Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | September 30, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 13 PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT OUTSTANDING WOMEN IN BUSINESS AWARDS F O C U S BY LAURA FINALDI Special to WBJ C ynthia Gray has always been drawn to entrepre- neurship. Her father was a business owner, and her parents expected her to succeed. She started working at age 12 and attempts at entrepreneurship in her younger years included a silk-screening T-shirt business and a matchmaking service called the Write Date. "I would get mail from people in pris- on, sent to my home address," she said. "My dad would say 'Why are we getting all these letters from prison?' and I said, 'I'm trying to start this matching thing.'" Although her matchmaking service didn't exactly pan out, Gray eventually found a niche that worked well for her. Cynthia Gray Owner Gray's Analysis, in Worcester Residence: Worcester Education: Bachelor's degree in econom- ics from San Jose State University; Deming Scholars MBA from Fordham University Who is your hero? My father. His journey to the U.S. from the Philippines was filled with obstacles, but that did not stop him from starting a successful computer business. His perseverance and hard work have motivated me to seize every opportunity and to start my own consulting business. Since you started your career, how have things changed for women in the profes- sional world? There is greater awareness and support for work-life balance. Advances in technology have created new opportuni- ties for women in STEM fields, which were traditionally male-dominated. There are more women with higher education degrees, which has led to higher-paying and more diverse career opportunities. What obstacles do women in the work- place face today? Women still earn less than men. On average, women earn about 82 cents for every $1 earned by men. Sexual harassment remains a pervasive issue. Wom- en who take time off to care for their children often find it challenging to re-enter the work- force and regain previous career momentum. She is the founder and owner of Gray's Analysis, a business analytics company where she's hired by firms in a variety of industries to solve complex operational problems. "People flock to her, and people are willing to listen to her because of her expertise. She's willing to work through scenarios and situations so everyone is happy and gets what they want at the end of the day," said Jennifer Jumper, who hired Gray as a consultant for Cambridge life sciences firm Biogen. "I know that when I hire her, she will come in, take control, she will lead and get stuff done." For the past 15 years, Gray has worked frequently with the life sciences industry, getting a front-row seat to life-altering drugs. Working with big businesses like CVS and Motorola wasn't always the goal, however. When Gray started business school, her ultimate aim was to start a nonprofit. "I never intended to work in the corporate world because I didn't believe in the values. I thought they would fire you if you didn't show up once or twice, or if you were late," she said. "But then I had a professor who said, 'Cynthia, we have to put you out of your comfort zone to work at an insurance company. You can help companies do better and treat their employees better.' So I graduated and had tons of offers, and that was when it all started. I realized I had this niche in helping companies improve." Gray's work is based in Six Sigma and lean manufacturing. She goes in, figures out what's holding companies back from operating at their full potential, and fixes it. She's well-known enough in the industry where contracts come to her, she said, and she has to turn down work. Her reputation helps her aer she's been hired, Gray said. "When these vendors see me in there, they know to bring their A game cause they know I know not only the tech as- pect, but the business aspect," she said. Gray's knowledge of both the business and technology sides of life sci- ences makes her a valuable asset when it comes to deploying systems, Jumper said. She's a great listener, and her big personality and competence make peo- ple want to follow her. Outside of work, Gray is a standup comedian. She got into the comedy world seven years ago, and it's become such a big part of her life that it's a separate business at this point. Gray said she started comedy because she needed a hobby. She's organized and performed at charity fundraisers, including at the Worcester JCC and for breast cancer awareness. Gray was young when she moved to Worcester, and at first, she felt like a fish out of water because her bubbly personality was met with New England gruffness. But Worcester has grown on her, and she's grown on Worcester, she said. "It's been such a gem here, and I raised my kids here. People are starting to realize how great Worcester is, and I don't like it because now it's crowded in Target," she said. "But now people who graduate from college and are getting their master's, now they're staying, and that was always the problem. People don't stay, but now they are." A consultant and a comedian, Gray makes businesses better W

• Cover