Name: The Power of Sponsorship & Networks (AMER)
Start: 2026-04-09T17:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-04-09T18:15:00+01:00

AMER

WeQual Rising Leaders: The Power of Sponsorship & Networks

Talent and hard work are not enough. If no one is advocating for you when decisions are made, your impact remains limited. Performance builds credibility. Sponsorship builds opportunity.

Many high-performing rising leaders stall not from lack of capability, but from lack of visible sponsorship. The gap isn’t performance – it’s advocacy, access, and strategic connection.

In this session, you’ll explore how influence is built at senior levels: through the right relationships, the right signals, and behavior which gains senior leaders’ trust. Not informal networking. Not self-promotion. Strategic credibility.

We’ll examine how decision-makers truly assess potential, why some leaders attract backing while others plateau, and what quietly limits access, even for top performers. Grounded in lived-executive experience, this session is direct, practical, and immediately applicable.

Without visible sponsorship, even strong performance may go unnoticed. This session shows you how to expand your influence deliberately and credibly.

By the end of this session, you will be equipped to:

Demonstrate leadership behaviors senior leaders’ support
Build relationships that create access to opportunity
Influence decisions beyond your formal remit
Build and activate a strategic sponsorship plan

By the end, you will know whose advocacy meaningfully shapes your trajectory and how to earn it.

Sherry Cassano – Senior Vice President, People Experience, Pfizer
Sherry brings extensive senior HR and leadership experience across global organizations, with expertise in talent strategy, stakeholder influence, and organizational transformation. She offers practical insights on navigating power dynamics, building visibility, and turning advocacy into meaningful career impact.

Sherry Cassano

Senior Vice President, People Experience

Pfizer

Sherry Cassano is a senior human resources executive with deep experience in talent strategy, organizational transformation, and building high-performing cultures across complex global organizations. Known for her skill in navigating power dynamics and turning visibility into meaningful career-shaping advocacy, she combines expertise in leadership development, people experience, and stakeholder influence with a pragmatic focus on outcomes and engagement.

Sherry’s leadership spans diverse sectors and global teams, where she has developed leaders, shaped strategic decisions, and championed initiatives that enhance performance and organizational impact. Her approach combines strategic insight with practical execution and a strong commitment to authentic, inclusive leadership.

Ovin Mohan

WeQual

Director of Leadership Development

Ovin has coached more than 1,000 senior leaders from the world’s largest organizations – from Apple and HSBC to NATO and Christie’s – helping them lead with clarity, confidence, and renewed focus. Known by clients as “exceptional”, “brilliant”, and “amazing”, his coaching is both challenging and deeply human.

A former athlete and Head of Leadership Development in the UK’s largest management institute, Ovin combines performance psychology with practical leadership habits that drive real results. He’s lived and worked across London, Chicago, New York, and Valencia, bringing a global perspective to every conversation.

In this session, Ovin helps leaders step back from constant delivery to reconnect with their purpose and priorities – a vital reset for sustained impact.