On Wednesday, 1st October, 2025, The Closeher Collective by 3Search came together in the Microsoft Experience Center in NYC for our event, Mastering the move to CRO. Hosted by Sonia Atwal and Dani Valentine, we welcomed three inspiring speakers:
- Bridget Winston, Chief Revenue Officer at Chief
- Jaclyn Kalb, Chief Revenue Officer at Augment
- Stephanie Miles, Chief Revenue Officer & VP of Alliances at CloudSphere
Each shared their honest experiences of stepping into Chief Revenue Officer roles. From career pivots to mentorship, balancing ambition, and breaking barriers, here are the biggest takeaways from the evening.
1. Career paths aren’t linear
One of the strongest messages of the night was that there’s no straight line to becoming a CRO. Each speaker had taken different routes, with unexpected turns that shaped their leadership journeys.
The common theme between each route was the ability to learn from each move. If you’re not learning from your current role, why are you there?
2. The power of mentorship and sponsorship
Mentorship was described as the foundation of career growth, particularly for women in commercial roles. Each of our speakers shared how mentors gave them the confidence to make bold moves, while also stressing the importance of becoming mentors themselves.
“It was very rare for me to actually have mentors who were women.”
This underpins the entire purpose of our community – creating the opportunity for women in sales to gain access to mentorship that otherwise would be unavailable to them.
3. Balancing ambition with life outside of work
The CRO role demands resilience and drive, but the discussion made clear that ambition must be balanced with personal priorities. Whether that means setting boundaries, making location decisions, or timing a career move around family, success is about designing a career that fits into a wider life.
4. Representation matters
Visibility and representation were recurring themes throughout the evening. The speakers reflected on the importance of women in senior commercial roles, both to inspire the next generation and to shift what leadership looks like today.
“It’s so great to see other women in the industry.”
This is the core goal behind The Closeher Collective. As go-to-market recruiters we have seen first-hand the lack of representation in sales leadership. So, we’re taking it upon ourselves to champion female sellers in the tech space.
Join The Closeher Collective
We’re proud to host conversations like these, and even prouder to see the Closeher Collective continue to grow. If you’d like to join us, follow the community on LinkedIn.
