Sabrina Horn Sabrina Horn
President
The Horn Group

Sabrina Horn founded The Horn Group (HGI) in 1991. She has extensive experience in public relations representing both start-ups and large publicly-traded technology companies. At HGI, she provides strategic counsel to all clients, and oversees all operations and business development.

Prior to founding The Horn Group, she held senior account management positions with Blanc & Otus Public Relations and Edelman Public Relations, both in San Francisco.

Horn holds an M.S. in public relations from Boston University and a B.A. in American studies from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY. She has authored several research papers including "Public Relations for Emerging Growth Technology Companies," and "Advertising in the People's Republic of China."

Horn is a noted industry speaker, has been named to the Silicon Valley Hall of Fame and earned the national award for "Best Employer" from Working Woman magazine in 1998. The Horn Group is an Inc. 500 company and works with market-leading software and services technology companies.


1. What was your first job in technology?
Edelman Public Relations, Account Executive, San Francisco office, working for Management Science America, 1983.

2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
My parents.

3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome obstacles?
Trying to please everyone all the time. I was chasing my tail. I learned the hard way that it is more important for people to respect their CEO than to love their CEO, and that sometimes you have make tough decisions that may be unpopular, but are the right business decisions in the long run. The other lesson I've learned over time is to refrain from knee jerk reactions to urgent issues and crises. A person's true leadership comes out in how they put these type of situations into a broader context and perspective, without jumping the gun, and then carefully and thoughtfully making the right decision.

4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
My father.

5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their careers in technology?
Life is not about achieving balance, but about making the right choices at the right time. There is no glass-ceiling, the only thing stopping women from getting ahead is a self-fulfilling prophecy that that they can't get ahead because of barriers in front of them. Just get around them. Try not to get too emotional in business settings - it does hurt credibility, but let your hair down every once in a while so people see you are real and have feelings.

6. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?
The internet will have the most positive impact. The convergence of humans and computers may have a negative impact in 20 years.

On a lighter note:

1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?

Carly Fiorina, CEO, Hewlett-Packard -- she's a very successful female CEO.
Both sets of my grandparents - I've never met them and they passed away before I was born. It would be nice to get to know those roots.

2. What was the last book you read? What books do you love to recommend?
"The Wedding," by Danielle Steele (once a summer, you've just got to do it). I am also currently reading "What To Expect in the Toddler Years." I recommend good business books and espionage.

3. If you couldn't do what you are doing now, what profession would you choose?
Acting in, directing and producing movies that win Oscars.

4. What is your definition of success?
A clear conscience, personal happiness, employees and clients who want to be associated with the Horn Group, making people happy, laugh and feel good about themselves, doing a high quality job, earning a good pay check.

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