International Women’s Day 2022 falls on 8th March. This worldwide event celebrates achievements for women – in society, politics and business – and as an organisation, we feel it’s important to mark it here at Ochresoft.
We’d like to take this opportunity to interview and introduce you to some of the talent we are lucky enough to have within the business:
- Sally Danby, Product Manager
- Helen Luty, Head of Customer Experience
- Rachel Bardell, Solicitor (Non-Practising) & Legal and Compliance Analyst
- What drives you to succeed in business?
Sally: Like most people, I take satisfaction in doing a good job and seeing a positive output as a result. I’m a Product Manager so it’s the data I want to see – a measurable impact in either customer satisfaction or revenue that we can trace back to the development spend we made – that’s rewarding.
Helen: For me, it’s all about the customer. If we are easy to do business with, provide an excellent level of service and our customers are happy and satisfied, then the business succeeds. Until we have achieved all three of those criteria, then there is a job to do. Seeing incremental improvements and knowing what we are capable of, drives me every day. Settling for mediocre is tantamount to giving in – we should all fight to be the best we can be, not only for our customers but for ourselves.
Rachel: I am naturally curious and love to learn, so I tend to be driven by a wish to further my understanding of new areas or deepen my existing knowledge. I really enjoy the challenge of applying my mind to in-depth research and detailed work. In my role as a Legal & Compliance Analyst, I’m keen to keep up-to-date with upcoming changes in legislation, case law and industry practices, and then work to appropriately reflect those developments within Ochresoft’s legal workflows.
- What are you most proud of in your career?
Sally: I’m proud of the relationships I have built along the way, and what’s been achieved as a team as a result of that. Even when faced with challenges, I think colleagues would say I always maintain the right level of good humour. Work should be both challenging and fun – that’s what engages people – so never spend more effort in working out who’s at fault versus finding a solution. I think women really focus on relationship building, so we’re good colleagues and bosses because we look for a way to negotiate and bring people with us on our decisions. I’ve tried to work with that empathy – really understanding how to motivate individuals. It’s the best way to build a great team.
Helen: I take immense pride in seeing my team members grow in their roles and go on to bigger and better things. There is no greater privilege than helping and guiding someone onto a brighter future.
Rachel: Before joining the team at Ochresoft I was a practising solicitor in a large UK law firm. I take pride in the way that I have navigated the transition in my career from private practice to a role in an industry that allows me to use my technical skills and knowledge in a different environment.
- What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Sally: Pick your battles. It means that you need to focus on where you can have impact, and don’t waste energy on other things. It’s easy to get fixated on something that’s frustrating you, but if it’s something you’re not going to be able to change, let it go and put your effort into somewhere you can make a real difference.
Helen: Surround yourself with experts and all bring your strengths to the party. It’s a slightly less cheesy version of “No I in Team” I suppose, but it’s true. There is no point being precious and wanting all the limelight yourself.
Rachel: By far the best piece of advice that I’ve received in my career is to play to my strengths and bring my authentic self to work. There is a fantastic quote by Susan Cain, the author of Quiet: “In the long run, staying true to your temperament is the key to finding work you love and work that matters”.
- What words of wisdom would you give to females thinking about a career in the tech industry?
Sally: I don’t think enough young women are coming into the industry, and we should encourage more to join us. Not only is it a great place to make a career – working in a creative industry which is always changing – but also, delivering great tech solutions needs a diverse workforce. Individuals with different life experience have different responses to problems and it’s so valuable to have that broad spectrum of input. International Women’s Day is as good a day as any to say there is loads of opportunity for women going into STEM roles, and these industries need you. It’s a much more welcoming place than it was 10 years ago and it’s full of opportunity to try different disciplines. It’s quite common for people to join a company and find themselves migrating to a totally different role once they find what’s interesting to them. We’re so fixated on asking young people what they want to do, but instead try thinking ‘what companies interest you?’ and go from there.
Helen: First and foremost, don’t be scared about it being “the tech industry”. There are so many roles across the organisation that it’s not always massively technical, and many skills that you currently have will likely be transferable. And secondly, you’re female, you can do anything! Don’t let your gender stop you. If someone is making your gender an issue, it’s their issue not yours, and they need to change!
Rachel: I have only recently joined the tech industry! To women in a similar position, my advice is to be open-minded. Whilst there might still be the perception that technology is male-dominated, there is a massive variety of roles and opportunities for women with transferable skills to add value within the industry.
To learn more about International Women’s Day – #IWD2022 – visit https://www.internationalwomensday.com/