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In this episode of the CEO Series, we had a front-row leadership lesson from Stan Chia, CEO and Board Director of Vivid Seats. Vivid Seats is an online ticket marketplace that generated over $500 million in 2022. Stan shared amazing insights into running a massive company with over 500 employees and his personal passions outside of the boardroom that keep him energized and driven.
Below are some highlights from our conversation, which you can watch in the full video above.
The best thing about being a CEO
“For me, the best part of being a CEO is working every day in an industry you love and with people you love. It is a privilege to set the direction and vision of the company.”
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On his career path
“I grew up thinking I would become an aerospace engineer. I loved space shuttles and the concept of going into space. I was born in Singapore and grew up in New York. After high school, I had to go back and serve in Singapore's military. I did that for about three years. I was very scared, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences I've ever had when it comes to formulating who I am. I then had the opportunity to study industrial engineering at Georgia Tech. Part of this journey made me realize that I don't think a specialty is something I want to do. So I moved into a more general area that allowed me to see more of the world, see more companies and industries and I ended up here at Vivid Seats.
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About the power of diversity
“My skills as a leader are based on the ability to learn, listen, understand and appreciate the diversity of culture. Singapore is a wonderful, multicultural society with many diverse people who call it home. This great fusion of cultures has helped, in my opinion, to define a… much of who I am today. I've had the opportunity to go there and try to build diverse teams wherever I've worked and I'm very proud of that, if you look at our leadership team at the C-suite level, we're more than 50 percent female Management. And if you look at the board that we put together at Vivid Seats, we emerged with a majority diverse board.”
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On his personal motivation
“The people I get to lead motivate me. You know, it's that old military saying that you go into battle with them every day. You have to love the troops you're with and I love the team we have.” I arrived here and of course the family that supports me in the background. The desire to do good work for all of them motivates me. And ultimately, I really believe in Vivid Seats' mission, which is to ensure that everyone can experience and see the things they love live.
For more profiles of innovative and influential leaders, visit the CEO Series archives.