Cristina Mancini has had a storied career.
The CEO of nonprofit Black Girls Code worked at 20th Century Studios (previously 20th Century Fox) for more than 13 years, rising to the rank of executive vice president. She then spent more than five years at Salesforce first as chief marketing officer and then chief engagement officer. She was appointed to her current role at BGC in 2023.
“I’ve been really fortunate,” Mancini told CNBC Make It at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in September. “I have had some incredible mentors and sponsors that have helped accelerate my career.”
There is one in particular that stands out, she said: John Herbert, former chief information officer at 20th Century Studios.
‘The IT executive that was assigned to me was not taking me seriously’
In 2015, Mancini was tasked with deepening fan engagement with 20th Century properties, specifically by connecting with fans digitally. But she needed the tech to do that.
“I was struggling because the IT executive that was assigned to me was not taking me seriously,” she said, adding that “I needed technology. I needed to test technology, and he would not help me.”
So she started finding workarounds.
“You will find if you keep doing that, eventually the CIO will come visit you in your office,” she said. “Luckily, instead of penalizing me for that, John asked, what was I trying to accomplish?”
When Herbert understood Mancini’s mission and constraints, he helped her get hold of the tech she needed. “He also introduced me to these tech organizations like HP and Microsoft,” she said. “That led to me really finding my footing in the tech landscape.”
John asked, what was I trying to accomplish?
Cristina Mancini
CEO, Black Girls Code
Without those introductions from Herbert, “I don’t think that I would have been able to be in the Microsoft campus as a marketing executive pitching my fan engagement platform,” she said.
In 2015, HP sponsored a platform for fan engagement in support of the the “Avatar” films.
Mancini believes there is a core difference between mentorship and sponsorship. Mentors hear gripes and help mentees strengthen resumes, she says. A sponsor brings you into the rooms where you can make connections yourself.
That’s what Herbert did for her, she says.
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