Cesiah Kessler

Cesiah Kessler is used to the nay-sayers, those who assume she can’t achieve her goals simply because she is too young. And she’s proved them wrong at every turn.

Kessler was recruited for a financial analyst position at Manpower from a similar role in the travel industry, and quickly became the first person at Manpower ever to move from an HQ role to sales. About five years ago, she took on responsibility for the $50 million Texas region; nearly a year ago, her scope expanded to overseeing the $250 million South Central territory as regional VP.

She recently joined 34 other Manpower stars from around the world for a week with Manpower’s executive leadership in its Emerging Leader Experience program. The purpose of the program — Kessler’s was the second group to participate — is to introduce participants to the industry from a global perspective, discuss the company’s vision and to put them in positions to learn about their own leadership skills.

Kessler is chair of the Austin Workforce Solutions Board, and helped create a plan to focus on growing talent for the increased demand of middle-skilled jobs in the area. She has spoken at events for groups such as the Austin HR association and the National Workforce Board. She is also an executive sponsor for Manpower’s initiative to help employers find the right talent based on the competitive workforce market.