Marissa Vidaurri, Senior Director, Investor Relations at NI (National Instruments)
Marissa serves as the primary interface to the investment community and is responsible for overseeing NI’s holistic investor relations strategy. In this role, she establishes credibility and consistent engagement with sell-side analysts, shareholders, and potential shareholders to ensure clarity of the company’s vision, long-term growth potential, and profitability. With more than 20 years of global finance and communications experience, Marissa has unique skills across several disciplines and looks to incorporate clear, value-add strategies to business challenges. Her expertise includes corporate-level messaging, governance, financial modeling, drivers of valuation, M&A communication, competitive analysis, and leading high-impact cross-functional teams.
With a passion to bring STEM to the underserved, she previously served on the development committee for Thinkery, a children’s museum in Austin. She is also a current member of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) Senior Roundtable. Marissa holds a bachelor’s degree in speech communications with a business minor from the University of Texas at Austin.
Q: Why do you choose to spend your time mentoring others?
A: Looking back, I wish I had mentors earlier in my career. It wasn't until halfway through my journey that I had mentors truly invested in my growth which led to a stronger trajectory in my career opportunities. I want to offer that same level of support to others working to drive their career forward.
Q: What do you personally gain from mentoring?
A: I've always been a good listener and trusted advisor with my friends and family. Mentoring gives me the opportunity to use those traits to help professionals at an individual level. Sometimes you need a sounding board to talk things through and an outside perspective removed from the situation to reach the best decision.
Q: To what do you attribute your success?
A: First, my drive and goal-oriented attitude. I am never afraid to put in the hard work, but I need to know what I am working toward. What are the priorities that I should be focusing on to achieve my career goals? And once I achieve a goal, I am on to the next.
I also attribute my success to my family. Seeing them work hard to achieve success gives me the drive to want more in my career. My mom is a retired elementary school teacher. She always made education a priority. My grandfather was the Dean of students at Texas A&I Kingsville, before it was Texas A&M. He helped so many students get scholarships or financial aid to go to college. I grew up hearing so many stories of how each of them used education to make an impact in their community.
Q: What does good mentoring look like to you?
A: Good mentoring starts by creating a safe space with your mentee. Take the time to really listen and learn about the individual so you better understand their personal goals. I believe a mentor’s job is to guide and support by listening, asking questions, and sharing experiences. It is not about telling a person what to do but rather asking the tough questions to help them get to the best outcome. Offering a different perspective through sharing experiences. In the end, the individual must drive their own career aspirations.
It's also important for a mentor to stay positive. We will all go through challenges in our jobs and personal life. It is important to remember these tough times are temporary. Conveying this to your mentee is important so they know it is possible to come out stronger on the other side of a difficult situation.
Q: How has mentoring impacted your own journey?
A: I am very fortunate to have several strong mentors. I have learned so much from each of them. For example, what it means to be a leader, the importance of professionalism, collaboration, and trust in working relationships. They call me out when I am wrong and push me out of my comfort zone which gives me the confidence to try new things. Because of their support, I continue to surprise myself with what I can accomplish. Now, I have this network of strong career professionals who I can call on at any time.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in becoming a mentor?
A: Make the time. There is so much value to be shared in just a few hours of your day. You are helping others learn from your mistakes in addition to your successes and giving them support to navigate challenges to create their own path to success. The few hours you put in are multiplied in terms of the impact that you can make in someone’s career.
Q: Why do you choose to mentor with Ceresa?
A: I was looking for an organization where I could make an impact at an individual level. The ability to share both my personal and career experiences was important. Ceresa did such an amazing job at matching me with an individual that is so relatable. We clicked from our very first conversation. As I heard her share more about herself, I thought, I've been there. My mentoring experience has been very rewarding, and I will continue to invest my time in this community of professionals.
Mentorship: integral to the Ceresa whole-person approach
At Ceresa, mentorship is an integral part of our leadership development process. The mentor-mentee relationship is a key component in providing the structure, and at the same time fluidity, necessary to facilitate pointed leadership and career growth for both the participant and the mentor.