Stephanie Covert: Representation in AI Starts at the Top

Episode notes

What if great leadership isn’t about having the answers, but knowing how to unlock them in others? In this episode of SheSass Unplugged, I’m joined by Stephanie Covert, CEO of Macrobond Financial, whose unconventional path from field marketing to the C-suite has shaped her into a builder, transformer, and advocate for women in tech. After years leading global software and analytics teams at Oracle and FICO - long before responsible AI became headline news - Steph now leads Macrobond at a time when financial research is being radically reshaped by AI, automation, and expectations for faster insights. Steph shares how stepping into roles she wasn’t “qualified” for taught her to lead by asking the right questions, why diversity is a cornerstone of fair and trustworthy AI, and what truly drives commercial excellence in a PE-backed SaaS business. What You’ll Learn - Builder’s Leadership: Why saying “yes” to unfamiliar roles creates better leaders and how enabling others beats being the expert in the room. - AI With Human Purpose: How Macrobond is building agentic research tools that accelerate insight without replacing domain expertise.