Did you enjoy school?
I absolutely loved school. I was lucky to get a place at the UK’s first City Technology College for 11-18-year-olds. It was an innovative and forward-thinking school for its time and was one of the first schools to recognise the value in developing children as rounded individuals. It was a longer school day than most – 8 am til 4:30 pm if I recall correctly (it’s been a while!) Still, it meant the school could carve out time not just for the academic side of school life, but for important ‘enrichment’ activities like school productions, community volunteering projects, college bands and business enterprise projects. The school’s principal, Valerie Bragg and head teacher Ann Jones were big female influences in my life, and I have a lot to thank them for.
What qualifications do you have?
An International Baccalaureate and a BA Hons in Business Management and Music from Leeds University. Do Grade 8 piano and Grade 5 violin count?
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
It’s been a relatively smooth career path. I joined BT Syntegra’s (a consulting and SI business) Graduate Scheme two weeks after leaving university, focused on project and programme management in the public sector. I then moved into more of the client management side of things and found myself running some of the major accounts there. After nine years, I moved to Detica (another consulting and SI business), still focused on the public sector, and stayed for 13 years in total (BAE Systems Digital Intelligence bought Detica a few years after I arrived). Then I moved to NTT DATA to head up their public sector business for just over five years, before joining Made Tech as their UK MD in January this year. I’ve always focused on the public sector – I find motivation and purpose working in that domain.
What specific challenges do you see women facing in the industry?
I always find this question tricky to answer because my experience of working in the industry has been shaped by some just brilliant and supportive diverse role models. My very first programme director, Paul Weatherburn at BT, took me under his wing and had faith in me early on. Through to my husband, who has pushed me into taking on bigger and broader roles, even when they’ve felt like a risk and scary. So, at the risk of generalising, one of the biggest challenges is for women (or anyone, for that matter) to have the self-belief to take on any role or challenge thrown at them and to take calculated risks. I’ve been lucky that I’ve only twice had to deal with a situation where it’s been assumed that I am the executive assistant to my male colleague, although I was the most ‘senior’ person in the room. There’s nothing for it but to calmly correct the mistake (the embarrassment is rightly theirs to own). I would love to think that doesn’t happen that often anymore, but I know it still does.
What is the best career advice you can give to others?
If you can do a role in your sleep and are too ‘comfortable’, then find a way to stretch yourself, take some calculated risks and keep learning. We’re born to evolve ourselves and learn continually and the most fun and satisfaction I’ve had in my career has come after tackling something tricky and complicated and looking back on a job well done. That, and people are everything. The relationships you build along the way should be treated with care, and you should stay connected. I consider my career success to be the result of all the people who have helped me along the way.
If you had to pick one mentor who had the most significant influence on you, who would it be?
Really difficult to name one. My parents, for instilling in me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and the importance of energy and positivity, Valerie Bragg, my school principal, who shaped my early years and instilled a can do, high energy, attitude and Paul Weatherburn who gave me a strong foundation in delivery, client management and leading teams (and the importance of having fun) which have all served me well
From where do you draw inspiration?
Everywhere – my family, my friends, my colleagues, my peers, my clients. I suppose I consider myself on a constant learning journey.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced to date?
In my home life, it was losing one of my twin sons, shortly after he was born. It’s something you never quite get over, but it shapes your priorities and your way of looking at life and work. On the work front, I’ve had some very tricky ‘fires’ to put out with clients over the years, which have required some calm and creative solutions to get back on track, but ultimately boil down to mine and the team’s ability to get comfortable having uncomfortable conversations, to get things back on track. Relationships are everything.
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
I don’t think I have the answer to that, but if I think about the leaders from whom I have learnt and been inspired by, then it would be a perfect combination of calm in a storm, able to create a fun team vibe, energetic, high integrity and the ability to say if they’ve made the wrong call.
From a work viewpoint, what has the last 12 months been like?
I’m nine months into a new role as Made Tech’s UK MD, so it’s been a whirlwind experience getting to know everyone, understanding how things are done, and starting to implement a three-year plan to evolve the business. It’s been that perfect combination of great people, excellent capability, great potential and great fun. But I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t tiring at times!
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
Getting our heads around what agentic AI means for how not only we deliver software and technology, but how it affects who we do everything as a business and getting on board with the change it will bring.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
To quote Billie Jean King, former tennis champion – ‘you have to see it to be it’. There will always be trailblazers as a minority, but the more senior women people can see in every type of role – technical, leadership, sales, it will help open up doors and break down barriers for women entering the technology industry. I always say to people that I have an arts degree. I am the least ‘technical’ person you will meet. So if I can have a career in the tech industry, then anyone can. Just stay curious and open to learning.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know.
I play the piano, violin and sing in a choir. If I weren’t in technology and were actually good enough, I’d have loved a career in musical theatre!
