Stephanie Hill, Vice President and General Manager of Lockheed Martin's Cyber, Ships & Advanced Technologies. She was appointed to the S&P Global board. As told to April Hall.

PositionMY BOARD JOURNEY

What interested you about S&P Global?

As an engineer, I was especially inspired by the way the organization leverages data and analytics to help make information useful. At Lockheed Martin, we're focused on engineering a better tomorrow; I see S&P Global as a company that helps people make decisions that shape the future.

I applaud S&P Global not only for finding exceptionally qualified people to help steer the organization, but also for pulling together a diverse and inclusive team. Research has indicated that companies that embrace all elements of diversity out-perform their peers, and S&P Global definitely lives that approach.

What did you do to become an executive who is sought-after for boards? Did you network, build your personal brand in some way, something else?

When meeting with mentees, I always emphasize the importance of building a track record as the foundation of advancing your career. Track record is also an important element of being considered for a board. Board membership demands incumbents with broad business experiences, and people who have demonstrated aptitude to thrive and succeed in complex environments. So if joining a corporate board is something you aspire to, focus on performance in your current role, seek out new or unexpected opportunities that will challenge you, and consider other means to broaden your business horizon.

Are there books or other resources you used and would recommend to people interested in joining boards?

A good resource for me has been Corporate Directors Guidebook, which is a publication of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section. It was recommended to me by another senior executive at Lockheed Martin, and I have found it to contain valuable insights.

What was your first job?

One of the very first jobs I had was back when I was 14 years old. I was a librarian at Baltimore Gas & Electric during the summer between school years. I began my career at Lockheed Martin in 1987.1 started out as a software test engineer, working on the testing and analysis of code in the basement of our facility in Middle River, Md. I remember working long hours analyzing and testing code to make sure that the complex systems we were developing worked the...

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