Interview with Meta's MD - career inspiration

Hello!

I hope you’ve had a good week. Welcome to the latest edition of my newsletter - focused on actionable career advice & inspiration.

Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Shruti — the UK Country Managing Director of Meta — for a long-form conversation about her career journey. We recalled "The Facebook" launching while I was at university, before talking about her progression from consulting, through strategy roles, and into general management through 10 years at one of the world's fastest growing organisations.

What struck me most was not just what Shruti has done, but how thoughtfully she’s approached each stage of her career.

There were a lot of thoughtful insights in the conversation, and I wanted to share some of the lessons that stood out most.

As ever, I hope something here is a useful insight as you consider your own career.

Decisions, data, and ambiguity

One thing we aligned on early was that analytical rigour doesn’t disappear as you become more senior — if anything, it becomes more important.

Shruti shared that her decisions are always anchored in data, where possible. But as scope increases, certainty tends to decrease. Waiting for perfect information simply isn’t an option.

Progress, we agreed, comes from being willing to make the best call you can with the data available — and then having the humility to course-correct quickly when new information emerges.

Learning fast (and never being “done”)

Operational leadership rewards people who can learn quickly and keep relearning.

Shruti talked about the importance of being comfortable stepping into unfamiliar territory, asking naïve questions, and pivoting as priorities shift. Former consultants often have an advantage here — but only if they stay genuinely curious and resist the temptation to rely on old patterns.

“Why?” remains one of the most powerful questions you can ask.

Adjusting your style when you go in-house

We spent time discussing the consulting-to-industry transition — a move many of you ask me about.

What works brilliantly in consulting doesn’t always translate internally. The fast, answer-first style often needs softening. Early impact in an organisation usually comes from listening, diagnosing, and understanding context before pushing solutions.

Timing, audience, and socialisation matter far more than many people expect.

Do the job you’re in — exceptionally well

One of Shruti’s strongest messages was around focus.

The fastest way to unlock future opportunities is to excel in your current role. Strong performance builds trust, credibility, and optionality. Trying to shortcut that by chasing visibility without substance tends to backfire.

We both see this pattern a lot — and it’s rarely a successful one.

Invisible excellence is still invisible

That said, Shruti was very clear about one common trap: doing brilliant work that only one person ever sees.

Senior progression depends on multiple people being able to credibly advocate for you. That means being intentional about exposure, relationships, and where your work lands.

Doing great work is essential. Making sure the right people know about it is too.

Networks built on trust, not transactions

Internal progression is far less structured than consulting. As a result, navigating it well requires “reading the room”, understanding culture, and building trust over time.

Shruti and I discussed how networking works best when it’s grounded in contribution and learning — not immediate asks or promotion-driven conversations. The strongest internal networks are built long before you “need” them.

Think in learning horizons, not job titles

Rather than fixating on the next title, Shruti encouraged thinking in six-month to two-year horizons.

• What do you want to learn next?
• Where do you want to increase complexity?
• How do you want to expand your sphere of influence?

Roles are often better evaluated by how they stretch you than by what they signal externally.

Close gaps through experience, not labels

You don’t need to have “done the job” to move towards it — but you do need credible evidence.

We talked about finding ways to build exposure to the right decisions: advising on P&L trade-offs, leading cross-functional initiatives, or influencing outcomes adjacent to the role you’re targeting.

Indirect experience is often a prerequisite for being trusted to move into a role / function you haven't worked in before.

Control beats perfect balance

On the topic of work and life, Shruti shared a framing I really liked.

Rather than chasing a rigid notion of balance, she optimises for control — being fully present where it matters most, and having the autonomy to flex over time.

Fulfilment tends to come from alignment with values and being present in the moment at work and at home, and not necessarily from predictable hours.

A game of chess

We closed the conversation with a metaphor I often use in my own advisory work: careers as a game of chess.

Every move should set up the next one. Focus on what you can control — learning, exposure, and skill acquisition. Over time, those moves compound into credible senior leadership options.

- - -

It was a generous, thoughtful conversation — and I’m very grateful to Shruti for sharing her experiences so openly for us all to benefit from.

Beyond the career tips & tricks, we also discussed:

• What life is like in a General Manager role,
• The surprises, best bits and downsides and;
• What it's like working in the Meta of today vs the Facebook of 10+ years ago. 

If you’d like to watch the interview in full (and others with senior leaders like Shruti), it will be made available to members of Momentum - my expert career advice ecosystem. As always, it’s there to help as and when it’s useful to you.

If you'd like more information about how it works and what's included beyond interviews with leaders like Shruti, just reply to this email and I'm happy to share further details.

I hope you found this newsletter helpful.

Best wishes,

Rich