Designing Global Systems That Work: A Conversation With Stephanie Zabriskie

Stephanie Zabriskie is a global finance and development executive and nonprofit founder whose work spans luxury destination development, public-private partnerships, and Indigenous-led humanitarian systems. We sat down with her to talk about building billion-dollar projects, navigating cross-cultural environments, and why empathy is an underrated business strategy.

Under30CEO:

You’ve built a career leading major international developments. How did you first enter the world of global finance and destination development?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

I started in finance very young, before I graduated from university. I was hired on an hourly wage to build spreadsheets for a small executive team working on large, complex land development deals and acquisition valuations. The company was handling significant scope and volume, so I took on responsibility immediately and had to learn fast.

In that role, I realized my financial models were shaped by land planning, design, engineering, policy, and community dynamics. So I read everything I could. I would stay late at the office studying contracts, feasibility studies, planning documents, and anything I could access. It wasn’t in my job description, but I wanted to understand how everything was connected and what actually drove risk and opportunity.

After completing my degrees in Business and Managerial Economics, that same curiosity propelled me into leadership roles in global real estate and luxury destination development. I eventually became Managing Director for major projects, including Albany in The Bahamas and Harmony Cove in Jamaica, leading strategy, capital planning, infrastructure, public-private partnerships, and complex multinational negotiations.

I’ve managed projects and negotiations across the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, and the U.S., which taught me that strong financial performance depends on understanding integrated disciplines and interconnected systems.

Under30CEO:

You’ve mentioned Harmony Cove as a formative leadership experience. What made it impactful?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Harmony Cove is a large-scale destination development involving multinational partners and highly technical design and engineering work. While I was still living in The Bahamas, the Jamaica project came back with an unfavorable cost estimate. I was asked to shift my focus to the project and help determine how to bring it back in line with planning and expectations.

I went back to the U S to meet with architects and then to China to meet with the construction and engineering team. Flying constantly, meeting all the different disciplines face to face to understand their perspective and how each element was shaping cost and complexity.

I spent a lot of time in Beijing, working with a large, highly skilled team that was incredibly knowledgeable and kind. The language barrier was real for everyone, and all of us were intentional about ensuring clarity and understanding, not just surface-level direction. That takes time and repetition.

One late night, after a long day of meetings, I realized something that needed to change immediately. Being physically present allowed me to see the reality of my Beijing colleagues’ lives. After work, many had long bus rides home, some up to two hours. When we held 9:00 p m China time calls with the U S ( 9:00 a m Eastern), engineers and analysts were not getting home until close to midnight. They were commuting in freezing winter conditions, then returning early the next morning to produce complex technical work with minimal rest.

No one was complaining, but I could see that human exhaustion was driving inefficiency and slowing the design and costing process.

So I flipped the schedule. The U S team took calls in their evenings so the engineers could work normal hours. It was not convenient for everyone, but our U S counterparts had cars, lived close to work, and could take calls from home. The China team did not have that flexibility.

Immediately, we saw fewer errors, faster timelines, and more accurate design output. As leaders, we often underestimate how small structural decisions change outcomes. In this case, a calendar adjustment created immediate efficiency for a billion-dollar project.

It reinforced something I have believed ever since. Creating real efficiency requires flexible systems designed with humans at the center. You cannot expect high performance from people who lack clarity and rest, at least not for long.

Under30CEO:

How has building large-scale international projects shaped your leadership approach?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Working across countries and cultures shaped my leadership more than any technical challenge. Large projects require financial and strategic clarity, but they also require an ability to listen and understand how people operate within their own cultural values, expectations, and constraints.

In places like China and in many cultures with long histories, relationships come before the transaction. Respect is shown by taking time to listen, learning how people express agreement or hesitation, and understanding what is considered honorable or dismissive. When people feel comfortable, they speak more openly about challenges and solutions.

My leadership approach focuses on listening first. Clear plans and transparency matter, and meaningful results come from environments where people can communicate honestly and solve problems together. Performance improves when people understand each other, communicate clearly, and work within systems that make sense for how they actually do their jobs. This sounds obvious, but in many business environments, speed is prioritized over quality communication, which creates friction and ultimately slows work down. Productive teams spend a little time aligning upfront so that execution is faster, cleaner, and less draining for everyone involved.

Under30CEO:

You eventually founded Humanculture. Was that a pivot or a continuation of your work?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

It was a continuation.

I started spending time in remote communities in Africa outside of work. The intelligence, creativity, and societal organization were so impressive. I remember thinking on the first day I spent with the Maasai people in Tanzania, this is how humans are meant to be living with one another. Then, I learned about the severe challenges of accessing water and the drought conditions that have escalated in recent years, making survival during half of the year unbelievably harsh.

I felt that my same toolkit for building flexible systems and organizing people could support resource access for the Maasai community, who, over time, have had that access reduced by outside forces beyond their control.

Humanculture is an Indigenous-led nonprofit focused on water access, food systems, education, and women’s health and economic autonomy, with local leadership setting the priorities. It is the result of global business infrastructure applied to local needs, while preserving culture and agency.

Under30CEO:

How do you approach development differently from traditional nonprofits?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

I show up, in person, knowing that I do not have the answers. I am there to learn, and together we explore ideas and solutions that I might be aware of and that people in remote places with limited access to the modern world may not know about.

Humanculture is built on partnership and participation, not prescription. We focus on creating access to the resources and networks that enable investment in Indigenous sustainable ways of life.

A simple way to say it: We support people in building what they already know is needed, rather than imposing what outsiders think should be done.

Under30CEO:

What connects business, culture, and development in your work?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Systems built around people.

Strategy creates systems that support connection and efficiency.

Culture sustains communication and gives people a shared vision.

We do not need to choose between economic outcomes and human outcomes. We can design systems that work for both. The question is, “What works for the people?”

Under30CEO:

You’ve worked with governments, global corporations, and remote communities. What have you learned about building effective organizations?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

A few principles show up everywhere.

1. Strategy without empathy breaks under pressure.
2. Empathy without structure struggles to act.
3. People benefit from clarity more than motivation.
4. Consistency builds trust better than authority ever could.
5. Systems that respect people outlast those that exploit them.

Great leadership is often emotional architecture.

Under30CEO:

What advice would you give young entrepreneurs building global companies?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Three things to really consider are:

1. Be a problem solver, not just a product builder. Products change, problems persist.
2. Do not outsource understanding. Go where the work happens. Your effectiveness will improve immediately.
3. Learn to navigate the unfamiliar. Legal systems, cultural norms and communication styles matter. There is no universal approach to global business.

Operating globally is less about intelligence and more about adaptability. Know that you know nothing.

Under30CEO:

What still motivates you after two decades in high-pressure environments?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Building systems that thrive without me.

Whether it is a remote village gaining food security or a luxury resort being designed for an optimal guest experience, I am interested in creating systems that are financially viable, culturally relevant, and environmentally intelligent. Systems that function on their own.

Under30CEO:

What’s next for you?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Scaling what works.

Expanding Humanculture’s reach.

Continuing the never-boring work where architecture, economics, and culture intersect.

Different contexts, same toolkit, same me.

Under30CEO:

If you had to summarize your business philosophy in one line, what would it be?

Stephanie Zabriskie:

Real efficiency comes from sustainable systems that are human-centered, flexible by design, and built to serve the people.

www.stephaniezabriskie.com

www.humanculture.org

Photo by NASA; Unsplash