When you think of Facebook, the most prominent name associated with the brand is undoubtedly Founder & CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.  While his story and rise to success have been publicized in novels and films; Facebook’s COO has only recently come into the spotlight.  Although Sheryl Sandberg has been a key player in Facebook’s growth since 2008, she has largely been “behind-the-scenes” of the social network.  However, she recently made a significant career move outside of Facebook which is likely to help make her a household name, as well.

This year, Sheryl published her first book entitled, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Leadin which she discusses the roles of women in business leadership.  As one of the most successful businesswomen in the world, Sheryl discusses the importance of women in business and offers insightful and empowering advice to professionals.  Earlier this week, Sheryl was featured at an event hosted by the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce which I attended on behalf of WebiMax.  During the presentation, she introduced her story to many business owners and executives in the region.

During the event, Sheryl spoke about Facebook and her role in the company.  As Chief Operations Officer, she has had a hand in many of the innovations pioneered by network over the past several years, including Open Graph search and the Timeline feature, among others.  Under her guidance, Facebook has become not only the world’s largest social network, but one of the most prevalent advertising and marketing outlets in the world which only continues to grow.

Professional Insights & The Future of Facebook
From a personal perspective, this event was very rewarding.  Sheryl’s journey to the top of the corporate world was certainly arduous and her story is inspirational.

Surprisingly, I learned that the story of her growth as a professional parallels the growth of Facebook in many ways.  From somewhat humble beginnings to international recognition, both Sheryl Sandberg and Facebook have experienced success which is certain to continue in the years ahead.