners

Books mentioned:

Back to Work After Baby: How to Plan and Navigate a Mindful Return from Maternity Leave by Lori Mihalich-Levin

Relationships to Infinity: The Art and Science of Keeping in Touch by Jason Levin

Playful Parenting by Lawrence J. Cohen