Bianca Gates is Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Birdies, the company that created a new category of footwear with stylish flats that are secretly slippers. Prior to Birdies, Ms. Gates was a Sales Executive at Facebook/Instagram, where she consulted with retail executives on organizational transformation, helping them leverage new technology, social media, and mobile devices to scale their businesses.

Ms. Gates is passionate about bringing women together to help them achieve their dreams. She started the first Lean In Circle with Sheryl Sandberg, which has now scaled to more than 40,000 Circles globally. She also advises early-stage founders and serves on the board of trustees at The Hamlin School, an all-girls independent school in San Francisco.

Ms. Gates is a graduate of the University of California, Irvine.