• by Lisa Singer , Staff Writer, May 19, 2023

Behind the Scenes with Debbie Haag

American Girl's Debbie Haag on why a diverse staff makes her better, being underestimated and her can-do attitude.

I've had the opportunity to connect with and learn from executives of major brands at MediaPost's Insider Summits. In the process I've discovered some truly impressive women -- not only for the work they do, but their stories behind the scenes. With Brand Insider: BTS, I get to pull back the curtain on some of the most influential women marketers as they talk about their path to success: the twists and turns, obstacles, inspirations and the valuable lessons learned along the way.

“Even though my boss is a woman, a lot of high-ups at Mattel, C-suite, are men, and I just do think there are different expectations.” Debbie Haag, American Girl’s head of omni-channel marketing, insights & analytics & ecomm, believes the expectation is to be perfect, and that women in the workplace are often held to a higher standard than men when it comes time for promotion. In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Debbie talks with me about overcoming those obstacles, staying true to who she is, and why taking a pay cut proved to be one of the best career moves she could have made. You can watch the entire conversation here: