Executive Vice President & President of Sending Technology Solutions, Pitney Bowes
Search every verified Shemin Nurmohamed interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2017 TEDxAix talk, Shemin Nurmohamed discussed her career transitions from chemistry to investment banking to technology, and her view that confidence and embracing change are key to professional growth. She recounted turning down an early opportunity to join Amazon in 1994, calling it a "billion dollar lesson." Nurmohamed cited a Forbes study indicating that individuals who change careers every two years earn 50% more, and a McKinsey study showing that women represent 46% of the workforce but only 19% of C-level positions. She stated that women often apply for promotions only when they meet 100% of the criteria, while men apply at 60%, and argued that staying in a comfortable role can be riskier than pursuing new opportunities.
“When I graduated from University I went on to Wall Street I worked for a company called DEAW a hedge fund that was quite famous and I thought this is good I'm going from chemistry to Investment Banking I was pretty proud of it. The first week there was quite an emotional week because the Superstar of the company was le...”
“I just laughed when I heard the startup was going to sell books on the internet. I was like that's never going to work you need to go to a bookstore you need to smell the book you need to read the first few pages right so thanks but no thanks. Needless to say you've guessed it the company was Amazon the individual was...”
“Even a Forbes study showed that individuals who move careers every two years or less earn 50% more than those who move less frequently. So I question is this the reason why the statistics around women in the workplace have not changed? According to McKinsey in the 2016 study they showed that women when they enter the w...”
“When men achieved 60% of the criteria they applied for a promotion but women would only apply when they achieved 100% of the criteria. This means that we aren't even expected to grow in the new jobs.”
“Confidence is really the first pillar of success. I found the secret to confidence through a failure. When I was in grade nine, I was thrown into the deep end in debate and came in last. My mother said it just takes practice and that was the tipping point of my subconscious that the secret to success was practice.”
“Jenny Reddy the CEO of IBM said that when you're comfortable you stopped growing. This is a nightmare scenario for anyone trying to get work-life balance but she has a point.”
“The question I want you to think about is really is it too high to move or is it more dangerous to stay in a place of comfort in such a dynamic environment? So my takeaway to you is this: the next time opportunity comes knocking don't miss your Amazon moment.”
Prior to joining Pitney Bowes, Shemin Nurmohamed had a successful 17-year career at IBM, where she was the Director of Sales ...
Sign in to search the full transcript archive, filter by topic, and access every quote from Shemin Nurmohamed.
The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →