Credit: ARN
“Secondly, make plans to achieve your goals but remember to be flexible as there are many paths to success. No one path is better or quicker than another. Thirdly, the secret to success never lies with an individual but the sum of all parts so be resourceful, develop a strong team and grow together. Be your authentic self and never give up, follow your dreams but equally remember what is important to you and never lose sight of it.”
Echoing Barbieri’s sentiment, Davinia Simon - head of Channel and Alliances across A/NZ at AWS - equally emphasised the importance of “bringing your authentic self to work”.
“There is such joy in authenticity and people are genuinely attracted to those who aren’t afraid to be themselves,” advised Simon, appointed to run the technology giant’s local ecosystem of partners in May 2020. “Authenticity is the ability to bring your whole self to any interaction; building relationships with connectedness, trust and compassion.
“To be authentic, you need to be aware of yourself - your strengths, weaknesses, character and values, and to find opportunities to add unique and meaningful value.”
As an advocate of celebrating every win - “no matter how big or small” - Simon made a career defining moment when transitioning from a successful sales management career in recruitment industry for an enterprise sales role in technology.
“I had no technical background and had to learn quickly to establish credibility and build profile,” recalled Simon, who spent more than six years at Adobe before joining AWS in October 2018. “It was a bold decision and a shock change; but a short website development course I had taken early in my career had ignited an enduring interest in technology that I just couldn’t ignore.”
For Simon, the transition serves as a daily reminder that by dedicating time to self-learning and development, individuals have the opportunity to develop new skills and pursue new passions, irrespective of timing. On the flip side however, Simon recognised the challenge of juggling family life with a career.
“I’m a mum to two wonderful children and like many women I know, I placed unrealistic expectations on myself to be everything to everyone,” she said. “I wanted to be recognised as someone that could do it all - an attentive mother, wonderful wife, high performing employee and organised homemaker who led an active, healthy lifestyle.”
On reflection, Simon accepted that delivering on such expectations was unrealistic and not always manageable. Today, focus is centred around maintaining a healthy balance between home and work.
“Nearly 15 years ago, a great mentor and dear friend once shared three principles at the heart of a fulfilled and successful career - discipline, concentration and practice,” Simon advised. “As I reflect on my career to date, those have been enduring principles that have helped me break into new industries, new organisations, new teams and new roles."
For a long time, Victoria Kluth - founder and CEO of Araza - was advised to be “one of the boys”, to fall in line and essentially go with the antiquated flow.
“I prefer being Victoria,” said Kluth, speaking as an Entrepreneurial Winning Women of EY and Start-up Entrepreneur of the Year at the ARN Women in ICT Industry (WIICTA) awards. “Strive to be your authentic self and keep your eyes on the prize.
“Distractions are overwhelming in today’s world but if you have a clear goal then all of your decisions become so much easier. Your path to success - whatever that is to you - becomes more linear. I pull myself up on this one all the time.”
As a leading entrepreneur and technology executive, Kluth continues to oversee the ongoing development of Araza, leading a team of 350 employees which competes head-on with large-scale global system integrators (GSIs) and consultancy giants.
“Covid-19 stopped most of Araza’s projects almost immediately so one of the biggest challenges has been staying relevant and leading the organisation to stay financially fit,” Kluth added. “I am really proud of the leadership and how the team pulled together to overcome a difficult year particularly since most of the team is based in Melbourne and was in lockdown for many months.”
Since joining the IT industry almost 20 years ago from previous roles in logistics and recruitment, Karen Drewitt - COO at The Missing Link - initially felt overwhelmed.
“There was so much to learn and I felt I had little to contribute,” she recalled. “Then I realised that you don’t have to have in-depth knowledge, which is almost impossible in technology anyways. It’s actually about working with smart people who complement, or compensate for, what I can or can’t bring to a conversation, project or initiative.”
For Drewitt - who recently took home the Community honours during WIICTA in 2020 - standout career advice appears obvious on paper yet alarmingly absent for some leaders; “the best way to get people to think that you care about them is to actually care about them”.
“I care about our people at The Missing Link and they care about me,” she added. “It makes celebrating wins together so special but it also helps us through our down days and challenging times.
“My advice is simple, be you. It’s great to learn from mentors and role models but it’s really important to be yourself. Be comfortable with who you are and all you have to offer. Find cheerleaders who will support you, challenge your negative thoughts and help you find perspective."
Credit: ARN Act on your vision
While becoming a female CEO of a technology giant in A/NZ ranks as a professional milestone, Jane Livesey’s journey is much more than that.
In leading Cognizant on both sides of the Tasman, Livesey is focused on creating an environment which enables the business to mentor, respect and empower each individual regardless of who they are or where they come from.
“I would say that the greatest career achievement for me is growing into a position where I can lift others up around me,” she said. “However, one of the biggest challenges I’ve had to overcome is being told by a senior leader that clients would never take me seriously as a technologist because of my gender.
“I was determined to prove him wrong. It was challenging trying to climb the ranks as a female technologist but I have felt empowered by how much change has occurred in the past few years as we learn to embrace people’s differences.”
During the early stages of Livesey’s career, one manager stressed the importance of having a clear vision in relation to “what it is I want to do, where I want to go and the type of person I want to be in my professional life”.
“When there are distractions or setbacks, keeping sight of this vision and the bigger picture helps me to focus on what is really important,” added Livesey, who has also held senior leadership roles at Accenture, PwC, IBM and Siebel Systems. “My advice to aspiring female leaders is to ensure you are constantly learning, evolving and keeping pace with this fast evolving world.
“This will help you remain credible and relevant throughout your career with access to more dynamic and interesting roles. At the same time, don’t forget to be authentic. As a woman, you bring a unique perspective and style of leadership that the industry can benefit from.”
Alongside induction into the ARN Hall of Fame in 2019, co-creating a program to build effective hyper-growth joint business plans for Google Cloud partners - which is now being rolled out globally - rank as standout career highlights for Rhody Burton.
In running Cloud Partnerships and Alliances across A/NZ, Burton is a sponge to professional guidance, building a list which started more than 20 years ago under the heading of “Nuggets of Gold”.
“One of my favourites is ‘never run away from a job, run to one’,” she advised. “Finding myself in an environment that was not a cultural fit in a previous organisation was a challenge but I overcame this by having the courage to admit it and then do something about it.
“My advice is to be kind, be bold and speak up. Ask for help but also offer help. Leverage your network and build new connections. Most of all, be the kind of female who truly looks out for others and it will come back at you 10 times.”
As a leading entrepreneur who quit her job to start a managed service provider (MSP), Rajitha Rajasingham knows all too well the feeling of moving from a steady income and being “on top of my game” to not knowing when pay day would arrive in a constant state of being overwhelmed.
“Running a business has taught me a different game,” acknowledged Rajasingham, in reference to quitting Telstra - following more than 13 years at Accenture - to launch Oreta. “I now control my choices and decisions, can frame my work and lifestyle and can be more deliberate in managing my emotional, intellectual and physical energy.”
In addition to driving cloud success at a leading technology provider in Australia, Rajasingham also launched Oreta Education Fund to train disadvantaged women with the aim of “opening the door” for more female leaders in the industry. And speaking as a leader, the best career advice received is to “take action - an inch of movement will bring you closer to your goals than a mile of intention”.
“By taking action I will learn three things; what works, what doesn’t work, and what can be made better,” she advised. “This advice has served me well in my professional and personal life.
“My advice is to force yourself outside of your comfort zone. Say yes to the things that scare you. Saying no may feel easier but by saying yes you may open yourself to new opportunities, new skills, new connections and new experiences – and therefore learn and grow as a person. Your future self must be stronger, wiser and more capable than your current self.”
