Heidi Mantis ─ driving a large ecosystem partnership and leveraging her extensive sales, marketing and customer value experience…
March 23, 2021 • 3 Minute Read
Updated October 2022
Heidi Mantis
Head of NTT Alliance ANZ
Juniper Networks
(Previously — Head of Cisco Strategic Alliance
Optus)
Are you looking for someone who knows sales, marketing and customer value experience, and is leveraging this expertise to build a nine-figure ecosystem partnership? We know the person—Heidi Mantis.
Heidi leads, manages, and is responsible for growing the Cisco-Optus Enterprise Alliance worth nine-figures in annual sales. She comes to this role with extensive senior management experience in sales and marketing for leading Australian companies including Telstra, Ernst & Young, and GHD. Heidi has spent much of her career creating, strengthening and re-imaging the business value and relevance to customers.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Women, Heidi Mantis!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
I used to moonlight as a Group Fitness Instructor early on in my career. No leg warmers in sight…
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
My previous sales role was locally based so didn’t require too much travel for work. Personally, I have family interstate (3,500 kms away) who I would visit frequently every year. We also managed to go on the most amazing family holiday throughout Europe in 2019, which was such a blessing given we can’t go anywhere now!
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
Apologies if you’re squeamish, but in Beijing I did eat a bull’s testicles in a garlic butter sauce. Can’t say I enjoyed it…
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
After working as a senior strategic marketer for almost 20 years, I grabbed the opportunity to work in sales. It gave me great perspective and understanding of how a business operates and how deals are done. Building relationships has always come naturally to me, working in sales has really helped me in my current role as I truly understand how to identify an opportunity, position a solution and drive a business outcome.
Leading and building a technology showcase and customer experience which was visited by over 6,000 customers over 3 days. It was exhausting but a challenge to lead and motivate teams around the country, with various agendas that came together to deliver one outcome. It can be like ‘herding cats’ sometimes, but I use those skills today when managing different stakeholders across two large organisations.
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?
I have been fortunately enough to come across many amazing people who have influenced and supported me in my career. The biggest lesson learnt from these amazing people is you should always back yourself.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Don’t be scared to fail. If you fail that is a lesson, learn from it and move forward.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
By always being authentic, empathetic and generous with my time. It’s important for people to have someone in their corner, someone who can provide direction, remove roadblocks and help support them navigate through different stages of their career.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Working with a customer to completely transform and digitise the way they work. I learnt so much, met some wonderful people and felt extremely proud to be part of that journey!
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
Design thinking/facilitation to generate new ideas and strategies. I’m allowing myself to think more about the ways digital technologies could improve business by challenging my own assumptions and facilitating new ideas to redefine problems and create innovative solutions. I’m not afraid to fail fast, tackle problems and prototype new ways of operating.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Not being able to meet face to face! A lot can be learned through observation and listening. Having this removed challenged me to work differently. I spend a lot more time having one-on-one discussions with people to help move the needle. When you are growing with a Partner in business, building trust is integral and nothing is as effective as ‘breaking bread’ together.
