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Women's History Month
In Conversation with
JENNIFER LEE
A Techronicler interview with Jennifer Lee, President & Co-CEO, Intradiem.
In the world of tech leadership, we often hear about “disruption” and “breaking things.” But for Jennifer Lee, President and Co-CEO of Intradiem, the most powerful tool for change isn’t a line of code—it’s empathy.
Jennifer’s trajectory is a masterclass in resilient, non-linear growth. She began her career on the frontlines of a contact center, gaining an unvarnished view of the challenges facing customer service professionals. Today, she leads the very company she once supported from the inside. Under her guidance, Intradiem has become a market leader in dynamic workforce orchestration, proving that operational excellence and a “people-first” culture are not mutually exclusive.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month, we sat down with Jennifer to discuss her “frontline-to-CEO” journey, the importance of evaluating potential over polish, and why the most respectful thing a leader can do is combine radical clarity with deep compassion.
Techronicler: Thank you for joining us, Jennifer! A lot of careers look like straight lines on LinkedIn. How was yours different? Was there a pivotal moment or ‘happy accident’ that actually steered you toward your current role or niche?
Jennifer Lee:
My career definitely wasn’t a straight line. I started as a frontline customer service representative, which is about as close as you can get to the day-to-day reality of customers and employees. I didn’t have a master plan to become a CEO; I just kept saying yes to opportunities that stretched me. That, in turn, opened even more opportunities.
There were many moments along the way where I stepped into roles before I felt fully ready.
What I learned is that growth rarely happens when you’re comfortable. If you stay curious, work hard, and treat people well, doors tend to open in unexpected ways.
Looking back, starting on the front lines shaped everything about how I lead today. It gave me a deep respect for the people doing the work and a belief that great companies are built by empowering them.
Techronicler: Many women still find themselves as the “Only” (only woman, only WOC) in the room. When that happens now, how do you use that visibility to your advantage rather than letting it be a weight?
Jennifer Lee:
Early in my career, being the only woman in the room could feel intimidating. It’s easy to question whether you truly belong there when you are the only one. But I made a point to reframe it and see it as an opportunity rather than a barrier. If you’re the only one in the room, it means you bring a perspective that isn’t already represented, and that’s incredibly valuable. So instead of trying to blend in, I focused on being well-prepared, asking thoughtful questions, learning, and contributing a point of view that might otherwise be missing. Visibility can sometimes feel like pressure, but it’s really an opportunity to shape the conversation. Once I embraced that, it stopped feeling like a burden and started feeling like a real influence.
Techronicler: Are women in leadership still penalized for being too direct or ‘sharp-elbowed’? Have you ever had to consciously unlearn the habit of being ‘too nice’ or ‘accommodating’ to get a project across the line?
Jennifer Lee:
I do think women often still face a double standard in this regard. A behavior that might be described as “decisive” in a man can be labeled “too aggressive” in a woman. What I’ve learned is that you don’t have to choose between being direct and being kind. The best leaders are both, and over the years, I’ve had to unlearn the instinct to “soften” every message just to avoid discomfort. Clear communication, when delivered with empathy and dignity, is actually one of the most respectful things a leader can do. People deserve honesty about what’s working, what isn’t, and where we are going. When you have the courage to combine clarity with empathy, it builds trust rather than tension.
Techronicler: What is a piece of ‘common wisdom’ in the tech industry that you completely disagree with?
Jennifer Lee:
I disagree with the idea that you have to move fast and break things. Speed matters in technology, but not at the expense of trust. If you’re constantly breaking things like your culture, your people, your customer experience, that’s not innovation – that’s instability. In my experience, the companies that truly win over time build strong teams and strong systems. Sustainable growth comes from investing in people, not from burning them out.
Techronicler: If you could change one thing about how we interview and hire in tech to make the process more equitable, what would it be?
Jennifer Lee:
I would shift the focus from polish to potential.
Traditional hiring processes often reward people who have already had access to the right opportunities, networks, or coaching. But some of the most capable leaders I’ve worked with didn’t necessarily have the most polished resumes. What they did have was resilience, curiosity, and the ability to learn quickly.
If we evaluated candidates more on how they solve problems, collaborate, and elevate the people around them, we would uncover far more diverse and capable talent.
Great leaders aren’t always the ones who interview the smoothest — they’re the ones who grow the most.
Techronicler: The “broken rung” (the first step up to manager) is a bigger obstacle than the glass ceiling. How are you personally helping junior women make that specific leap from individual contributor to lead?
Jennifer Lee:
I’m very intentional about creating early leadership moments for individual contributors. That might mean asking them to run a meeting, lead a project, or mentor a new hire, to help build visible credibility. I also make expectations explicit. We often fail to clearly explain to junior employees what readiness looks like. When you demystify the path and actively sponsor women for that first step, the leap becomes much more attainable.
Jennifer’s insights remind us that the “glass ceiling” isn’t the only barrier—often, it’s the “broken rung” of that first management step that holds the most talent back. By reframing visibility as an opportunity and choosing sustainable growth over “breaking things,” she is setting a new standard for what it means to lead in the age of AI.
A huge thank you to Jennifer Lee for sharing her perspective on building resilient, purpose-driven organizations. Her journey is a powerful reminder that when you invest in people, performance doesn’t just follow—it thrives.
Jennifer Lee is the President and Co-CEO of Intradiem, a company transforming customer service operations through dynamic workforce orchestration and people-first innovation.
Jennifer’s career began on the frontlines of the contact center, where she learned firsthand the challenges and potential of customer service work. Over two decades later, she now leads a company she once supported from the inside, proof that empathy and accountability can coexist at scale. Jennifer joined Intradiem in 2015 as Director of Customer Success. Since then, she has held positions as Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Operating Officer and President, before assuming her current role as Co-CEO.
A passionate advocate for human-centric leadership, Jennifer believes that technology should empower, not replace, people. Under her guidance, Intradiem has grown into a market leader known for combining operational excellence with a deeply human culture—one that values wellbeing, learning, and bold curiosity as much as results.
Recognized for her “frontline to CEO” journey, Jennifer frequently speaks about the future of work, leadership in the age of AI, and building resilient organizations rooted in purpose and compassion. She is driven by a simple belief: when you invest in people, performance follows.