FROM THE INDUSTRY
What, if any, mentors helped you along the way?
What do you see the future looking like for women in this sector in 10 years’ time? The opportunity across the industry right now is literally once in a generation. The billions of dollars pouring into the industry, specifically in the United States (BEAD, ACAM, etc.) is nothing short of the third historic transformation – akin in impact to rural electrification and the inter-state highway system. The infrastructure improvement act is focused at eliminating the “digital divide”, bringing high-speed internet to rural communities. Calix is at the centre of that process; providing systems, cloud and managed services to help Broadband Service Providers (BSPs) fulfill their mission to improve the education, business opportunity and the lives of the communities they serve. Women have an incredible opportunity to be a part of that growth and transformational change. Where will we see you in 5 years’ time? My husband jokes that I’ll “never” retire, but my work has changed. The role I have now – head of the Office of Sustainability gives me the opportunity to focus on things that I am passionate about and are important to the company and frankly the planet – doing “good” while doing “well”. It also gives me time to prepare for Board work which I see as a path to share my experience with companies to help make them better. What advice would you give a new female entrant to the industry? Be a lifelong learner – the business changes, new opportunities are created. Take chances when you’re young, smart risks. What scares you could be the best career decision you ever made. And build your network.
Mentors help you craft and refine your professional goals, sponsors help you realise them. They are the ones to help you get new opportunities, to recommend you for opportunities when you’re not even in the room.
I seek to learn something from everyone I work with, so almost everyone is an informal “mentor” to me. But specifically, I have had coaches, mentors and most importantly sponsors all through my career. Both men and women, and each role is different. Mentors help you craft and refine your professional goals, sponsors help you realise them. They are the ones to help you get new opportunities, to recommend you for opportunities when you’re not even in the room. Many women don’t realise that. Traditionally women have plenty of mentors but no sponsors. I feel strongly that it is the responsibility of women in leadership roles to be sponsors for other women – “reach back to pull up”. What have you learned along the way as a woman in a male-dominated environment? Women need to find and use their voices. Great organisations realise that they need to build teams that reflect the communities that they serve and that including people with different experiences and perspectives builds strong teams and profitable businesses. Speak up. Contribute. We focus on building a culture where everyone’s voice can be heard, and it’s everyone’s responsibility to contribute to that culture. That way we become a “magnet” for all kinds of people with all kinds of skills and experiences, rather than a quota-driven organisation. I also believe that women need to be better at building networks from the very beginning of their careers. Most of the opportunities I have had come through my network. Again – reach out/back to pull up. What would improve opportunities and prospects for women looking for a career in telecoms? Learning that there are so many opportunities – more outreach to young people. We have an extensive paid intern programme, and some of our customers hire interns as well. What are you most proud of in your work? I am most proud of building – helping people build careers, building high performance teams, building profitable businesses, and ultimately building value for shareholders and stakeholders.
MARCH 2024 Volume 46 No.1
43
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker