Meet the 35-year-old tech exec helping chart DoorDash’s future—after a rapid rise to become one of Amazon’s youngest female VPs ever

Today, Parisa Sadrzadeh is a top exec at the $87 billion food-delivery giant DoorDash, leading new initiatives aimed at strengthening restaurants and retailers’ businesses inside their existing four walls—and guiding the recent decision to make a billion-dollar acquisition to boost those efforts.

But about 15 years ago, she was a young college graduate with an English degree and dreams of a big future in journalism. Until a bit of luck, and a whole lot of betting on herself set the stage...