Women’s History Month: Spotlighting Better.com’s Leah Price
March is women’s history month and MBA NewsLink is hosting a series of interviews with women in the industry to learn about their experiences and challenges, and get their advice. Our fifth spotlight is on Leah Price, general manager of Tinman AI Platform at Better.com.
MBA NewsLink: Tell us about yourself and your current role in the industry.
Price: As the general manager of Tinman AI Platform at Better.com, I lead the expansion and adoption of our AI-native software across the mortgage industry. The platform was originally built for Better’s own use as a lender, and it is now being offered to other lenders as an end-to-end POS-LOS-pricing engine with embedded artificial intelligence at its core.
In my last role, I led the Office of Fintech at Federal Housing Finance Agency.
MBA NewsLink: What challenges have you faced as a woman in your field?
Price: Being called “ambitious” as a woman is not a compliment. Men are expected to be ambitious and aggressive, but when it comes to women, there’s often a negative perception tied to ambitious behavior. As a leader, I try to give my team members space, and even permission, to tell me what their ambition in life is. What is the next job you want after this one? Say it out loud. What’s your plan? And some people tell me they’ve never thought about it!
MBA NewsLink: How do you build credibility and influence in traditionally male-dominated spaces?
Price: It is very simple: you just show up. You take the seat at the table, you occupy the space, come prepared, and get people used to seeing you and hearing you speak.
If you’re the only woman on a call or in a room – you’re in the right place, pushing boundaries just by being present. Now make magic happen.
MBA NewsLink: How can companies better support retention and advancement of women professionals?
Price: Promote them. Allow them to think big about themselves and the industry. Then let them go for it.
MBA NewsLink: What’s one intentional thing you do to lift up other women in the industry, especially when they’re not in the room?
Price: For all my direct reports I’m the first to amplify when someone does something magical. Send an awesome email to a client? I forward to the CEO! Nail a presentation? I send a note to the entire executive team! My goal is to amplify positive performance every chance I get.
