INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Tiffany Shurr Global Vice President (Sales), Cloud Solutions, Calix Based in British Columbia, Tiffany Shurr brings over 16 years of technology experience, advising broadband brands on data-driven go- to-market strategies. As Global AVP at Calix, she supports ISPs in building and evolving brands, understanding subscriber needs, and differentiating in a rapidly changing market. A recognised speaker and board member, she serves on the board for The Customer Experience & Telco the root of that initiative. If people aren’t connected online, they can’t access that great online education. It felt really cool to get involved with that change. What mentors helped you along the way? I have had two key influences throughout my life and career. At the mid point in my career as a direct seller (before I entered leadership) I was doing well in my role, a high performer and wanted to enter leadership and help a team of people be successful. Making that jump was proving a challenge, I kept hitting roadblocks. I was female and I was young. I would put my hand up for a job and be told I would be ready eventually, or that I ‘wasn’t quite ready yet’. Then this one leader, new to the company, came in and within a week he asked why I wasn’t running my region. I said, well I’ve been told I’m not ready, and he promoted me immediately. No interview process. He just saw my skillset. He didn’t see me as a young, bubbly, blonde woman. He saw potential. He promoted me twice in 18 months. Essentially, he and I went on to run the enterprise business. We grew the revenue, launched a sales method, and built a rigorous organisation. We did amazing things; I learned so much from him about how to run a sales organisation, primarily in two categories.
Sales Association (CETS) and INCA, combining expertise from roles at Hootsuite and in higher education digital transformation. Tiffany helps organisations shift toward a subscriber-first mindset, designing measurable, multi-channel marketing strategies that drive growth, innovation, and customer experience. She is committed to authentic leadership, fostering trusted partnerships, and delivering strategies that create lasting business impact across diverse global markets today.
Process - How to run a team, efficiency, sales methodology, tactics. All the operational aspects of running a sales organisation. And then I learned about what a holistic, leadership philosophy looks like. One built around leading for the people that work for you. In software, I’d never seen that. I witnessed first-hand how to lead without ego, to lead with grace and be open to learning from your team. I soared with him. He’s my mentor to this day. My second mentor in life was my Granddad, who was my biggest fan. When I moved away to university, he began writing to me each week a handwritten or typed letter. He told me, ‘You’re going to do big things, Tiffany’. ‘Trust yourself’. ‘Take risks’. He said I had good intuition and he would remind me in these letters of how strong I was. We remained pen pals throughout my life until he passed just three years ago. His advice would always just be so spot on, he was my rock. What have you learned along the way as a woman in a male- dominated environment? This feels like a delicate topic, especially now; if I don’t say hell yeah, I’m pro- women everything, then I’m anti-feminist. But what I have learned is that there is a right way to flex in the corporate space. No excuse here, you NEED to flex, it’s just about how you do it. My approach to creating opportunity for women in tech, and being the woman I naturally am,
What first attracted me to the cable industry and how did I get into the business? Before joining Calix, I wasn’t aware of the breadth of reach in the cable space let alone the internet space. I was one of those people who believed that the 3 tier one companies in Canada were the only internet providers available. The bulk of my career has been in the software space, selling to multiple industries. Joining Calix was deliberate for me. The opportunity to be a part of connecting every home globally felt like a worthy mission. I am passionate about technology for the betterment and for good, and how can we use technology to make a healthy positive impact on our lives in all aspects. In North America, there is a significant initiative to ‘connect every home’ and Calix is at the heart of that plan. Being a part of connecting communities who literally have no service will have a massive impact on their lives. Bringing healthcare, education, and frankly, entertainment to these homes. That felt like something I wanted to be a part of. In joining Calix, I felt like there was alignment with my early days in software. my first role in tech was helping higher education institutions bring education into the digital era. Creating opportunity for people who didn’t have access to education previously have a chance to learn and grow. Joining Calix is supporting
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MAY 2026 Volume 48 No.2
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