IT Wondrous Women™ recaps CQ1 & CQ2:22's 25 powerhouse leaders...
August 31, 2022 • 5 Minute Read
A look back at CQ1 & CQ2:22's twenty five game-changing, inspirational, and powerhouse leaders featured in our IT Wondrous Women™ blog series located in nine countries.
With the first half of this year closed, we look back at the twenty five game-changing, inspirational, and powerhouse leaders we spotlighted in our IT Wondrous Women™ blog series. These leaders are located in China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Norway, Singapore, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We have compiled highlights from their spotlights of what drives them to redefine success and lead the way in a consumption era.
Enjoy this recap of these powerhouse leaders!
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
This is an outstanding group of women with many talents. Some of the things their business colleagues don’t know about them include:
Reading Tarot, winning Best Paper Award as a researcher, competitive ice skater, DJed while in college, and acted in a Singapore local TV drama.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you fly annually?
Most of these women are hardcore road warriors. They average over 29k flight miles (46.6k KM) annually. The highest was 325k miles (523k KM); the lowest 2k (3.2k KM). Collectively, these road warriors fly over 700k miles (1.1MM KM) annually.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten, and what city/location did you eat it?
These Wondrous Women demonstrate their bravery and enjoyment for local delicacies through their adventurous tastes. Some unusual delicacies of note include Rocky Mountain Oysters (USA), snake (Tahiti), raw pork mince sandwich (Germany), ant eggs (Mexico), sheep’s head (Norway), duck blood (China), and live octopus (Korea).
Their Careers
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements, or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
Several of our favorite experiences, achievements, or failures shared include:
“Starting a movement in Singapore to progress women in the workplace in 2016. I learnt a really big lesson in the power of 1 and the ripple effect we all have the power to create. This movement is now a non-profit company with over 4000 men, women, others that have impacted individuals who continue to impact others.” [Uma Balasingam (VMware, Singapore)]
“Other experiences include working with technology and bringing it together with humanitarian work to bridge the gap between the two. I currently work with UNICEF and Parkinson’s Scotland to identify and help children on the edge of care, and to use iPhones to remind those who have Parkinson’s disease to take their medication at a certain time, or tracking disease progression for consultants to adapt care plans, there are so many ways technology can be used for good.” [Jude McCorry (SBRC, Scotland)]
“I had the chance to work in radio when I was very young. We had absolutely breath-taking opportunities - from interviewing really interesting and unique people, taking part in documentaries and winning national awards with a team, and also I had my own series. That experience has been fundamental since then to my taking a risk on young people always.” [Mandy Haeburn-Little (Business Resilience International Management, Scotland)]
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
Nearly every woman had one or more formal or informal mentors who have helped them along the way. Here’s what a few said about them:
“One of the biggest lessons I learned was from my boss and mentor in France. Coming from Japan, I had a phenomenal culture shock when I continued to lead in the Japanese style without much understanding into how French do business. My boss took me for a 3 hour coffee catch-up to coach me on how the most important trait of a leader is to listen, observe, understand, and leverage the working culture rather than judge it.” [Imane Jamal Eddine (Microsoft, Singapore)]
“Yes, I have been incredibly lucky to have many mentors in my career and continue to seek them out as I believe that we must continually seek people who will hold you accountable. I have learned so many lessons, but one that sticks out from a peer in reference to presenting to an e-staff audience, he advised, 'be bold, be brief, be gone’. Brilliant and tangible advice.” [Samara Halterman (Pure Storage, USA)]
“The CEO at my very first job played a very important part and influenced my future career. He was a very empathic leader and showed me that you didn’t need to be intimidating in order to be a strong leader. He also believed in me when I was uncertain of my own abilities.” [Angeliqua Ramming Gaden (Experis, Norway)]
Walking In Their Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Every woman offered valuable career advice gained on their professional journey that they wish they knew as a young professional. Several notable pieces of advice include:
“When making choices about your career, don’t think too long into the future. The best choices are the ones made with confidence in where you are now and in the nearest future, not what could be right in five to ten years.” [Anette Brurås (Tietoevry, Norway)]
“Be you, authentically you, don’t let people change the best parts of you. Be the best version of you that you want the world to see….and don’t change for anyone. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard that I shouldn't expose my feelings at work, I would be rich.” [Sara Avery (Zscaler, USA)]
“I would remind my younger self that we work to live, we don’t live to work. I would encourage her to make space for a life outside of work and to not feel guilty about enjoying it.” [Shinie Shaw (VMware, USA)]
“Take 5 more minutes or even overnight before making a decision or stepping in to help. Gut feelings are often correct, but by giving things a little more time to work themselves out, you might find a solution presents itself, or you give others the chance to shine.” [Angela Rieu-Clarke (Waracle, Scotland)]
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
The power of these leaders includes a strong commitment to making time and being a resource for budding professionals. Here’s how a few of them set the standard:
“I love acting as a mentor for people just starting out. The best way I’ve found to help folks early in their careers is to listen. Really creating space to listen to others’ contributions highlights their superpowers, as well as the areas where I can offer support.” [Hilary Doe (NationBuilder, USA)]
“I team-up with them, both taking time to coach and listen to their views and ways of work. I have lots to learn from people just starting their careers, and I try to share my experience through concrete examples and tools. Also, I’m always open to discuss, and love walk’n’talks.” [Mette Roald (Vipps, Norway)]
“For my team, career development is a key focus. We discuss and plan for exposure, training and opportunities that support their career aspiration. Outside of work, I give guest lectures and am open to conversations on Linkedin.” (Zoe Lou (Meta, Hong Kong)]
“Give advice and directions to them. At the same time, to reserve room for their own self- development.” [Amy Chow (Check Point Software Technologies, Hong Kong)]
Today's Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Each woman shared notable projects they have been working on over the years. Here’s a glimpse of what a few of them have been up to:
“I’ve been interpreting for Tsinghua University FMBA’s study tours at MIT since before the pandemic. The tour offered an eye-opening exposure to many great professors and their latest research, as well as projects being incubated on campus.” [Helen Chang (Freelance, China)]
“Outbound' travel opportunity, from market sizing, strategy conceptualisation, and a global pilot programme roll-out. It was invaluable experience to witness an idea turning into reality and making a lasting impact.” [June Boo (LinkedIn, Singapore)]
“To be honest, I find that hard to say. I think the most interesting part of my job is that it is so diverse. Running events (physical or virtual), campaigns, driving demand generation, sales enablement, PR & Brand Awareness, working with channel & alliance partners, and different agencies. That’s what I find most interesting and energizing.” [Ilona van Ginkel (Trend Micro, The Netherlands)]
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Every leader knows skills development is a life-long process… Some of the skills they are developing for the digital economy include:
“To me, self-development is important! A few include: how I communicate internally and externally; understanding technology now and for the future; and the movements of our partners and what that means for our business and our customers. I also want to understand more about people, their backgrounds, beliefs, cultures and how to be more inclusive.” [Vikki Mitchell (World Wide Technology, United Kingdom)]
“As far as hard skills go, I’m digging deep into learning about SaaS models—that’s where the future of our company is. On the soft skills side, I’m still learning to let go of the need to be perfect. I love that saying, ‘Perfection is the enemy of progress’.” [Magdeleine Bourgoin (VMware, France)]
“With company growth comes internationalization, so there is always something to keep up with in order to get an understanding of both new colleagues and markets. A lot of it has to do with communication and culture – and you never stop learning.” [Dr. Yvonne Bernard (Hornetsecurity, Germany)]
“Open your mind to new things, be keen to learn, accept change and adapt with your business model; don't get sentimental about the old. Give the team confidence in their abilities and set the framework and goals.” [Daniela Schilling (Vogel IT Academy, Germany)]
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Our Wonderous Women wrapped up their blog responses with their greatest business challenges today. A few favorites include:
“A compelling team vision that clearly defines and communicates the strategic direction.” [Lydia Huang (Lenovo, China)]
“Ones that will be probably familiar to others are team retention, competitive differentiation and operational effectiveness – the market is so dynamic and fast-paced. How you retain staff and attract customers is a constant focus.” [Faith Wheller (Intuit, United Kingdom)]
“The greatest business challenge I face is creating partnerships with companies in the context of Brexit and the new EU VAT reform of 2021. These legislative complexities play an integral role in the way in which I can create business relationships. My goal is to rise to the challenge and overcome the obstacles I face, with the ongoing support of Taxdoo and through my own strengths and talent.” [Courtney Pullen (Taxdoo, Germany)]
“Serve growing customers with existing resources.” [Pinky Jia (Lenovo, China)]
*The twenty five participants in CQ1:22 and CQ2:22 are listed below with links to their blog post.
CQ1:22 & CQ2:22’s IT Wondrous Women Participants
Amy Chow, Country Manager, Hong Kong & Macau, Check Point Software Technologies (Hong Kong)
Anette Brurås, Head of Delivery and Operational Excellence, Tietoevry (Norway)
Angela Rieu-Clarke, Chief People Officer, Waracle (Scotland)
Angeliqua Ramming Gaden, Senior Nordic Partner Development Manager, AWS (Norway)
Courtney Pullen, Country Manager UK, Taxdoo (Germany)
Daniela Schilling, Director, Vogel IT Academy (Germany)
Faith Wheller, Marketing Director, Intuit Quickbooks UK, Intuit (United Kingdom)
Helen Chang, Conference Interpreter, Freelance (China)
Hilary Doe, President, NationBuilder (USA)
Ilona van Ginkel, Head of Marketing Netherlands, Trend Micro (The Netherlands)
Imane Jamal Eddine, Chief Customer Success Officer, Microsoft Singapore, Microsoft (Singapore)
Jude McCorry, CEO, Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) (Scotland)
June Boo, Head of Asia Business, LinkedIn Sales Solutions, LinkedIn (Singapore)
Lydia Huang, Executive Director, CSP Development, Lenovo (China)
Magdeleine Bourgoin, Vice President of Worldwide Strategy & Sales Acceleration, VMware (France)
Mandy Haeburn-Little, Executive Chair, Business Resilience International Management (BRIM) (Scotland)
Mette Roald, Head of Products & Portfolio Strategy, Vipps (Norway)
Pinky Jia, Director for System Development of Lenovo Infrastructure, Lenovo (China)
Samara Halterman, Global head of Partner Marketing, Pure Storage (USA)
Sara Avery, Regional Sales Manager, Zscaler (USA)
Shinie Shaw, Senior Director of Networking & Security Strategy and Planning, VMware (USA)
Uma Balasingam, Vice President, Partner & Organization, Asia Pacific & Japan, VMware (Singapore)
Vikki Mitchell, Senior Global Partner Manager, World Wide Technology (United Kingdom)
Yvonne Bernard, Chief Technology Officer, Hornetsecurity (Germany)
Zoe Lou, Director, Global Business Marketing, Greater China, Meta (Hong Kong)
About IT Wondrous Women blog series.
The IT Wondrous Women blog series showcases top and emerging technology industry leaders from around the world, all of whom are women! Some of these women are well known in the IT industry while others have “roots” in the technology market with roles in corporate customers or non-profit organizations. Each has the same thing in common: they are driving game-changing success.
Each of these women are expanding the future of the IT industry and opportunities for women through their prowess, intelligence, and impact. They are also inspiring those who will stand on their shoulders.
All participants in this blog series answer the same set of questions, which provides a glimpse into their careers and backgrounds and, more importantly, what makes them such wondrous and inspirational leaders!
