Meet the Women Behind Binance
Main Takeaways
The number of female employees at Binance is above the industry average for tech companies.
Binance offers guidance and career advice for women through female mentorship programs.
Anyone interested in joining our mission to increase the freedom of money can check out our career space.
Read on for highlights from our Women’s History Month livestream, which took place on Binance Live on March 8. Please note that the transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Women's History Month (March 1-31) is a time to recognize and celebrate the important contributions and achievements of women. As Women’s History Month draws to a close, we take the opportunity to bring you edited highlights from a session we held on Binance Live featuring three of Binance’s top female leaders:
Yi He, Co-Founder and CMO of Binance
Helen Hai, Binance Executive VP and Head of Binance Charity
Frida Vargas, General Manager at Binance Mexico
During the 30-minute session, these three inspirational Binancians took time to share their personal career experiences, explore the topic of gender in tech, and discuss Binance’s commitment to increasing the presence of women in Web3.
Meet the women behind Binance.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Web3?
Yi He: I'm from a regular background. My parents were both teachers. What made the difference was the first time I got to know about Bitcoin in 2013, and the price rose rapidly. That was the first time I tried to understand money. For many people, that’s taught from an early age. But for me, it opened a new path. I decided to join the crypto industry after working as a TV host. At that moment, there was only Bitcoin, and the price crashed. People said Bitcoin was dead. That’s what the media said. But I believed in my research, so I jumped into the industry. You don’t need to care about people being against you. You need to care about what you want to achieve.
How do you think Binance supports women in tech?
Frida Vargas: First of all, Binance offers various early career programs, which offer access to careers in crypto for diverse talent. We’re also making sure that, during interviews, we are free of any bias. The number of female employees at Binance is above the industry average for tech companies. My experience has been great. The company offers guidance and career advice for women through female mentorship programs. In February 2023, we held our first “Women in Crypto” event in Dubai, where we brought together beginners and experienced female investors to share insights, network, and discuss the opportunities that Web3 has to offer women globally. We plan to build on this at a regional and international level. Anyone interested in joining our mission to increase the freedom of money can check out our career space.
What’s your advice for women looking to work in Web3?
Yi He: Do something you really have passion for. Who has time for boring jobs? I’m passionate about the industry that’s building a new world of financial freedom. Keep an open mind. This world is changing very fast. At Binance, we believe in our choices because we research, keep learning, and don’t simply follow traditional methods. Know the new world and catch up with the new world. That would be my advice.
Helen Hai: One of the number one things I learned from four years at Binance and from this industry is that opportunities don't create themselves — you create them. There are millions of women, and we're here to create a future together. But how do you balance family life, professional life, and family roles? To be honest, I'm still learning on this journey. Ultimately, what I also find very important, like Yi, is finding your passion. I believe in the industry we’re creating. We're building a future for the next generation. Working with inspirational people and setting great examples for women in business — now that we have freedom, more powerful women are joining us. Find your true passion and find the people you believe in.
Frida Vargas: I want to echo what Helen said — find your tribe. There are so many communities out there of women empowering other women to join Web3. You don't need to have a very advanced level of knowledge, and you don't need to come from a STEM background. Find your community. Find your tribe. They’re emerging all over the world. Also, don't be afraid to be bold in your career. There’s no age limit. Don't be limited by what you studied or your background. It doesn't define you as a human or as a professional. Try to fight imposter syndrome. A lot of women don't participate in panels or forums because they don’t believe they're experienced enough or have the technical knowledge. Don't be afraid to step up and join those forums. Raise your hand to participate. That's how we're going to get there.
Do you think women have a different leadership style?
Yi He: From my perspective, if you want to be a strong leader, the first thing is that you should forget you’re female. As a good leader, you should focus on output and organizational health. A lot of people are good at managing but not really focused on being driven by results. As for organizational health, I spent a lot of time doing research on trying to build a healthy organization. The first step is transparency. When your team has enough transparency, your team members will understand what they’re doing. The second part is to make sure to stay fair. If you manage to be fair and transparent, everyone will focus on their job. Training is also important. You should build strong candidates in the group and train your whole team. I have a background in education, so I always try to build, teach or coach. That's my management style.
Frida Vargas: What I've learned so far is that leadership is a never-ending journey. You're constantly learning, failing, and making mistakes, which helps you grow. What works for me is the concept of servant leadership — where it comes from a place of humility and where you let your team come to the conclusions themselves. I wasn’t always that type of leader. It was through a process of adjustment that I came to this place. I think that helps to build a lot of trust in your teams. The hardest part of leadership is becoming a coach. Instead of becoming the person who dictates what to do or establishes the path, getting people to reach conclusions, being comfortable with the outcomes, and knowing that you have their back is what matters.
Helen Hai: To be where we are, we put in a lot of effort, professional effort, to be able to do the job. That’s the hard reality, but I think it's good practice for us. That’s the result of being passionate about a subject and putting effort into it. I think that's my way of leadership. There's no right or wrong. Different people have different kinds of leadership. We need to be able to perform, do the job well, and lead the industry.
You can watch a recording of the session in full here.