The Overnight CEO
A Story of Adversity, Grit, and Turning Lemons into Lemonade
The Overnight CEO is the memoir of a nurse–turned–corporate leader who channeled resilience and overcame hardships.
Ladeira Poonian’s uplifting memoir The Overnight CEO is about leading a pioneering technology company.
In the 1990s, Poonian was a trauma nurse. Her husband, Amrik, designed software that later pervaded the manufacturing sector. Following Amrik’s abrupt death and motivated by her desire to honor his life and be the custodian of his legacy, she shifted her career focus, running a business she had no experience with. She also began raising her son on her own, channeling resilience and overcoming hardships. In the office, she navigated an environment that was unfriendly to women, fended off a venture capitalist attempt to oust her, and proved her skeptics wrong.
While Amrik’s sudden death from arteriosclerosis is described in too-graphic detail, the book does an able job of covering its aftermath. Poonian recalls buying a new work wardrobe and pulling into the company parking lot for the first time; she also reminisces on how she and Amrik met, their courtship, and their life together. Details about why she decided to become a nurse, what it was like to grow up in Trinidad, and how she faced discrimination all help to flesh her out.
Though its perspective is dominated by interiority, the text is inviting and clear. Poonian writes about working to ensure the best possible future for her son and to see her husband’s work to fruition. Candor about what she is thinking and feeling as she navigated an unfamiliar and challenging environment amplifies its appeal, as when she records her instinctual responses to an existential threat to the company: She panicked at first, not wanting to let anyone see her concerns, and was consumed by dark visions of worst-case scenarios.
Less vulnerable but also edifying are memories about how Poonian’s sales team had to dispel rumors of bankruptcy as “the optics of having a former obstetrics nurse at the helm of a high-tech and mission-critical software company did not help move us forward.” When the company teetering on the edge, she saw “the scowl coming to take the place of [a] friendly smile.” Self-deprecating humor vivifies even the business-focused scenes, supporting the book’s universal insights on topics like confronting adversity with pluck and resolve. Ultimately, the book is a testament to how Poonian persevered, making the most of conflicts as a means to learn and grow.
An earnest memoir, The Overnight CEO is about being thrust into a corporate leadership role and determining that failure is not an option.
Reviewed by
Joseph S. Pete
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
