Owl Have You Know

To Become a CEO, You Need to Take Risks feat. Yan “Anthea” Zhang

Published: 29 April 2026 at 10:00 Europe/London

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Episode notes

Dr. Yan "Anthea" Zhang, the Fayez Sarofim Vanguard Chair of Strategic Management at Rice Business, has spent more than two decades researching the decisions that make or break organizations: CEO succession, corporate governance, and the gender dynamics shaping who rises to the top.

On this special live episode, Professor Zhang joins host Maya Pomroy '22 to share what her research reveals about the leap from functional roles to the C-suite, and why taking risks and asking out loud are non-negotiable for career advancement (especially for women). She also opens up about her origin story — from being part of the first-ever cohort at Nanjing University's business school to building a life and career in Houston — and why, after 25 years, Rice still feels like home.

Plus: her latest research on AI-powered customer service, what she'd say if it were her last lecture and how Rice Business Executive Education’s Executive Leadership for Women program is giving women the tools and community to rise.

Episode Guide:

00:00 Welcome and Guest Intro

03:19 Professor Zhang’s Origin Story

05:09 Hong Kong and USC

07:46 Why Rice Feels Different

12:32 CEO Succession Insights

17:45 Executive Leadership for Women Program

19:04 Challenges Women Still Face

24:54 Teaching Global Strategy

30:06 Managing Uncertainty & Frameworks For Risk

36:25 How AI is Transforming Online Sales

38:47 Advice to Students

The Owl Have You Know Podcast is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.

Episode Quotes:

On creating a safe space for women to grow in the workplace

19:58: For people who want to move up the career ladder, we need mentors. But a lot of times, people in more senior positions are still men, right? So, that's why both male and female mentors are all important. Because there are still so few women in senior leadership positions, right? That's why if you only rely on more senior female leaders to champion for you, to mentor you, that's not sufficient. You really need mentoring from both male and female leaders. So, I think that is why one benefit of our program is that we really target women who already have some leadership experiences. We create a safe space for them to share their concerns, challenges, and also allow them to share best practices with each other in a safe space. So, we really needed that.

Why asking is important for women

17:15: [Anthea Zhang] Dare to ask, dare to take risks, dare to get into areas, functions you are not comfortable with, you are not familiar with, which are those factors that are really key. And you have to show your track record instead of saying, "I want to," having a plan or having ambition is not sufficient. You have to show the track record.

Higher leadership role means greater responsibility

14:35: For people who already made it to top management team positions but still focus on more function-based roles, if you want to make it to the overall leadership role like a CEO, you have to take profit and loss responsibility. You have to expand the responsibility of your position. You know, of course, we see some people transition from CFO to CEO, but what is required for a CEO position is way more, it is way broader than, like, the CFO or chief marketing officer.

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