IT Wondrous Women™ recaps CQ3's 20 game changing women...
October 7, 2021 • 2 Minute Read
Twenty women* participated in our IT Wondrous Women™ blog series in CQ3:21. They are phenomenal leaders, mentors, and role models. They are located in Australia, England, Denmark, and the United States.
During this quarter, we recognized the 100th woman named to our IT Wondrous Women blog series, Debbie Dunnam! What an amazing leader!
This recap of our favorite responses (“soundbytes”) to our blog series questions are below. Learn from them and enjoy!
With CQ3:21 closed, we look back on the game-changing, inspiring, and fabulous leaders we spotlighted in our IT Wondrous Women™ blog series over the last quarter. Key highlights of what drives these women to redefine success and elevate the “next normal” is the backbone for all 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:
Retired professional dancer for the NFL and NBA; Virtual half marathon runner; Pool shark; Team member for the US Field Hockey Masters team; Former classical pianist.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you fly annually?
Most of these women are road warriors. They average 122.5k flight miles annually. The highest was 400k miles; the lowest 25k. Collectively, these road warriors fly over 1 million miles annually.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten, and what city/location did you eat it?
These Wondrous Women demonstrate their enjoyment for local delicacies through their adventurous tastes. Some unusual delicacies of note include fried scorpion (China), sago grubs (Myanmar), raw horse (Japan), reindeer (Sweden), Magiritsa soup made from lamb offal (Greece), and whale (Iceland).
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:
“Moving from Europe to the US in my twenties with no job and no work permit taught me that you can take a risk, get creative and work around obstacles even when they look insurmountable at first.” (Karine Elsen)
“Working in non-profit with Kids that had special needs taught me to be patient and accepting of all people and that for each day that you are alive be GREATFUL.” (Dana Testa)
“With an undergraduate degree in Medieval & Renaissance literature, I went on to law school... to practice environmental law. Upon arrival was told I would… be prosecuting homicide and working with forensic pathologists, crime lab technicians and state police officers.” (Edna Conway)
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 best pieces of advice I’ve gotten was to be proactive about getting the most out of every position I hold, and to constantly ask for more opportunities to learn and improve my skills.” (Gabrielle Hase)
“One great piece of advice from a mentor when starting a new role: How would you want your team to describe your legacy after this role? Then, strive to achieve it.” (Louise Runyard)
“My boss’ boss was so different in how he approached product, markets and strategy… It really helped me to rethink how I lead and how I bring organizations on journeys.” (Melissa Murray Bailey)
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:
“Take MORE risks sooner, do things that challenge and scare you, and believe in yourself. You have skills, expertise and a voice that you should use.” (Debbie Dunnam)
“I wish I would have understood the power of having a unique perspective and being my authentic self earlier because once I embraced this, I became a much better and more successful leader.” (Rachel Barger)
“Don’t be afraid of taking risks and turning them into new career opportunities.” (Vaishali Ghiya)
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’m part of the Project F mentor program, I run a program for aspiring technical talent in our business, I participate in global ‘Leader Chat’ sessions etc.” (Emma Pudney)
“I’m currently recruiting for two roles via a new UK Government scheme called KickStart aimed at creating new jobs for 16 to 24 year olds who are at risk of long term unemployment. Through the scheme, I will mentor two young people for 6 months and share as much knowledge and experience as I can.” (Jenny Evans)
“I spend time with college students who are part of the Exploratory Lab Boot Camp program I co-founded 7 years ago (10th boot camp). I also mentor early in career colleagues.” (Angie McCourt)
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:
“When I was the Deputy CIO and the Acting CIO at the USDA, I implemented and codified the Open Data executive order, which resulted in the development of the STEAM Camp and publishing over 800 datasets for public consumption (this summer will be the seventh year).” (Joyce Hunter)
“Building a circular, carbon neutral and sustainable future with the help of IT. Atea holds a position… that entails both an opportunity and a responsibility to take the lead.” (Kathrine Forsberg)
“One that has stayed with me was working on a trial that combined human expertise with the power of AI for Oncology with a Cancer Hospital to bring critical insights for clinicians.” (Marleese Attilakos)
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:
“I aim to learn every day to be across the latest trends and technologies. This might be reading on the train, listening to podcast or meeting with people in the industry.” (Caroline Raj)
“At Sophos, we have been learning about the importance of diversity and inclusion and have been putting this to practice in all of our offices. It is extremely important to challenge ourselves to be thinking differently, especially as a leader.” (Erin Malone)
“Staying current with technology trends to ensure we can strategically understand how different technologies can be applied to accelerate or capture new business opportunities. I’m also starting to dive deeper into the dynamics of communities and what impact they are having on the sales process.” (Alexandra Zagury)
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:
“I strongly believe the US healthcare system is a data science problem waiting to be disrupted by technology. Health tech innovators… will leverage smart consumers to force some exciting disruption in this industry, putting preventative healthcare back in the control of the average American.” (Esther Ayorinde)
“Staying current with the demands of the CISO. Organizations are learning that it is no longer just about cybersecurity and awareness; it also includes governance, risk, business resiliency, vendor relationships, and many more.” (Stephenie Southard)
*The twenty participants in CQ3:21 are listed below with links to their blog post.
CQ3:21 IT Wondrous Women Participants
Alexandra Zagury, Vice President, Partner Managed & as-a-Service, Global Partner Sales, Cisco (USA)
Angie McCourt, Success and Mindset Coach, Authentic Me Revolution (USA)
Caroline Raj, Senior Director, ServiceNow (Australia)
Dana Testa, ABM Enterprise Corporate Marketing Lead, Travel & Hospitality, Media & Entertainment, Adobe (USA)
Debbie Dunnam, Chief Commercial Officer, Dropbox (USA)
Edna Conway, Vice President, Chief Security & Risk Officer, Azure, Microsoft (USA)
Emma Pudney, Chief Technology Officer, APJ, Rackspace Technology (Australia)
Erin Malone, Senior Vice President, American Sales, Sophos (USA)
Esther Ayorinde, Senior Director, CX GTM & Managed Services, Cisco (USA)
Gabrielle Hase, Chief Executive Officer, Soleberry Advisory (England)
Jenny Evans, Head of Marketing, J2 Innovations (a Siemens Company) (UK)
Joyce Hunter, Executive Director, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology (USA)
Karine Elsen, Vice President of Partner Marketing, Avalara (USA)
Kathrine Forsberg, Chief Executive Officer, Attea Denmark (Denmark)
Louise Runyard, Head of Business Engagement, Lonsec (Australia)
Marleese Attilakos, Sales Leader Commercial Victoria, Cisco (Australia)
Melissa Murray Bailey, Senior Vice President, Global Sales, Hootsuite (USA)
Rachel Barger, Senior Vice President, Global Enterprise Sales, Cisco (USA)
Stephenie Southard, Vice President & Chief Information Security Officer, Baxter Credit Union (USA)
Vaishali Ghiya, Head of Networking and Sales, AWS (USA)
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!
