The 2022 Women Leaders In Technology: Chona Salamero

Chona Salamero is a principal at KPMG in the Technology Enablement practice. She serves as the Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) leader for finance transformation enabled by Oracle Cloud technology. She believes projects are most successful when KPMG and the client work side by side with a "One Team, One Dream" approach. She has multifaceted expertise across EPM, finance, and technology, from both the consulting and industry perspective, and has a unique, holistic view when working with clients. She has a BS in Accounting with a Minor in Information Systems from DePaul University. Chona lives in Chicago with her family. She is passionate about travel (74 countries and counting) and is quite the foodie.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

I was born in the Philippines and grew up in the U.S. with modest means. My parents were a huge factor in my success, instilling in me the importance of education and tenacity. I learned how to be a high achiever thanks to my parents' values. Although we didn't have much growing up, my parents' love and support, in turn, made me want to succeed so I could help and support them from an early age. Still, I never knew being a partner was a possibility for me. It wasn't until I worked at Arthur Andersen and saw the entrepreneurship and the partnership structure that I began to see the potential. Along the way and continuing at KPMG, I received mentorship and guidance that, along with the support from colleagues, friends and family, helped me realize that goal of becoming a partner. I have been a part of some phenomenal teams for many years, and they have helped me realize that no one is successful without a team and supporting cast.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

I have a strong sense of desire to work with teams collaboratively to solve client challenges and situations. I thrive when being surrounded by diverse team members thinking through complex client situations, and, along the way, inspiring those around me to enjoy the work we do. I am passionate about making an impact, and balancing the work and life aspects.

My personal growth and success have resulted from mentoring and being mentored. I sincerely feel that I learn and grow, possibly even more than the people I am mentoring when I mentor. In addition, it has helped me to understand and actively practice servant leadership.

I believe I have a fiduciary responsibility for my teams – I succeed only when my team succeeds. Therefore, I owe them support via coaching and mentoring.

The tenets I practice when I mentor are:

• Courage to be authentic self and stand up for your opinions and beliefs.
• Collaboration (teamwork) includes respecting each other and leveraging each other's talents, opinions, and beliefs – one of my daily key mantras is one team, one dream, better together.
• Use overall purpose and goals as your north star – start with the end in mind.
• Intellectual curiosity and innovation – to work together in thinking outside the box.
• Critical thinking – Don't just come with issues and problems but with options and solutions.
• Empathy – put yourself in the shoes of others, especially in facing conflict; think about "what's in it for them."

What is your proudest achievement to date?

Part of my brand at KPMG is being a coach and mentor and being well-known in that space. But, it is the impact of that and how mentoring and coaching help others to be high performers and succeed in their goals that I am most proud of to date.

What does being honored as a Women Leader in Technology mean to you?

This award represents a key milestone in my journey. It is proof that my passion for mentoring is validated and that its impact goes beyond me to those moving up the ladder or just starting their journey. I continue to play this role in a firm that I love and a culture that I thrive. This recognition validates the leaders who believed in me enough to give me this responsibility beyond my "official" role as the Oracle EPM practice leader.