• by Lisa Singer , Staff Writer, February 21, 2024

Mitsubishi Motors NA's Kim Ito talks the power of believing, taking risks, and the time she was told to "get a new job!"

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.

“When I started out, there weren't many women in leadership roles, and so finding that female role model was really hard…it really was difficult to see myself in a leadership role in the beginning. I was just grateful to have a seat at the table when I finally made it, but I quickly realized that I have to get over that because now my job is to advocate for others and get their seat at the table. This is really where the work begins.” That work lead her to VP of Marketing at Mitsubishi. A position Kimberly Ito is extremely grateful for, but knows she also earned it, something she hasn’t always acknowledged in the past. Now she realizes that advocating for herself and other women is a big part of her journey. In this episode of Brand Insider: BTS, Kimberly’s advise to women starting out is to find what you’re passionate about, and go after it. She goes on to share the value of “radical candor,” her response to being underestimated, and her latest challenge to date. Hint: It's black and white and a lot of Pink. You can watch the entire conversation here: