September 30, 2022

Meet Lisanne Dorn Bota, acting Director of Partner Sales at Zalando

We’re beyond excited that Zalando our sponsoring the BGTS and supporting us on our mission to get more Black women into tech. Ahead of our Black Girls Tech Summit in Berlin next month, we caught up with Lisanne Dorn Bota, acting Director of Partner Sales at Zalando. If you’re eyeing up Zalando for your next role, you’ll want to read this. 

Get to know Lisanne 

Lisanne Dorn Bota is of Ivorian/German descent. She was born and raised in the South of Germany and studied at the University of Santa Barbara, California and Potsdam University in Germany, where she earned her Master’s degree in Political Science and African American Literature. After almost ten years with IMG Fashion, where she travelled for nine months out of the year, she lives with her son, husband, and cat in Berlin. The family recently bought a pre-war house they will gut and remodel over the coming months. Lisanne joined Zalando in 2018 and leads the platform sales functions as acting Director of Partner Sales. In addition, she is a core member of Zalando’s BEC (Black Employee Connection).

What was your dream job when you were growing up, and why? 

As a little girl, I wanted to be a mail-woman because it meant riding a bike and handling letters all day (I had over 20 pen-pals worldwide). Then later, I wanted to be a lawyer because I argued often and mostly won. In the end, I wanted to be a matchmaker, which I have turned into a hobby on the side ;-). 

Looking Back

What is your lesson learned to date?

My biggest lesson in life and work is that most people don’t let you down; you hold them up too high. Which happens when you voluntarily over-extend yourself and intuitively think everyone navigates the world by the same standards.

That and: no eyes/work on a contract after 3:00 pm – I am a morning person and of no use for delicate work in the afternoon.

When you look back at your career, is there anything that stands out as the peak of your journey?

I derive a lot of purpose from working with interesting and diverse people. I vibe with people who share many of the same qualities as I have and with people who are so different that I am immediately intrigued and want to figure them out. So all peaks of my journey involve that feature: people who brought something unique to the table. I found that in creating fashion shows in Istanbul by the Bosporus and working in Tokyo on high-end video production. Also, speaking at a conference in Switzerland and working in New York.

A day in the life 

What does a typical day in the life routine look like to you? 

I wake up at 6:30 every day, including weekends, by my toddler’s design. The mornings run like clockwork, and I drop him at daycare at 7:45. If I feel up for it, I go on a run back to the house. If I am lazy, I dial into my daily facetime call with my brothers and walk. I start working at 8:30 and have a minimum of 8-10 back-to-back conference calls daily. My son comes home at 4:30, and I am his until he goes to bed (my husband and I alternate days). Once he is asleep, I return to my emails, strategy papers, etc. I want to go out a lot more and meet friends for dinner and drinks, but I only manage to do so 1-2 a week.

My entire construct only works because A: my husband is extremely supportive, especially during business travel and B: my first line at work is diligent, and we trust each other blindly.

Do you have a morning routine or evening rituals you must do daily?

Skin-care and literature. Even if it is just two pages, I want to end the day reading something interesting (9/10 times written by a Black (female) author).

If you could choose just three essentials to get you through the working day, what would they be? 

1.As I don’t drink coffee – diet coke.

2.I have an enthusiastic and no-boundaries chat with my two work-husbands, who work in adjacent teams in my company. They keep me sane! 

3.The fun pictures of my son from daycare assure me he is well taken care of and is having a great time.

Working at Zalando 

What is your current role, and how did you secure it? 

I am the acting Director of Partner Sales. I have been with my company for five years and have had the right mentors and bosses to identify my talent and support me in my career. However, I don’t believe hard work alone can ever do the entire trick. Everyone needs someone’s support in a room they can’t access themselves. 

What are some misconceptions about working for Zalando, if any? 

I am not aware that there are any. I think sometimes people might think we are all fun and play, but I can honestly say I have rarely met such a high number of talented and hard-working people in one place.

 What is your favourite thing about working for Zalando? 

The people. Once you meet the right people, you automatically want to show up for them, do and be better for yourself and them. And that is where the passion starts for me and what drives us to achieve our goals.

Can you share a word of advice for anyone looking to secure a role at Zalando? 

Be prepared to give a lot and to get a lot.

Are you ready to reclaim your power and excel in your career with the support of our sisterhood? Click here to secure your ticket for our Berlin summit at Zalando HQ on the 26th of October. Click here to join our global summit taking place on the 16th & 17th of November.