CEO Q&A MELISSA DI DONATO SUSE

2022 was a difficult year for big tech, but how did SUSE fare overall and what’s the outlook for this year?

While global instability impacted all industries in 2022, SUSE experienced strong growth and is well positioned to drive longterm value for our stakeholders. In December, we announced a strong close to FY22, which was driven by our robust business model and strong product line-up. The megatrends of cloud-native transformation, increasing edge adoption and the ongoing transition to the cloud continue to underpin SUSE’s growth as we empower our customers to pursue digital transformation. 2 that this moment in time won’t throw what has been built into reverse. We are beginning 2023 with strong business momentum and there is plenty to be optimistic about. We have an exciting pipeline of solutions coming to market, including new versions of SUSE ALP and Rancher Prime. Furthermore, the SUSE team is hungry to work with customers to make them innovation heroes in 2023 and beyond.

18 months on from your IPO, what do you wish you knew then that you know now?

4As well as leading SUSE, you are a staunch advocate for diversity. Why are you so passionate about changing the game for women in our industry, and what does a more representative and inclusive workplace look like?

A representative and inclusive workplace is one where people of all genders and backgrounds are present, welcomed and their opinions embraced. When I began my career as a software engineer, it felt familiar to see just a couple of women in groups of hundreds of men. The tech world had precious few female role models, and bias was commonplace. I became acutely aware of the importance of visibility, mentorship and challenging the norm in building equality. I made it my mission to inspire women in STEM, not least because teams are stronger and more commercially successful when embracing DE&I.

What’s been the biggest challenge you have faced since becoming a public company?

This has certainly been a challenging period, characterized by pandemic, war and macroeconomic instability. If I’d have known how resilient our team would be in successfully dealing with these circumstances, it would certainly have helped my peace of mind! The team has done a great job maintaining SUSE’s momentum and continuing our growth through uncertain times, to the point that we could not be more optimistic about what the next 18 months hold. 3

Navigating unprecedented conditions, including the effects of war, the ongoing impact of the pandemic and macroeconomic instability. Globally, 2022 was a pivotal year for the tech ecosystem. However, I’m confident

5The last time we spoke, the picture of equality and diversity in the tech industry was pretty dire. Have things moved on since then?

Data suggests that DE&I is steadily on the rise in the tech industry, but we need to accelerate the pace of change. Businesses and governments must set clear targets, not quotas, for women and underrepresented communities in tech leadership to guarantee long-lasting impact and facilitate the holistic transformation needed for genuine DE&I. Getting technology into the hands of schoolchildren, and presenting them with strong, diverse tech role models, will also empower future generations to pursue studies and careers in STEM.

6In your 2019 cover story with ERP Today you set out some bold objectives for championing diversity within SUSE and the broader tech community –have you managed to stay true to those objectives? We have made strong progress in this journey. My first initiative at SUSE was to establish employee networks, including Women in Tech (amongst several). Today, one in every four SUSE employees identifies as an active Women in Tech member.

I’ve also spearheaded SUSECares, our philanthropic arm. To-date, SUSECares has donated to over 45 charities globally, touching on themes such as digital inclusion, tech literacy and social and climate justice. Additionally, all SUSE employees are entitled to paid time off to volunteer within their communities. In 2022, SUSE employees have volunteered over 2,480 collective hours.

More recently, we launched SUSE Camp, our early careers program dedicated to nurturing diverse talent. We are looking forward to rolling this out globally very soon.

Outside of SUSE, I was recently appointed to Handelsblatt and Bain & Company’s Female Allstar Board as chief executive. In this role, I collaborate with other female leaders to find ways to achieve greater gender parity in senior leadership teams across industries.

What’s the best and worst things about being a female tech CEO?

I take pride in being a CEO within an industry where strong female role models are still few and far between. This fuels my personal conviction that while I may be the first in many regards, I cannot be the last. I am determined to see to it that I am not. The best thing is to be able to stand on this unique platform to inspire and empower future generations of women leaders, showing them that careers in STEM are attainable for all.

The most challenging aspect, however, is the label and associated stereotypes that come with being referred to as a “female” CEO. It is similar to how I feel about being described a “working mother” – rarely do you hear the term “working father”. My husband, for instance, is a CEO of another tech company, and never gets described as a “working father” or “male CEO”. Why is that? This is not just a question of semantics. If we want to see a real cultural shift in gender norms and child raising, we need to start by questioning why our language creates such arbitrary separation, holding women to impossible and sometimes divisive standards. 9

What traits do you see in yourself which have made you successful?

From an early age, I have been inspired to make a mark on the world through positive change and innovation. My intellectual curiosity and openness to learning have opened up significant opportunities throughout every chapter of my life.

I also credit my self-belief as another trait that has aided my success. Unless presented with compelling reasons or data points, I have never yielded to pressure to conform to the norm. This ‘dare to be different’ mentality has allowed me to successfully execute high-stakes projects.

How will tougher economic conditions impact the drive for diversity and what’s your forecast for both diversity and the tech industry in general in 2023?

I am also the co-founder of Inner Wings, a charitable foundation dedicated to empowering young girls to be confident and brave, whilst equipping them with skills to navigate their journey to becoming strong and independent women. 7

In the face of macroeconomic headwinds, it’s crucial to stabilize economies. The tech industry plays a key role here as a driver of skilled employment and growth, underpinning many economic elements by its very nature. Tech funding also acts as a virtuous flywheel: more capital attracts more talent, which seeds success, which breeds success, which ultimately attracts more talent and so on. However, we’re already facing a digital skills gap – where will we find the extra talent we need? Underrepresented groups. This will require new approaches to talent attraction and retention, which prioritizes DE&I from the outset.

It is also this same mindset that guided my leap from the US to the UK in 2005; and the same that first led me into the tech industry. Undergirding all of the above: resilience and a constant desire to find new ways to deliver measurable outcomes and success have consistently defined my career. 10

If you had one piece of advice to give to the next generation of leaders currently making their way up the corporate ladder, what would it be?

Successful careers are a little like the New York fire escapes that you see in movies. You climb up a ladder, walk straight ahead on the new level for a while, until you get to the next staircase, which takes you a bit higher and so on. The key to success is to gain as much experience as possible at each level of the career fire escape and seek mentors along the way. Trusted mentors are the best sounding boards, able to give honest guidance and inspiration, with the benefit of experience you may not yet have.