Melissa Grady was called to marketing at an early age. In grade school, she staged plays complete with commercial breaks. “In second grade I was trying to sell ice to an eskimo,” she recalls.

Today Grady is marketing Cadillacs, which is a little easier, but still full of challenges, especially as the General Motors brand pivots to an all-electric vehicle future. The journey begins with the new Lyriq, which recently began rolling off the assembly line and includes design touches like a jewelry drawer. The brand began building buzz with a 2021 Super Bowl ad starring Timothée Chalamet and Winona Ryder offering a new take on “Edward Scissorhands.”

Cadillac—which plans to go all-EV by 2030—reports that 240,000 consumers have shown interest in the Lyriq. “The world is going all-EV. We are accelerating that,” said Grady, who took the Cadillac global CMO role in 2019. “We believe at Cadillac we are big and bold—that is what our brand is about.”

What advice would you give your younger self? 

Stop worrying so much and go do it!

What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken? 

Moving back to NYC—I gave up almost all my belongings and downsized from a four-story Lincoln Park townhouse in Chicago to a small Manhattan apartment. I just dove into a new life. It was scary but well worth it!

If you weren’t doing your current job, what would you be doing and why? 

I would be helping people to live healthier lives. Our schedules, our jobs, our routines all lead us to be too sedentary physically and mentally, and that stress takes a toll. We all know it, but we don’t change it. I would like to be part of the change.

What should the industry do to encourage more women and people of color into its ranks? 

We need to reach out and have meaningful conversations, be advocates and include the right people in important conversations.

What is the biggest lesson you have taken away from the pandemic? 

Know what is important to your heart and your life. When normalcy is stripped away and you are thinking about survival, you want your base strong and your loved ones close. I am making sure to prioritize those who are important to me and not fall into the easy trap of constant travel and busyness again.