S2E12: Lessons from the C-Suite with Janara Jones

In this episode, we hear lessons from the C-Suite with Janara Jones, Vice President – Global Taxes and Chief Tax Officer at Albemarle Corporation   Janara shares her career journey and strategies she used to spur her career growth.  She provides tips to help listeners strengthen their influence and visibility, and gives insight into how she uses her platform and position to highlight important issues and connect people to opportunities within her organization. She shares her day-to-day  experiences in her current role and emphasizes the importance of being flexible and being okay with discomfort.   Janara vulnerably shares some of the head and heart work she had to do to advance in her career, including skill and communication gaps she had to acknowledge and address, and the subsequent investments she made in herself to make it happen. She also addresses the point of authenticity and the boundaries she's put in place regarding "bringing her whole self to work."  Janara's story encourages us that it's okay to have a non-linear career journey, and that sometimes we have to focus on the opportunity and not just the title as we advance forward.     Guest Bio  Janara N. Jones is the Vice President – Global Taxes and Chief Tax Officer at Albemarle Corporation, a leading global producer of Lithium, Bromine and Catalyst solutions based in Charlotte, North Carolina.  She joined Albemarle in 2020 and is responsible for all matters pertaining to corporate income and transactional taxes globally, including tax policy positions involving legislation, planning, compliance and audit defense.    Prior to joining Albemarle, Ms. Jones worked at The Home Depot (THD) as a Senior Director of Global Taxes focusing on tax reporting (compliance and provision), M&A, transfer pricing, tax controversy, and tax planning.  Prior to joining THD, Janara has held several leadership positions including the Global Leader of Direct Taxes for Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Director of Tax Research & Planning for Campbell Soup Company, and Senior Director – US Tax Planning & Controversy for TE Connectivity Ltd.    Before working in various in-house tax roles, Ms. Jones was a member of the Washington National Tax Services Mergers & Acquisition Team for PwC LLP where she held various roles of increasing client service responsibility in the areas tax planning, M&A structuring, tax due diligence, general compliance reporting issues and tax controversy. After graduating college, she worked for the Virginia Department of Taxation as a tax auditor and was a senior tax consultant for KPMG, LLP.   She has a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Virginia Union University, a Master of Science in Taxation from American University - Kogod School of Business and a Master of Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University – Smeal College of Business. Janara is also a licensed CPA.   Connect with Janara:   LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janarajones/ Email:  [email protected]   Credits: Learn more about the  Black Woman Leading™ learning experience at http://blackwomanleading.com/ Learn more about our consulting work with organizations at https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/ Email Laura: [email protected] Instagram: @blackwomanleading LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/blackwomanleading Podcast Music & Production: Marshall Knights  Graphics: Olayinka Ajibola   Listen and follow the podcast on all major platforms: Apple Podcasts Spotify Stitcher iHeartRadio Podbay