Stephany Lapierre – A Dynamic Woman Entrepreneur to Watch

Being an entrepreneur, you must demonstrate the capability to steer leadership and innovation if you want to succeed. It is time to learn how to use these qualities and take your business to a new level. We are proud to feature Stephany Lapierre, the founder and CEO of Tealbook, a robust technology company harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to deliver smarter procurement approaches.

A Brief about the Background and Experience of Stephany Lapierre

Stephany Lapierre is originally from Quebec, and her native language is French. At 18, she left Quebec to study English and has never returned. She came from an entrepreneurial family and knew it would be a part of her life. 

At 18, she began her first company and did corporate events and productions. In 2007, she started her second company, strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm. This company developed organically, backing more than 100 companies ranging from fast-growing companies building their first procurement function to Fortune 100 companies. 

The prime focus on her customers was on speed, scale, and efficiency. Unfortunately, as she put systems and tools in place, more data islands emerged, preventing leadership from having good quality data and visibility while burdening teams who spend too much time collating supplier information. 

As cloud technologies became increasingly accepted, Stephany knew there was a way to build a platform that could enhance data for all.

What Drove Stephany to Launch Tealbook and How Did Her Supply Chain Journey Start?

Before Tealbook, Stephany Lapierre spent a decade building a prosperous strategic sourcing and procurement consulting firm fully focused on large-scale sourcing optimization projects. Having witnessed failed implementations of enterprise software solutions, she was convinced that these errors and frictions weren’t caused by the system itself but by the shortage of top-notch data available. 

She couldn’t imagine how data problems could be solved by adding more software in complex companies. And more software created the opposite effect, disconnected, duplications, silo and static information, lengthy processes, costly services, and more. One question haunted Stephany: What was the cost to the business of bad supplier data? Whichever way she looked, the costs were immense (millions of dollars to the company). 

She could see the solution clearly, but she spent nine years piercing it and mustering up the courage to do something. Finally, in 2015, the market began to transform, and cloud technology was adopted by every software vendor claiming that cloud software is going to digitize the procurement process. Stephany couldn’t see how different systems needed portals and services. Machine Learning (ML) was still young, but she found a CTO who brought her vision to life. 

Stephany used AI and ML to proactively build supplier information without the need for third-party services or requiring suppliers to maintain and update portals. Thus, it proved to be game-changing. 

The journey to build and develop Tealbook has been challenging as she has created a new platform category that can autonomously improve data for any provider across the globe. 

Today, Tealbook is regarded as the supplier data foundation that beautifully optimizes companies’ investments in software, suppliers, and people. She works with Fortune 500 companies across numerous industries, including manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, higher education, technology, and financial services.

About Stephany’s Dedication to Build a More Diverse and Inclusive Supply Chain

The supply chain sector is traditionally male-dominated, but it is also rare to see a female founder and CEO at the helm of an AI-powered tech company. Stephanie firmly believes that being a female founder is a great competitive advantage to hire top talent. 

At Tealbook, they are committed to building a diverse unit. Her company has a 50/50 gender ratio on their board, the general workforce and leadership. She believes that various teams perform exceptionally better with a wide range of opinions, perspectives and experiences. 

As a business leader, she feels that she needs to build core values and define the kind of company that employees will be proud of, work for and ultimately have on their resumes. Thus, Stephany Lapierre incorporates teamwork, transparency, delight, and the willingness to win as the four major themes to unite and motivate her employees.

How Did Stephany Find Her Voice Being a Supply Chain Leader? How Can Aspiring Female Leaders Find Theirs?

It was a series of moments for Stephany Lapierre. Previously she thought other people had the answers or somehow knew better than her since they have built a technology-enabled company before or had more tech expertise and experience. But, as she listens to others and accepts feedback openly, she has learned to trust her instincts – something every female leader needs to do.

Stephany believes that people should master their instincts since it usually provides the confidence and courage to realize where people are exactly where they should be right now. 

They should make sure they ask about the vision and meaning of the company and its function. And also people should look for a company and a team that embraces people’s contributions and stays well ahead of the curve.

For more information regarding Stephany Lapierre and her company, Tealbook, you can scroll through their official website and learn more.

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