Lisa Caputo – VP, Global Marketing & Corporate Affairs, Citi

This well-connected political advisor, turned entertainment exec, turned Citi EVP shares her success secrets.

By Taylor Mallory

Lisa Caputo, executive vice president of global marketing and corporate affairs for Citi, started her career on Capitol Hill (where she eventually served as deputy assistant to the President and press secretary to the First Lady during Clinton’s first term), then took on executive roles at the Walt Disney Corporation and CBS. Today she oversees a $4 billion budget, a team of 600 and Citi’s marketing, advertising, branding, consumer insights, sponsorships, external and internal communications, issues management and community relations operations. Oh, and she’s founder, chairwoman and CEO of Women & Co., a financial community where wisdom, wealth and women meet.

So what’s her success secret? Being a straight shooter. “In my first job on Capitol Hill, I worked for a Congressman from Michigan,” Caputo tells PINK. When he’d walk in the door and yell for her to get someone on the phone, she’d just shout back the number. “I’d tease him, ‘You see, you work the phone by pushing the numbers in the right order.’ He’d laugh, and when he’d walk past my desk, he’d call me a feminist (which I took as a compliment). I think he valued my candidness. And he taught me to use humor to diffuse situations.”

She talks to PINK about heli-skiing, motivating employees and Monopoly Junior.

PINK: What’s your leadership style?
Lisa Caputo: I manage very horizontally. I’m not into hierarchies. I have an open door policy, and anyone in my departments is encouraged to come talk to me about anything. In any economic environment, but particularly in a down one, the most important thing you can do is invest in your people. Only with good people can you overcome challenges and get back on the path to profitability. I’ve learned a great deal about the power of empowerment and giving them a voice and a seat at the table. Once you foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork, it becomes organic. People then feel a sense of partnership with each other and a feeling of ownership. I do this by always being positive and resilient. Give positive feedback when appropriate, mentor and guide them when you can, and say thank you. When there are setbacks, buff the team up and help them move forward. And they know I’d go to the mat for them any day of the week. I try to get them out for a regular cocktail or lunch to spend time together as a group. And then I encourage them to go home to their families.

PINK: How do you manage your Life/Work balance?
L.C.: I’m married with two children, ages four and six. Balance is a journey, not a destination. It’s always in motion, because life never stands still, and priorities change at different times in your life. First you’ve got to figure out what matters most – prioritize and then devote all your attention to one priority at a time, drop unnecessary activities, accept help when it’s offered and plan for fun and relaxation. I say no to breakfast meetings, so I can be home with my children in the morning, and I often turn down dinners, because it’s important to me to make it home in time to see them before bed. I used to go. I just can’t do it anymore. Time with my children is too important.

PINK: What do you do to relax and rejuvenate yourself?
L.C.: I work out at least three mornings a week with my personal trainer; I run and then do a mix of cardio and weights. And I just started Pilates. And spending time with my family is great relaxation. We’re all about sports. One of our favorite things to do is to go to Central Park and throw a football around or play baseball.  On vacation, we try to go sailing. I find that extremely relaxing. And we play a lot of board games. Monopoly Junior is very big in our house.

PINK: What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t gotten around to yet?
L.C.: I want to heli-ski, where they drop you from a helicopter onto fresh powder and you ski down the mountain.