Who’s in Your Corner? The Sponsorship Conversations That Actually Change Careers
May Virtual WIT Forum | Presented by Tier4 Group
Most women in technology have done everything right. They have sought out mentors, raised their hands, made their work visible, and built their networks. And many have still found themselves stalling, watching peers advance while wondering what they’re missing.
That was the starting point for our May Virtual WIT Forum: Who’s in Your Corner? The Sponsorship Conversations That Actually Change Careers. And from the first minutes of the conversation, it was clear this was not a discussion about what women lack. It was a conversation about what becomes possible when the right advocacy relationships are in place, and how to build them with intention.
Moderated by Jennifer Baker, CIO at Arvest Bank and WIT Board Member, the forum brought together three Chief Information Officers for a candid, practical conversation: Jeff Afonso, EVP and CIO at Federal Home Loan Bank Atlanta; Robby Cullen, CIO at Georgia-Pacific; and Kateau James, Partner and Global CIO at McKinsey & Company (and WIT’s 2025 Woman of the Year).
Here is what stayed with us.
Sponsorship Is Not Mentorship, and the Difference Matters
The forum opened by grounding the conversation in a striking insight from McKinsey & Company and LeanIn research: women in technology are over-mentored and under-sponsored. It is not a skills gap. It is an advocacy gap.
Our panelists were clear on the distinction:
“Mentors give advice, feedback, and guidance. They help you build capability. But sponsors do something extremely different. They use their credibility to advocate for you in rooms you’re not in, and that distinction matters because careers don’t advance on readiness alone. They advance when someone trusted says, ‘This person is ready. Take a bet on them.’ You can have ten mentors and still be stuck, but it only takes one sponsor to change your trajectory.”
The panel also drew a useful line between the two: mentorship connects to performance development, getting better at the role you’re in today. Sponsorship connects to career development, getting to the role you want next.
The implication is significant. If you are investing only in mentors, you may be getting better and better at a role you are ready to leave.
Sponsorship Runs on Trust, and It Has to Be Intentional
So how does sponsorship happen? The panel was honest: it often starts organically. Leaders notice someone. Trust builds over time. An opportunity arises. But if it is left entirely to chance, sponsorship tends to follow familiarity — and familiarity tends to reinforce existing access.
“If sponsorship is left to chance, it tends to follow familiarity. If it’s intentional, it can actually shape equity.”
For leaders, that means asking different questions. Not just “who is performing well?” but “who is ready and being overlooked?” If your organization does not have an emerging talent list, the panel encouraged leaders to partner with HR to build one — so high-potential people become visible before an opportunity passes them by.
The panel also pointed to the infrastructure that makes sponsorship equitable at scale: making advocacy a formal leadership expectation, tracking who receives high-visibility opportunities, and creating structured moments for exposure. Because without that intentional design, sponsorship defaults to existing networks and the gap persists.
Hard Work Is Table Stakes, Not a Guarantee
One of the forum’s most important reframes was this: strong performance keeps you in place. It does not move you forward on its own.
If the people making decisions do not know your work, you have a visibility gap, not a skills gap. Working harder is not the answer. Getting visible is.
That starts with making your aspirations known. The panel repeatedly returned to this point: sponsors cannot advocate for goals they do not know you have. Attendees were encouraged to build their “persona” — to communicate career goals not just in annual performance reviews, but consistently, in the moments that matter.
“Build your persona and what it is that you want out of your career. Your work will do the talking — but people need to know where you want to go.”
And when those conversations feel uncomfortable, the moderator offered a reframe that resonated throughout the audience:
“You can’t expect invisible interest to turn into visible opportunities.”
How to Seek Sponsorship Without It Feeling Transactional
For many women, asking for sponsorship feels awkward: too transactional, too forward, too much like asking for a favor. The panel addressed this head-on.
The key is not to ask for sponsorship directly. Instead, earn it and invite it. The panel shared three questions that open the door without putting anyone on the spot:
- “What would it take for me to be seen as ready?”
- “Where could I demonstrate the next level?”
- “What stretch opportunities do you think I’d be good at?”
These questions shift the conversation from “help me advance” to “help me contribute” and that is a fundamentally different dynamic.
The panel also offered three principles to keep sponsorship grounded and non-transactional: recognition of self-interest (everyone has it), being contribution-motivated, and mutual benefit. When both parties are working toward a shared outcome, the relationship stops being transactional and starts being rooted in common purpose.
How to Become a Sponsor Without Burning Out
The forum was designed for every seat at the table — including leaders who want to sponsor but are not sure where to start.
The panel’s message was clear: sponsorship does not have to be a large or formal commitment. It can start with one act.
“Pick one person on your team who’s doing great work but isn’t getting enough visibility, and say their name in a room that matters. Not just that they’re doing well — but that you want to put them forward for this opportunity. That single act can change someone’s trajectory.”
Another approach offered: create platforms for people to be visible. Let the person who did the work present it to senior leaders. Give someone who has been working behind the scenes the opportunity to speak for themselves.
“You don’t have to be the loudest or the smartest in the room. You need to be focused on being the most impactful.”
For leaders worried about bandwidth, the panel reframed the investment: sponsoring someone is long-term capability building for the organization. It is worth pushing back against the tyranny of the urgent to make space for it — because the return, for the individual and the organization, compounds over time.
Tactical Takeaways: What to Do This Week
The forum closed with specific actions attendees could take before the end of the week:
If you are seeking sponsorship:
- Define what success looks like for you and map a three-to-five year career trajectory.
- Make your aspirations explicit to someone who can help, starting with your immediate leader.
- Identify one underused skill or ability and propose a concrete way to apply it to an organizational outcome. Then have that conversation.
- Ask for exposure, not advancement. Join an ERG or internal council that includes executive sponsors to increase your visibility in a lower-stakes setting.
If you are in a position to sponsor:
- Choose one high-performing person on your team who lacks visibility and advocate for them in a talent or project staffing conversation this week.
- Create a platform for someone to present their own work to senior leaders.
- Ask “who’s not being seen?” in your next leadership conversation.
Thank You to Our Partners
This forum was made possible by the generous support of our partners.
A special thank you to our Presenting Partner, Tier4 Group, for their commitment to advancing women in technology and making conversations like this one possible.
We also extend our gratitude to our Forum Partners:
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Keep the Conversation Going
The discussion guide from this forum is available to help you take these insights further. Share it with your peers, bring it to your internal groups, and use it to keep the momentum going beyond today’s conversation.
WIT Forums are designed to be practical, honest, and immediately actionable. If this conversation resonated with you, we invite you to stay connected and join us at our next event.
Women in Technology (WIT) creates possibilities for more women to explore, pursue, persist, and lead in technology. Learn more at mywit.org.