[Penel]  . I am currently C.E.O. of Zikyn, Inc., a new venture capital firm located in Houston, Texas. My profession is an accumulation of business and technology knowledge and experience, and I use this experience to assist business ventures in building their companies, concepts and/or strategies for a new step the business wants to obtain.President and Founder of a Talent Management Organization that includes Executive Search, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching.

[NAPW] Tell us a little bit about your career journey:

[Penel]   My career began at an early age, as my first job was secured at the young age of 15, where I worked summers as an administrative assistant. Once I graduated high school I took the path of going to school and working full-time, as my family couldn’t afford the luxuries of helping with tuition, room and board and school materials. I started out as a receptionist for a healthcare ancillary company and slowly worked my way through various departments. It was during this time I began to understand the many interdependencies of business operations and the hardships of unrefined processes, management and communications. During my years with this company I was also introduced to a new thing called “The I.T. Department!” It was with this company I began to understand the correlation with business and technology and continued my path with this in each position I acquired throughout my corporate experience.

I always made it a conscious decision to work with companies that allowed me to wear many hats and provided the challenges I knew I desired in improving the business. Such challenges included always learning new technologies and having the ability to identify the business areas that such technologies could best be utilized while providing business justification. In addition, my career journey eventually led me to the realization that most business solutions implemented could be applied to various industries and business purposes. I always understood my purpose was to identify and help implement a solution to a business problem and, with that, have been fortunate in working with small and large companies within many industries.

[NAPW]  When did you know this is what you wanted to do? Did you have an ‘ah ha’ moment?

[Penel]   During my adolescent years I was convinced my destiny was as an architect, and it is with the situation of going to school and working full-time simultaneously that I realized that business and technology are what challenge and interest me daily. I have always felt I was fortunate in starting my career early on. Without it I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to realize my passion for succeeding businesses. During my first position, I remember working with management and trying to understand why investors had wasted millions of dollars on a custom database solution that constantly led to disappointment and frustration among the directors and executives. When I was placed in the position to work with the outside consultants that came in, the more I understood the biggest pitfall of the previous attempts: these consultants didn’t understand the business, how each department and person worked and communicated on a daily basis to be as efficient and productive as possible, and they didn’t understand the end result upon which the solution was suppose to provide. It was at this realization that I knew my purpose for that company. In addition, it was during my alliance with an outside contractor, who didn’t know the business but knew the technology (I knew the business and how it operated daily), that the solution the company needed was built. With the deliverance of the database solution I soon came to understand where I envisioned my career.

[NAPW] What are some of your greatest accomplishments and/or accolades?

[Penel]  . I have had the opportunity to work with many companies in improving business efficiencies and processes through technology. It has been through these opportunities I feel my greatest professional accomplishments have been experienced. Whether my end goal was to analyze a business’s operational process to identify where redundancies are occurring, or where efficiencies have not been implemented, or whether my responsibility was to recognize the growth trends of the business and incorporate the technology strategies for best practice standards, I have been very fortunate in completing my business roles knowing the end result has helped the company in their long-term objectives. This is always a great feeling at the end of the day.

Furthermore, my greatest personal accomplishment has been the partnership my husband and I have in building our family. We both aspire towards maintaining a balanced and happy family with our two children: Max, 4 years of age, and Amelie, 1 year. I feel so blessed and accomplished when I am able to share moments with my family, especially when everyone has shared a smile during the day.

[NAPW]  Do you have a mantra?

[Penel]  Take things one step at a time as everything falls into place the way it is supposed to and rushing it may cause you to miss out on the best part.”

[NAPW]  What inspires you on a day-to- day basis?

[Penel] Knowing my efforts are paving the improvement of the “Life/Work Balance” of so many individuals, and more specifically women, are trying to achieve. When I see more and more women reach their career goals without having to sacrifice their lifestyle goals, I feel inspired to help the next woman achieve the same.

[NAPW]  What is on your ipod?

[Penel]  I am a BIG music fan and, in my spare time, enjoy listening to music and singing along. Having said that, the artists I currently listen to are: Norah Jones, Cold Play, One Republic, John Mayer, Fergie, Madonna, Maroon 5, Paul Van Dyke, Pink, Seal, and U2.

[NAPW]  Tell us a funny story about you.

[Penel]  The more life I live the more fun it is to see what life goals I have reached without having set a plan, which is completely opposite than what I do for a business! For instance, I remember being ten years old and sitting at an old kitchen table at my great-grandmother’s house. It was at the moment she was serving me chicken and spaghetti that she began to tell me that the family had strong French roots. I was absolutely fascinated and I remember stating at that moment that I would go to France one day.

Years pass and I did choose to take French as my second language in school but still hadn’t had the opportunity to use it. A few more years pass and I was seeing a gentleman who had already planned a trip to Cozumel to scuba dive with some old friends. The friends had to discontinue their plans to go to Cozumel and I was asked to go in their place, which I gladly accepted. This was HUGE for me, as growing up I had very little travel experiences because of the large family my parents raised combined with the middle-class income that was used to provide the bare minimum. I packed my bags and took my first out-of-country trip. I arrived and eagerly booked my first dive where I end up meeting two French gentlemen who were living in Houston while beginning their engineering careers. Throughout my stay in Cozumel we kept running into each other and eventually exchanged contact information so that we could all keep in touch.

I arrive home from my trip and email communications began with my two new French friends and they eventually invited me to Houston, Texas, for a weekend. I, again feeling adventurous, decided to go and ended up falling in love with one of my French gentleman friends, who later became my husband! During our courtship he was placed on a project that required him to move to Paris and after six months on the job he had asked that I join him. I eagerly accepted and moved to Paris, France, as a student to begin my Master’s program at the American University of Paris while he continued his project work. I remember after having lived there for about six months I was walking through the subway systems trying to get to school and it dawned on me that as a little ten year old girl I told myself I would go to France and there I stood, living and breathing the French air, having fulfilled a young girl’s dream.

So, now as I continue through my journey in life, I enjoy seeing what each day brings as I am curious what other little dreams I’ve set for myself will hopefully come true!