Featured Interview with Shelley Zalis

How would you describe yourself, both personally and professionally?

I like to say I’m a movement maker, a rule breaker, and the Chief Troublemaker. But I’m also a partner, sister, daughter, girlfriend, mother, and grandmother. All of these roles shape who I am and how I lead. At my core, I build spaces where everyone feels welcome, seen, and heard. I’ve always believed in possibility over permission and progress over perfection. I’m naturally positive, proactive in how I show up, and I’ve never been one to accept the status quo just because it’s there.

ID: A smiling lady sitting with a microphone and a card reading 'The Female Quotient'.

What core values guide your work and your life?

For me, everything begins with conscious leadership that combines courage with kindness. I see representation and reflection not just as moral principles, but as real strategies for growth and innovation. Generosity and gratitude should be lived in action, not just spoken. I also believe in lifestage accommodation, where you meet people where they are so you can attract and keep the best talent. And I live by what I call the Rose Gold Rule, which is leading with the needs of the collective in mind. It’s not about me, and it’s not only about you, it’s about we. If I have power, I believe it’s my responsibility to use it to lift others.

You are known as the Chief Troublemaker. A specific moment when good trouble led to breakthrough change, and the resistance you faced?

One defining moment was at CES. At the time, fewer than three percent of attendees were women, and none of the spaces were built with us in mind. So I created The Girls’ Lounge, which is the opposite of a boys’ club. At first, people laughed. Some called it cute or distracting. But I knew it was necessary. What started as that small lounge became the Equality Lounge, and now the FQ Lounge. We turned a moment into a movement, and today it’s momentum; it’s a global community of more than 7 million women in business across 30 industries and 100 countries. We invited Fortune 500 leaders to sit side by side, put women and underrepresented leaders center stage, and asked companies to commit to rewriting the rules of the workplace. What some dismissed as a side idea turned into catalytic change.

The FQ Lounge at Davos, Cannes, and the Super Bowl. What happens there that can’t happen in traditional conference rooms, and why were physical spaces crucial to a digital-first mission?

The FQ Lounge is a trust accelerator. It’s where hierarchy disappears at the door and everyone can show up as themselves. The space is designed for serendipity, where mentorship happens in minutes, partnerships are born at the power table, and procurement starts over coffee. When people arrive, they’re greeted with a hug, a hello, and often a yes; and sometimes they laugh and ask, “Yes to what?” That’s the magic of it. A physical anchor is critical because trust is built eye-to-eye. Once people believe, that belief can scale digitally with speed and heart. Today, the FQ Lounge is the unofficial, unbadged gathering place at 60 to 70 events a year, where everyone is welcome.

One story of connection that reminds you why this work matters.

I always go back to the power of the pack: A woman alone has power, but collectively we create impact. When we were first invited to the World Economic Forum in Davos, the message was, “We want you there, but you may not feel welcome.” We went anyway. Ten years later, the FQ Lounge is a must-visit destination there. CEOs, policymakers, and changemakers stop by. Leaders like Jamie Dimon have joined us year after year. What was once an afterthought is now a central hub for collaboration, conversation, and real commitments. That’s what happens when you turn exclusion into inclusion and doubt into impact.

How do you respond to leaders who still see workplace equality as a nice to have rather than a business imperative?

I tell them equality is not a program; it’s a performance strategy. If your customers are diverse, your teams and supply chains must reflect them or you will lose. Representation leads to better decisions, faster innovation, stronger retention, and brands that people genuinely love. Treating equality as a checkbox or a “nice to have” won’t cut it. It has to be woven into the DNA of the company, starting with the CEO and extending to the board. If you don’t take it seriously, your competitor will, and they’ll pass you.

Paint the 2030 workplace if your vision succeeds, and the biggest obstacle to get there.

The World Economic Forum says it will take over 132 years to close the gender gap. I believe we can flip it in five. If we had the will to send people to the moon in ten years, and to create a vaccine for a deadly disease in one, then we absolutely can close the gender gap in five. It just takes intentional action, prioritization, and choice. 

A quote that holds special meaning, why it resonates, and how it influenced your journey.

Dolly Parton once said, “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are an excellent leader.” That quote stays with me. Leadership is not about titles; it’s about impact. It reminds me to turn intention into action, to move from me to we, and to measure success by the people who rise because we made space for them. My hope is to leave a legacy of change in the lifetime of my leadership.