On this episode of The CEO Series, we got a front-row seat to leadership lessons from Stan Chia, CEO and Board Director of Vivid Seats. Vivid Seats is an online ticket marketplace that did over $500 million in 2022. Stan shared amazing insights into running a huge company with over 500 employees, and his personal passions outside the boardroom that keep him energized and engaged.

Below are some highlights from our conversation, which you can see in the full video above.

The best aspect of being a CEO

“For me, the best part of being a CEO is getting to work in an industry that you love and with people that you love every day. It’s a privilege to set the direction and vision of the company.”

On his career path

“I grew up thinking I wanted to be an aerospace engineer. I loved space shuttles and the concept of going to space. I was born in Singapore and grew up in New York. After high school, I was required to go back and serve in Singapore’s military. I did that for about three years. I was very fearful, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences I’ve had in terms of formulating who I am. After that, I had the opportunity to study industrial engineering at Georgia Tech. Part of this journey helped me realize that I didn’t think a specialized field was something that I wanted to do. So I pivoted into a more general space that allowed me to see more of the world, see more businesses and industries and I eventually landed here at Vivid Seats.”

On the power of diversity

“My skills as a leader stem from an ability to learn, listen, understand and appreciate the diversity of culture. Singapore is a wonderful, multicultural society with lots of different folks who call it home. That great melding of cultures I think helped define a lot of who I am today. I’ve had the opportunity to go and try to build diverse teams wherever I’ve worked, and I’m super proud of the fact that when you look at our leadership team at the C-suite level, we’ve got more than 50 percent female leaders. And when you look at the board that we’ve put together at Vivid Seats, we came out of the gate with a majority diverse board.”

On his personal motivation

“The people who I am privileged to lead motivate me. You know it’s that old military phrase, that you go to battle with them every day. You’ve got to love the troops you’re with and I love the team that we’ve got here, and, of course, the family that supports me in the background. Wanting to do a good job for all of them motivates me. And ultimately really believing in the mission of what Vivid Seats is, and that’s to make sure that everybody gets to experience and see those things that they love live.”

Check out more profiles of innovative and impactful leaders by visiting The CEO Series archives.