Hailing from America’s heartland, Marissa Mayer was born in Wisconsin in 1975. Her family occupied rather bucolic careers; her mother an art instructor and her father an environmental engineer specialising in water. Though she suffered from intense shyness throughout her childhood, Mayer recognised this in herself and attempted to counteract it by participating in numerous sports, activities and academics. She credits ballet with helping to develop her fundamental social skills. It was after she had attended Stanford University for some time that Mayer changed her course of study from premed to symbolic systems, knowledge she would later compound with a masters degree in computer science. Earning her stripes at Google as the company’s first female engineer, Mayer was integral to the development of the backend of Google’s search function, as well as its now-famous clean look. After rising through the Google ranks, Mayer accepted the role of Yahoo’s CEO in 2012. She had to weather a rocky beginning, immediately implementing swift changes that were unpopular inside and outside of the company. Though many have speculated that she faced unfair criticism because she is a woman, Mayer didn’t allow it to affect her performance or overall vision. A mere 14 months after her hiring, Yahoo’s stock price doubled. Throughout her life, Mayer has consistently grown into the world around her, creating positive change through volunteerism, persistence, intellectualism and grace.
“Mayer’s recognition of her own barriers to success enabled her to overcome adversity and rise to the top of the digital industry,” Bernardo Moya