CXO DX Women's day Supplement

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www.futureworkspacesummit.com The Future Workspace Summit & Awards by CXO DX intends to generate more insights into the role of Technology in reimagining the future of work, as the workforce becomes more distributed.

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» OVERVIEW

Women's Day Supplement

CELEBRATING EMPOWERED WOMEN On International Women’s day, this special collection of conversations with women executives who are carving out a stellar career in various roles within the Technology industry is our way of celebrating the triumphant spirit of womanhood.

Women have broken stereotypes and glass ceilings in occupying several pivotal roles in the Technology industry globally and likewise here in the region. Women achievers are no longer exceptions in senior or pivotal roles and they walk shoulder to shoulder with men in the industry in terms of achievements. This collection of conversations with women in sales and marketing roles within the industry is by no means comprehensive nor is it selective. It is purely and broadly representative of the achievements that women boast of in their professional lives while always walking the tightrope in finding the balance between work life and their family lives.

The pandemic irrevocably changed the way work could be looked at. With a hybrid work model coming into play, it has helped women find a better balance between their work and family commitments.

While women are making inroads and have indeed made their mark in Marketing, Sales, Technical and HR roles, for organizations, it always helps to build in more diversity that adds to enhanced creative output. In near future, hopefully, there would be more women who rise to the top leadership roles at Technology companies, having proved that they have what it takes to lead.

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Read through these conversations and you can feel the quiet strength that these women bring to the fore. Assertive and confident, their thoughts will be inspiration to many women who are looking to strike out their career path in the Technology industry.

Nihal Shetty Webmaster

REGISTERED OFFICE: Office 10, Sharjah Media City | www.cxodx.com MARCH 2022 / CXO DX

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» CONTENTS

Women's Day Supplement

14 » CONFIDENT & INSPIRED 16 » INSPIRED TO MAKE AN IMPACT 17 » THRIVING ON CHALLENGES 18 » IN SEARCH OF NEW CHALLENGES 03 » OVERVIEW SPOTLIGHT

05 » TAKING ON NEW CHALLENGES 06 » A HANDS-ON APPROACH 08 » CREATIVE IMPACT

19 » THRIVING IN AN EMPOWERING ENVIRONMENT

30 » FOCUSING ON INNOVATION

20 » A STRONG WILL TO SUCCEED

32 » A FOCUS ON DIFFERENTIATION

19 » THRIVING IN AN EMPOWERING ENVIRONMENT

34 » TRANSFORMING IDEAS

20 » A STRONG WILL TO SUCCEED

35 » FOCUS ON CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT

09 » ON THE LEARNING CURVE

22 » ENHANCING CUSTOM36 » BREAKING THE CLASS ER CONNECT CEILING

10 » MAKING AN IMPACT

24 » COMMITTED TO SUCCESS

11 » ALIGNED WITH CUSTOMER NEEDS 12 » RESILIENCE PAYS OFF 4

CXO DX / MARCH 2022

38 » A TRENDSETTER

26 » THE RIGHT SKILLSETS 28 » A THOUGHT LEADER

40 » DELIVERING OUTCOMES

» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

TAKING ON NEW CHALLENGES Alison Adkins, Manager - Business Development, ThreatQuotient says the journey so far has been challenging and rewarding What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t fall face first into sales.

Throughout my tenure at ThreatQuotient, I've worn a wide variety of hats. I started off as the office jack-of-all-trades, moved quickly into our marketing organization and now I am responsible for enabling our partners around the globe. The journey has been incredible - incredibly difficult and taxing at times, but overall incredibly rewarding. I am lucky to have the opportunity to work with an all-star team, supporting our partners and customers around the globe.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

Of course gender matters in any position, but we cannot look at gender in a vacuum. There are many factors that contribute to success and recognition in channel sales, or any position for that matter. You have to look at the individual holistically as there are a slew of factors and character traits that contribute to the perspective and success such as age, past sales experience, tenacity, follow-through and much more.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

New challenges continue to arise as we adjust to the ‘new normal’ and for most of us, it hasn’t been the easiest of transitions. There are a lot of things out of our control, but it is important to take control of what we can. We have all been put on a level-playing field throughout the pandemic, living through the same shared experience of remote-work with little to no travel and a calendar filled to the brim with Zoom meetings. It is important to remember that behind every work relationship or LinkedIn connection is a person that you can connect with. We all had to learn a lot in the past year both personally and professionally. Until we are back in person at conferences and sponsored happy hours chatting over appetizers, this is our only opportunity to build relationships and get to know one another. It has been challenging at times, but it has also presented us all with a new, exciting challenge to work and succeed in unprecedented times.

Alison Adkins

Manager - Business Development, ThreatQuotient

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly Surprisingly, I have spent the entirety of my professional career in cybersecurity. There is nothing quite like starting your career in a hyper-growth start-up company. Over the past six years, I have pushed myself to take on more responsibilities and take risks where possible. In 2020, I had the honor of being recognized

by CRN as a Rising Female Star & in 2021 I was recognized in CRN’s Women of the Channel.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

I am extremely fortunate to be surrounded by impressive, resilient individuals ‚ coworkers, family and friends alike. The support and sheer talent that I have within reach has undoubtedly contributed to my success and motivation. As I think about my professional journey and path forward - I am motivated to continuously take on new challenges and break barriers. I think that it’s important to shake things up and take risks. In a sea of technology and cybersecurity buzzwords, it’s important to be creative and stand out.

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» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

A HANDS-ON APPROACH Amel Gardner, VP and GM, Infor Middle East & Africa speaks about what has driven her on her professional journey

What made you choose technology your professional path? How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I started out as a civil engineer. I was drawn to this career path because I’m an execution-focused person: I like to see concrete things happening as a result of executing a plan.

I gained my first experience in the technology sector when I became a senior sales engineer for the fibre optics company, Corning, in the United States. Learning about fibre optics from scratch and growing the business in South America, Europe and Asia made me realise that you can learn anything, and should not be intimidated by taking on new challenges.

Through this role I also became interested in technology, and particularly Information Technology which I knew would transform the world. I wanted to be part of something that was cool and high-growth, which for me meant the IT industry – and so I made that leap. I joined Dell as international development manager in Texas, and later had the opportunity to move to the UAE, where I gained further experience of leading technology organizations in Middle East and Africa, before taking on my current role with Infor in January 2021.

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» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

I true believer that you can learn anything and you should never be intimated by the idea of trying something new. For example, when I became involved with complex technologies such as high-performance computing at Dell it was a completely new field for me, as was fibre optics at Corning. Every time I find myself in a new field I think ‘OK, I have a brain, there are a people who will help me, and there are lots of resources for learning, so why not? Let’s do it!’ You truly find out what you’re capable of when you expand your horizons and push your limits.

Does gender matter in technology leadership in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

This is an important question and is related to one of the core challenges we face in encouraging women in the sector. There is a certain stereotype in the technology sector that you need to be aggressive to succeed. This may deter women from taking on roles that they would in fact be very good at, and it may also deter recruiters and hiring teams from hiring or promoting women. This fits with what I have seen during my time in the industry. A lot of people think that you need to be aggressive to succeed, but it’s not true.

Each of the women I have worked with in IT have brought strengths in their own way, and that is one of the reasons why – in recent years – I have hired and developed many account managers who are calm and collected, and know how to get results without the stereotypical aggression. Success is far more about strength of character and traits including determination, confidence, empathy, and perception.

This is how I am trying to break the stereotypes in the industry – by revealing them to be false indicators of success, and by demonstrating that other traits are in fact far more important.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

The new normal at work has been a common experience for people around the

Amel Gardner

VP and GM, Infor MEA

world. Of course, it brought challenges, including adapting to remote and hybrid working, and maintaining good contact with customers and partners, but technology proved to me a remarkable enabler that helped to keep business, and indeed society, moving. In the past year, the team at Infor in the UAE has adhered to a hybrid model of working which has, in many ways, given myself and the team the best of both worlds – plenty of opportunities for face-to-face meetings and more time working remotely from home. The important thing was to ensure that we continued to work towards our goal of delivering industry specific cloud solutions to organizations in the region, especially in industrial manufacturing, distribution, automotive, and healthcare sectors.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

It’s an exciting time in the technology industry in the region, with cloud, AI, edge computing, data analytics and 5G converging to offer enterprises immense op-

portunities to transform the way they operate, and offer new levels of innovation to their customers. The demand for digital transformation among both public and private sector organizations has never been greater, and our industry-specific cloud solutions are the ideal fit to help customers on their transformation journey.

I aim to contribute to the region’s digital transformation journey by leading our team to execute on our business strategy and ensure that customers in the region are able transform successfully and experience optimal productivity gains from Infor solutions.

I also hope to continue to encourage more women to enter the industry and move up the ranks. Organizations operate more successfully when they have a diverse workforce, and that includes greater gender diversity. Having a greater diversity of skills, insights and opinions at the table will improve all areas of business, including the ability of organizations to digitally transform.

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» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

CREATIVE IMPACT Audrey Llorens, International Marketing Manager, ThreatQuotient discusses how she enjoys making a positive impact on her organization with her efforts

of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

I don’t feel there is a gender differentiator in Marketing. In my team and the partners whom I work with, I see both men and women well represented, despite the fact that more women work in this department. I would definitely say that women are sufficiently recognized for their contributions at least from my own experience.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

I think the past 2 years have forced us to reinvent our way of working and thinking as what we used to do in the past does not work anymore due to remote working. Hence we have to test new tools, find new ideas and most importantly try to differentiate ourselves from other companies as everyone experiences the same challenges and changes.

Audrey Llorens

International Marketing Manager, ThreatQuotient

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I started my career with the conviction that I wanted to be in Sales and first I took up an Account Development representative role and then moved to Sales. The main reason that attracted me to the Sales position was to take up challenges and being involved in projects that would positively impact organizations. After working in the Sales for seven years, I realized that I could bring a positive impact to marketing with my background and skills. As an International Marketing Manager at ThreatQuotient, I oversee partner marketing activities and help sales from both sides to drive more business. It really excites me to develop and execute a plan with creativity and see the results that follow.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms

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Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

In my past two roles, I have been assigned to the EMEA and APAC regions. This has been very interesting for my career since it has given me the opportunity to explore new markets, their specificities, and how to adapt to it.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I joined ThreatQuotient's marketing team 14 months ago and my main goals are to continue learning all tactics necessary for a successful integrated marketing strategy and explore new marketing areas in the years ahead.

"The past 2 years have forced us to reinvent our way of working and thinking as what we used to do in the past does not work anymore due to remote working."

» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

ON THE LEARNING CURVE Dushala Agarwal, Marketing Manager MEA, Jedox continues to relish the opportunities to learn from new challenges in her role

in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Gender stereotypes still do exist. However our society is evolving and making progressive conceptual shifts, giving rise to greater equality between men and women and the career paths they are expected to choose and excel in. There will always be roles that are inherently more apt for a certain gender, but marketing requires logic and creative problem-solving skills that are not gender defined. If you have the right skillset and talent, there is plenty of opportunity for it to shine through.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

The reimagining of the traditional workplace has radically changed customer behaviours and the way they communicate and interact with businesses. This requires marketing to adapt in the way they tell stories and more importantly how we tell them. Digital communication has become the norm and consistently communicating your organisation’s value proposition and engaging with your audience across various mediums will be the only plausible and effective solution in a digitally-dense world.

Dushala Agarwal Marketing Manager MEA, Jedox

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

A career in tech marketing has shaped me into the dynamic person I am today. There never is a dull moment as you will find yourself thinking out-of-the-box every day for a broad spectrum of tasks. As a people person, it gives me the perfect opportunity to interact, network and build relation-

ships with a wide-range of stakeholders.

My professional journey has been a steep learning curve as I transitioned into every new role and that journey continues as I come across new changes and challenges which not only provide the opportunity for continued growth, but also make it worthwhile as it is enriching and rewarding.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

I am extremely thrilled to have recently taken up a new role where I have the opportunity to craft a regional market penetration and overall go-to-market strategy on a clean slate. It is challenging me to push outside of my comfort zone, which in turn is moulding me into being a distinctive and a high-yield marketer.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

As a marketer, I believe consumer behaviour forms a key criterion in your planning process. Hence, I would like to delve deeper into the study of this field to understand purchase decisions on a behavioural science level. Rather than being time-bound, I see this as a constant and evolving professional goal.

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» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

MAKING AN IMPACT Eylem Aydin Oruc, Unstructured Data Solutions Sales Director ‚ MERAT, Dell Technologies discusses how she continues to relish the challenges and the learnings that have come with the various job roles in sales

Eylem Aydin Oruc

Unstructured Data Solutions Sales Director‚ MERAT, Dell Technologies

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

Growing up, I was a very social kid and enjoyed interacting with others. Today, I continue to enjoy engaging with people from different backgrounds and work on finding solutions to pressing needs. I saw sales as a path where I could create an impact on others. Variety in the day-to-day activities was another reason why a sales role appealed to me as I would find it incredibly difficult to do a job which requires sitting at your desk all day.

Besides, a sales job helps with your social skills like negotiation, communication, listening, social networking, analytical thinking, relationship management, and problem solving. The journey in sales has been amazing. Over the last 22 years, I learnt a lot, met lots of great people, took part in lots of transformational projects

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and also improved my social skills such as learning to listen and understand others more.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

The truth is gender doesn’t matter in sales‚ especially in the case of the tech industry. It all depends on your selling skills like communication, active listening, solution knowledge, negotiation, presentation rather than your gender. There are certain characteristics that are described as feminine and masculine. Some of the characteristics found in men are competitiveness, goal orientation, focusing, inventiveness while feminine characteristics are social skills, social interaction, conversational style of communication, acceptance of differences, being multi skilled and working well in groups. It goes without saying, however, irrespective of who you are communicating with, it is all about strengthening your relationships between people, creating team spirit and equality.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

Hybrid work hands down has been a rewarding outcome. At the beginning it was difficult to understand and adapt but the moment I realized I could use this shift to have a better quality of time with my team, customers and even with family, I really started enjoying it. Thanks to technological advances, now it is entirely possible for most employees to be just as productive at home as they would in the office before the pandemic. In the beginning it felt different, but in due time businesses and employees have come to accept and appreciate the flexibility and productivity that comes with the hybrid work model.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly In sales, our success is measured in numbers and growth. I moved into this role 3.5 years ago and managed to grow the business significantly during this period. In my previous role, when I was managing the enterprise business at EMC, my team and I, we got to work on some amazing, transformational projects. It has been a wonderful and exciting journey and I feel privileged to play a part in introducing these breakthrough innovations to the region.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

I feel motivated when I am surround myself with ambitious people. And I do continuously set goals for myself both in my professional and personal life. These goals are specific, measurable and time based, when I complete these I do reward myself and move to setting new goals. Another point is being able to make a positive impact in a team member’s or peer’s lives. I feel motivated when I see the positive impact and know that I could contribute to their growth and success.

» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

Aligned with customer needs Fran Martin, Marketing Manager, Axon Technologies has focused on targeted marketing campaigns that deliver desired outcomes What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

After completing my university degree in Economics, I developed a strong marketing passion and realized I had an entrepreneurial marketer spirit, so I decided to pursue a professional career in the field of Marketing. During my 14 years of experience and growth in different marketing roles within the IT industry, I developed a mix of offline and online marketing strategies by identifying trends and customers’ needs to create highly targeted marketing campaigns.

Being part of the Axon Technologies team, a working ecosystem filled with dynamic and hugely skilled professionals, I am putting into practice in my day-to-day tasks the skills acquired to build productive relationships with customers & channel partners. Despite my previous experience, this is a challenging position because the cybersecurity world is constantly evolving, and I must work in a dynamic environment that keeps me continuously learning and growing professionally.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Nowadays I believe that in general women’s representation in marketing is robust and strong, but of course, there is always room for improvement especially when we talk about seniority.

Companies do not want to lose talented staff, and I strongly believe that most of them are doing all they can to retain their employees by providing all the mentoring, support, and making positive adjustments within and across working environments to help maintain and cultivate a suitable work-life balance.

How has hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

There is no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lifestyle, and hybrid work is one of the adjustments we have all adapted to. Throughout my career, it is a fact that flexibility was a key element in improving team collaboration. Nowadays, considering that it is not an exception but a trend, I believe this flexible schedule increases efficiency and helps balance my time between home and office.

Nevertheless, and regardless of the benefits that digitalization is bringing to us, such as new ways of running online and remote

Fran Martin

Marketing Manager Axon Technologies

marketing campaigns to help us engage with our customers and prospects, it is a fact that face-to-face interaction is still important to build stronger, more meaningful business relationships and avoid business "dehumanization".

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Throughout my career journey, I have had an amazing professional experience working and building trust with colleagues and customers from different backgrounds and nationalities, both in person and in an online environment. I am lucky to work in this challenging industry, cybersecurity, alongside an extremely capable and experienced team.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

Keep on putting my creativity, communication skills, and analytical abilities to good use that can play a long-lasting impact on customer awareness and contribute to an increase in sales.

Pursuing a marketing career is a rewarding, challenging, and long journey, that in combination with a dynamic field like cybersecurity, is the perfect mix to keep on learning and growing professionally.

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Women's Day Supplement

RESILIENCE PAYS OFF Kaitlyn Elizabeth Riddle, Global Social Media Marketing Manager, Infoblox says that she is representative of women who are earning their way to senior positions through hard work, resilience and higher levels of education

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organizations?

My professional journey has been nothing short of a wild adventure filled with struggle, hard work, risk, opportunity and hardearned success. I worked as a public school teacher for six years prior to changing to a new career path in B2B digital marketing.

In 2014, after considering multiple potential new career options, I began working for a world class company in Silicon Valley called Intertrust Technologies. Intertrust gave me a strong foundation for learning and growing as a digital marketer in the technology, streaming media, and cybersecurity spaces. From there, I fell in love with the cybersecurity industry and with social media marketing.

I’ve been a proud Infoblox for the past five years and counting, and this is where I belong. Infoblox has far exceeded my expectations as an organization that helps enterprises worldwide enhance their cybersecurity posture, address core networking challenges while enhancing their work from anywhere experiences. Infoblox has also far exceeded my expectations as a company that goes above and beyond to take exceptional care of its employees. Infoblox is where I have felt I belonged before, during and after my ongoing breast cancer and treatment.

Our entire company has supported me throughout my ongoing journey as a breast cancer patient. Our CEO Jesper Andersen personally delivered a wagon full or beautiful, organic groceries and flowers to my home during chemotherapy treatment. Have you ever heard of a CEO doing something like that before? Me neither.

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What’s more, Infoblox provides me with ample opportunities to learn and grow in my role as Global Social Media Marketing Manager. My many mentors at Infoblox are also helping me to build strong relationships and leadership skills I need as I begin to climb the corporate ladder.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Tabish Asifi The cybersecurity industry tends toGroup portray the representation IT Governance Lead of women in cybersecurity as a dilemma than as an opportuMajidrather Al Futtaim nity or cause for celebration. This trend seems to apply across We women in cybersecurity and in B2B digital marketing are empowered by our incredibly hard work, resilience and higher levels of education, and we are earning our way to leadership positions in higher numbers.

For example, according to research from ISC2, 24% of cybersecurity professionals identify as female. This imbalance is what seems to make headlines. However, research also shows that prior to 2013, only 11% of the cybersecurity industry were women.

That’s a 118% increase of women in cybersecurity from 2013 to today. These remarkable accomplishments are more than worth celebrating!

As for Marketing, female representation remains stronger compared to the cybersecurity industry alone. Not only are most Marketing roles held by women, recent research from LinkedIn also shows that the majority of Marketing leaders are women, too. The highest representation of women is social media related

» SPOTLIGHT

Women's Day Supplement

roles such as mine, as 73% of social media related roles are held by women. There remains a great deal of work to be done though.

Women of color continue to be underrepresented in Marketing, and the gender pay gap remains a concern.

Furthermore, Infoblox takes great pride in building a corporate culture that is safe, inclusive, fun, customer-centric, promotes learning, and is genuinely supportive of all employees. At Infoblox, I am very well recognized and rewarded for my hard work and accomplishments. Showing appreciation and recognition for outstanding performance and everyday excellence is an important part of our corporate culture.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the social media landscape has evolved quite dramatically. I’ve never had so many opportunities to enhance social engagement and help build the Infobox community with creativity. Now, more than ever, community must be at the heart of everything we do on social media.

Social media engagement has increased by about 61% during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic alone. Trust in business leadership began to decline across all global sectors, led by entertainment and technology. In 2020 alone, the number of social media users grew by 300 million. Social media users are engaging on social media at earlier times of the day, more often, and are doing so on their mobile devices more than ever before.

I’m also seeing a significant global shift in culture across social media sites, focusing more than ever before on the human element and human experience. It’s a wonderful thing to see, and it’s giving me and our social media team daily opportunities to engage with our audiences and build trust with our employees, customers and partners online in a very refreshing way.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Since joining Infoblox in 2017, I have many standout milestones to celebrate. Leading our global corporate social media marketing strategy is my primary focus at Infoblox. I am incredibly proud of the success that we have achieved with our growing social media presence, engagement, social listening and understanding of our target audiences and their needs.

Spearheading and leading Infoblox’s first ever Employee Advocacy/Social Selling program has also been a significant milestone in my current role. Empowering Infoblox employees to build their personal brands, trust and credibility with their audiences on

Kaitlyn Elizabeth Riddle Global Social Media Marketing Manager, Infoblox

social media has also greatly contributed to positioning Infoblox as a cybersecurity leader and employer of choice.

Lastly, perhaps my greatest accomplishment of all is that I recently returned to working full time after taking several months of medical leave to complete chemotherapy for my ongoing breast cancer treatment.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I’m at a very exciting point in my career as I prepare to climb the corporate ladder and strive to learn and grow as a Social Media Marketing leader. I am always looking to continue to learn and grow as a social media marketing expert on all our current social media channels and trends, and as an expert on personal and professional branding. I also strive to better understand our target audiences and their personas on social media to gain deeper knowledge of their values, interests, and cybersecurity and networking pain points.

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Women's Day Supplement

CONFIDENT AND INSPIRED Loubna Imenchal, Head of video collaboration, Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia at Logitech speaks about how she has focused on being assertive and persistent in meeting her and the company’s objectoves What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

There are many things I like about working in the technology sector. One of the main aspects is working at the bleeding edge of Innovation: It is inspiring work that fulfils a real need. Technology drives the way the world functions and the way people live. It is a must in the present and it creates the future.

Technology is a broad, diverse sector with countless opportunities to develop and grow. This makes it the ultimate ‘portable’ career, meaning you can find a suitable, interesting role almost anywhere. From app development to computer forensics, cyber security to web design, the range of job roles and industries that fall under the technology umbrella is huge.

More specifically, in my current role as Head of Video collaboration for AMECA region (Africa, Middle East Turkey, and central Asia) at Logitech, I believe that connecting people through technology is a valuable mission. Along with my team I am helping to enhance peoples’ relationships and give them the freedom to choose their way of working and studying.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

There are many stereotypes around the differences between men and women in the workplace, and particularly in sales and leadership roles. Men are often portrayed as being more aggressive, and women as more empathetic. When looking at the skills needed to succeed in demanding roles including technology leadership, I would say that it’s more important to be assertive than aggressive, and the ability to empathize is vital, because it is imperative that you understand what your partners and customer need, and to see things from their perspective.

It's worth noting that the technology industry has always been male-dominated, and while the gender balance is slowly improving, there remains a lot of work to be done. For many young women interested in a career in technology, this imbalance can be intimidating.

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Women's Day Supplement

The advice I would like to give to young women is: follow your interests, have confidence in your abilities, and be persistent, because you have as much right to develop a career in technology as anybody else. Also, the sector needs you! Diversity is good for business and good for society, so you will be helping develop the sector and paving the way for more women to follow in your footsteps. There are also plenty of mentors who can help you on your journey and advise you on how to tackle any perceived barriers you encounter.

The rewards of pushing outside your comfort zone are always worth it.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

Since I’ve held senior roles for several years, I am adept at working outside the office and while on the move. In this way, managing a team from a desk at home instead of at the office was certainly no shock to the system. With a baby daughter/son at home, hybrid working has been a wonderful opportunity to spend more time with my family while still leading Logitech video collaboration business in the region.

As Logitech’s Head of Video collaboration for Africa, Middle East, and Central Asia region, I am also keen to highlight the productivity gains that can be achieved through quality video collaboration, which can truly transform the remote and hybrid working experience by bringing you closer to your team, partners, customers and prospects.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly I started my career with Alcatel North Africa while pursuing my MBA at Ecole des Ponts Business School and later moved to FedEx as managing director for the MENA region, which gave me valuable insights and perspectives on multiple industries, and a strong understanding of the MENA region.

In 2008, I joined Honeywell as business unit director and had the chance to work closely with an excellent management team who proved to be great career mentors. In 2018, I joined Johnson Controls as VP of the EMEA region, before taking on my current role with Logitech, an organization that is a true technology leader and has a great culture.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

I’ve always believed that it is important to feel like you are making a positive difference to society through your career. Many technology roles help make the world a better place, either by improving people’s lives, helping businesses to operate smarter, or boosting efficiency and saving energy.

Loubna Imenchal

Head of video collaboration, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, and Central Asia at Logitech

"Technology is a broad, diverse sector with countless opportunities to develop and grow. This makes it the ultimate ‘portable’ career, meaning you can find a suitable, interesting role almost anywhere."

Aside from this, it is also a pleasure to have a role where you see tangible results from your efforts. It is hugely satisfying to see a large, complex project reach completion, and see the difference it makes to the customer.

I particularly enjoy contributing across different sectors, especially the education sector, and providing this generation the option of mobility and flexibility to work and study from everywhere.

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INSPIRED TO MAKE AN IMPACT Layale Hachem, Senior Solutions Engineer, BeyondTrust says she has always been motivated by innovative projects, teamwork, and the ability to make a difference

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

A career in sales is challenging, exciting, and rewarding. As a salesperson, I get to interact with different types of people and personalities, strategize on accounts, and seek competitive wins that can be largely satisfying on both a personal and business level. Professionally, a career in technical sales allows me to play the role of a consultant that helps organizations solve their problems and directly contributes to the success of the employer’s business.

Personally, a sales profession keeps me happy as it presents itself as an exciting and constantly evolving career path that allows me to develop vital skills such as communication, critical thinking and networking.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

Women in general are known to have a softer touch when it comes to sales, but in my opinion, that is merely a footnote and both genders can deliver same business results and be recognized equally in the work environment. Great salespeople should have strong communication and negotiation skills, a go-getter mentality, and a consultative approach; skills that both men and women can and should have.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

As salespeople, we have needed to adapt, just like everyone else, in response to the pandemic. While in person meetings can really help in building strong relationships with customers, we have learned to shift all the core principles of networking and relationship building to the virtual world. A genuine salesperson will invest the same amount of effort in building good customer relationships by routinely reaching out, establishing trust, providing proper support, personalizing relationships, and helping people solve business problems, irrespective of whether that is in person or virtual.

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Layale Hachem

Senior Solutions Engineer, BeyondTrust

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly One important milestone, early in my career, was the shift from a pure technical role as a systems engineer to a technical sales role. The move itself was intimidating as I am a shy person by nature, but it allowed me to start and advance my career in sales, develop interpersonal skills, and hit small and big achievements along the way.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

I have always been motivated by innovative projects, teamwork, and ability to make a difference. The best reward for me is knowing that we as a business and as people can help our peers achieve their objectives and solve important business challenges. Therefore, I will always aim to work for companies that offer cutting edge solution and services that make selling an easy, but more importantly, a valuable process. In addition, success in my professional career is also a strong motivator. I am fortunate today to be working at BeyondTrust, a company that has continuously supported my personal and professional growth. I truly believe, that irrespective of seniority and number of years in a role or industry, learning new skills and growing as a person and as an industry expert are critical to success, so this is something I will continue to focus on.

» SPOTLIGHT

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THRIVING ON CHALLENGES Louise Bou Rached, Key Account Manager Middle East EMEA Key Account Sales, Milestone Systems has thrived on the challenges that her sales roles have presented her with

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I started my career in finance & audit and soon came to realize that it wasn’t the right place for me! I wanted more variety, engagement with new people, and exposure to different markets and new challenges, therefore, I expanded my Masters degree in strategy and management and worked my way to the sales path. It has been quite exciting and fulfilling so far, never a dull day goes by without having the thrill of exposure to a new challenge to solve.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

Personally, I don’t think gender matters in channel sales, it is more to the salesperson‚ qualifications, capabilities, and of course the company’s culture in providing an inclusive workforce. I would like to believe that the key differences are more related to the actual industry limitations or environment rather than gender attributes.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

Hybrid work has been rewarding to me! The pandemic and its aftermath made me stop and realize the importance of work-life balance.

The increased mobility and agility to how where and when you get to perform your job was key to a much better version of me. Face-toface meetings are crucial in our sales roles since half of the discussion and negotiations are actually based on body language and emotional intelligence, which at the beginning was hard to achieve with remote calls, but later on, we adapted to the new rules of engagements and tried to achieve the most from our online meetings. Luckily based out of Dubai, we had the benefit of quickly getting back on track with our onsite meetings with the right precautions in place.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly I work in the security industry, historically, this industry is seen as a male-only domain, probably due to the association with the military and the police, but even these industries now have a stronger female

Louise Bou Rached

Key Account Manager Middle East EMEA Key Account Sales, Milestone Systems

representation and I would like to believe that I along with my female colleagues in the industry had a strong influence in changing that trend. I also had the chance to work in different geographical locations, from emerging African markets to well established and developed markets in the Middle East, where I initiated, developed, negotiated, and closed some of the major deals for my company with respective high profiles in the industry from both Government and private sectors and I can tell you it always draws a smile on my face whenever entering a meeting room being the only female in there!

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

Success and effort recognition translated in career growth to top management is what motivates me the most. The company’s culture is another major driver for me, as I know I can only thrive in an environment where people empowerment is key, and ideally with an open-door policy.

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IN SEARCH OF NEW CHALLENGES Madalina Cretu, Channel Sales Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise speaks about focusing on making a significant impact in sales key differences between women and men in such roles?

Most of the times you are the only or one of the two women in the room - and to be honest this is a great advantage to have.

Common attributes I would say both men and women bring to the table a professional attitude, their intellect, their education and experience. In terms of differences, I think women approach matters more collaboratively and have that special touch. I am a firm believer that men and women should be in their roles based on their capabilities and not gender.

Madalina Cretu

Channel Sales Manager, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I don't think this was a conscious choice, it is where my career path brought me in search of new and exciting challenges. Working in Sales means for me finding ways to balance being successful for your company with helping your partners be successful as well and this is my top priority. As I am new to Sales, I am sure there is lots to come and I look forward to it!

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as

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Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

The new normal was easy to get used to for us at ALE, the flexibility has always been there and the ways to connect and interact remotely are our way of doing business. So no I cannot say it has been taxing nor rewarding. We just got on with it and made it work.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly Since I joined ALE I moved from a channel marketing for MEA role to business support and transformation to channel sales.

There are so many advantages to getting into Sales this way because the learning curve is tremendous and you get to know so much of the business, partners and really the back office. All these give you the understanding you need to be successful at what you do and understand your support network. As I am new to Sales, my goal is to make a positive impact and add value, so that everyone wonders "where was she until now?"

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

It's the same for all of us I guess, making a positive impact, building my career and gaining knowledge, broadening my network and reaching the top - wherever that is.

» SPOTLIGHT

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Maha Kibrit, Marketing Manager Dell Technologies at Mindware says she is blessed to be surrounded by people who push her to grow, believe in her potential and empower her

THRIVING IN AN EMPOWERING ENVIRONMENT Maha Kibrit

Marketing Manager Dell Technologies at Mindware

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

I always knew I wanted to be a Marketer, but never thought of the industry. When I started my Journey and got my first job in the Tech / IT / Telecom industry it was pure hazard and I knew that the challenge is going to be big. You are talking to clients & partners with technical knowledge with very particular and specific requirements, they know what they want and you will have to speak their language if you are looking to create an impact with your marketing activities! So a big part of my day was dedicated to learning products, specs, brands, competition, new technologies... years passed by and here I am today almost 10 years later and I cannot see myself but on this interesting challenging fast-paced industry.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles

in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

I don't see the correlation between achievements & gender, it is more of a person's skills, Character and hard work.

And on top of everything one should LOVE what he is doing. PASSION is the key to everything!

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Well all changes are hard in the beginning and we human tend to have resistance over all kind of changes until we adapt.

In the beginning Hybrid work was a bit frustrating, communication was hard and aligning with other team members was really challenging. I am an extrovert a person of people so working from home was not the best that happened to me but with the right tools (again thanks to TECH) and management support & guidance I managed to find my way and adapt without affecting my deliverables and motivation.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

During the past 2 years everything moved to hybrid & digital, even our marketing activities. So it was really challenging to keep the in-person effect, the 1 on 1 relations during events, trainings, fairs, shows & some others entertaining activities. But with a great team and right guidance we successfully kept our audience interested and engaged, we adopted new creative tools & we managed to increase the ROI of our marketing activities.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

During my professional journey I was always blessed to be in a healthy work environment where I am surrounded by people who push me to grow, believe in my potential and empower me. Mindware is a great place to work for a person to achieve & learn; and I am looking forward to creating an impact, add value and contribute in the coming new successes of the Mindware family.

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A STRONG WILL TO SUCCEED

Mareva Koulamallah, Head of Marketing and Communication MEA, Acronis, has overcome several odds along the way of a remarkable journey to a senior role in Marketing

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» SPOTLIGHT What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

This path chose me and I am proud of not having a traditional journey. I understood early on that it was going to be harder for someone like me. I was fortunate to have support from family and friends; they believed in me more than I did. I think that what at times can be perceived as the biggest injustice or the hardest failure is often a way for life to redirect you to something better in the future. On the first day of my first job in New York, I lost my cousin who was a sister to me. I was far away and heartbroken. Meanwhile, I was getting bullied and my accent mocked during my sales calls; still, I did not give up. Something I wish I understood back then is, that when you doubt or struggle, you are actually being tested; and it is when you need to find the strength to hold on tighter. I get it now.

My experiences and the resilience I built make me the strong marketer that I am today. My vision is more holistic because of it. The hardest part is not to start but to never stop growing.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Marketing is an interesting department when it comes to gender diversity. Even if there are more women than men overall in such departments, they will mostly be found in supportive or operational positions, not necessarily senior leadership. Unfortunately, when you look at the organizational chart in Marketing, the higher you go, the less women you usually see. It is especially striking as unlike other departments the overall group ratio is often more in favour of women. I believe that no matter the segment or department, despite the improvement in terms of getting more women through the door and offering them a fulfilling career, there is still a lot of work to be done to really transform the opportunity in real change.

How has hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Four years ago, I was trusted and hired remotely by my current employer without meeting anyone in person; so, the change to hybrid work during the start of Covid did not impact me directly as I was already familiar with that model. Not only was I onboarded remotely, but I also trained my internal team and managed my external teams of consultants remotely for years. I always felt a sense of freedom in that as it does not matter where you sit; ultimately what matters are the results. Accrued digitalization enables us marketing professionals to be more creative and pushes us to find new alternatives to communicate and reach our target audience. We always need to renew ourselves, find new channels and having to do everything remotely probably forced us to improve the customer experience and re-switch the biggest part of our energy towards what really matters and what we took for granted; real human connections. Change is always scary and thrilling at the same time; it is not only needed but also an opportunity to re-assess and do better.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Over the last five years and with my last two employers, I got

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Mareva Koulamallah

Head of Marketing and Communication MEA, Acronis promoted four times. I started back from scratch after a difficult personal time in 2016 and went from a junior to a senior role as I lead regional activities today. During that time period, I have managed and worked with 30+ teams (internal and consultants) for PR, Marketing and Events in Europe, Middle East and Africa.

I travelled to 20+ countries globally just for work and attended 100+ international events. I coordinated 1000+ interviews in several languages, for executives, regional leaders, IT experts, engineers, and salespeople. I have also done 150+ interviews myself worldwide including TVs, radios, and national newspapers. I was relocated to Dubai from London in the middle of the pandemic in 2020 and we generated a 155+% YoY increase in 2021 in media coverage for the MEA region and in the last Q4 2021 we also reached respectively 192+% YoY and 156+% YoY, from 2020, in our two marketing key performance indicators around our business growth. Simultaneously, I also participated to the creation of the CyberWomen diversity project with our Chief of Staff. I am a diversity and inclusion advocate internally and externally.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

What matters to me is to stay true to who I am, integrity means everything, and to create change wherever possible. I am fully aware of my current privileges but it took a lot of sacrifices to get to where I am today. I wish for the people coming after me, the women, especially the women of colour, to not have to go through the same difficulties. I understand what representation means but it is not enough. I would be humbled to inspire anyone, but my goal is higher than that. I want to open doors and enable others to follow their dreams too. I want concrete change and I will continue to fight for it anywhere I go. Most importantly, I also want to be more than a diversity story. I am not just a woman or a woman of colour. I want to change the narrative any time I can to focus on the skills. Having diversity and inclusion in organizations needs to become the norm, and not a side project.

Personally, as far as my goals are concerned, I wish to continue to grow as a leader and try to free more time for personal projects.

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Enhancing Customer Connect Marie-Ange Fares, Channel and Presales Manager, Axon Technologies discusses how her technical competence has helped her in strategic discussions to understand customer needs better

Marie-Ange Fares

Channel and Presales Manager, Axon Technologies

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» SPOTLIGHT What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

After graduating as a Computer and Communication Engineer, I started my career as a Technical Engineer. Six years into my career, I then decided to move to a sales and channel position.

I found out throughout the years that the part that brings me the most satisfaction from my job is the part where I am talking to the customers, discussing their challenges, and trying to figure out how technology can help them achieve their business goals.

My technical background helped me a lot in pursuing my role in Sales, where it enabled me to focus discussions at a more strategic level for my customers, which I find the most interesting.

It has also given me access to leaders within their organizations where I was able to pitch my own ideas, but also gain knowledge from their experiences, which has equally contributed positively to both my professional success and personal happiness.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

Throughout my career, I was lucky to work in environments where there was no discrimination between employees based on gender. This provided me the opportunity to contribute a lot to my performance and success in handling key positions in the companies I worked in. However, I cannot deny that it is sometimes frustrating to be in a male-dominated field, specifically in a position where you have direct interaction with people, and you need to be involved in key business decisions. Nevertheless, for me, it was always a motivation to continuously develop myself and strive to change. After all, people want to see value and quality, and if I focus on building this value and confidence, people will focus on the results rather than pre-judging the person they are working with based on their gender. I always try to find ways to bond with my customers and find a workaround solution for every challenge I face, without becoming a stranger to my reality as a woman, and by accepting the obligations I have towards my job as well as to my family being a mother with off-duty responsibilities.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

Hybrid work was both rewarding and taxing. I was never able to be more present at home, spending more "contact" time with my kids even if I am busy with my job. It also provided flexibility within my working hours, but it was also taxing as hybrid work highly increased my responsibilities between a household and as a business and channel leader in my organization. This new work model has, however, made me more creative in the way I

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am managing my daily tasks at home, as well as the creativity in dealing with customers and creating new opportunities with new customers and partners. Although all people are adapting to this “new normal”, I do believe that face-to-face meetings, physical events, and direct interactions with customers and work colleagues are the key elements in a successful sales role and cannot be easily replaced by a fully remote model.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly My technical experience in the IT and Cybersecurity field provided me with great confidence and the credibility to drive the discussion to a more strategic level for my customers and partners. This credibility and customer satisfaction contributed a lot to my career growth and opened the doors for expanding my role to reach customers and partners in other countries, as well as new territories. Interacting with people with different backgrounds and mindsets is always an add-on to my personal experience and career growth. I am lucky to be pursuing a career in the cybersecurity field, where you always need to keep learning and stay up to date, and this has made my job challenging and rewarding at the same time.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

What motivates me is to keep learning; this will continue to help me develop key skills, highlight any weaknesses, and grow in my professional journey. Cybersecurity is one of the fastest-growing fields, due to its criticality and importance in today’s businesses.

Being in this field always motivates me to learn and stay up to date; this will provide me with personal satisfaction and self-confidence and will enable me to transmit this knowledge to my customers and partners, which will contribute to the identification of more business opportunities.

"My technical background helped me a lot in pursuing my role in Sales, where it enabled me to focus discussions at a more strategic level for my customers, which I find the most interesting. "

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COMMITTED TO SUCCESS Maya Zakhour, Channel Director, NetApp, Middle East & Africa, Italy and Spain elaborates hard work has paid off for her and now she enjoys enabling the channel towards more profitable growth What made you choose technology as your professional path? How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

I have always been interested in mathematics and logical thinking ever since I was a child, so I took up a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Notre Dame University in Lebanon. Some might perceive it as a domain for males only, but for me, it was a logical choice. I did not think twice.

After graduation, I entered the world of information technology (IT). The competition back then was already fierce, but it did not deter me from pursuing an IT career.

From my perspective, it allowed me to get out of my comfort zone by constantly challenging me to improve my craft given that this field is continuously evolving. Over time, my hard work had paid off. I ended up leading projects with direct impact on the

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business. I have remained on this path over the years. I am also lucky to have worked with renowned mentors who up until this day guide and inspire me.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions?

What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

In my opinion, gender really doesn’t matter irrespective of the industry or job role. What’s important is getting the job done with positive results. Just like any other industry, women can make it big in this field if they put their mind to it. I believe men and women perform their job roles equally well, however, women bring a unique intuitive ability, emotional quotient and understanding to the table.

Hard work is involved across the board, but women tend to work harder to prove

their worthiness in a male dominated job.

Women work hard and persevere as well as have the willingness to learn even the smallest of details. To succeed in the area of technology, they need to equip themselves with a deep understanding of the different layers, applications of different technologies, underlying factors that form the backbone of the industry, and of course, the IT channel and its landscape.

More women are becoming bold when it comes to their career choices. We are now aiming high and dreaming big so it is important that we pursue what we love doing and never second-guess ourselves. The IT industry offers talented and bright women with so many opportunities as men. With the right attitude and guidance, they can be successful in this field.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience

» SPOTLIGHT from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

For someone who enjoys interacting with and being around people for most part of my day, the lockdown came as rude and unexpected change to how I love to work.

It was what it was for a majority of people‚ inconvenient. Conducting meetings via video calls was tedious at first, but with time I got used to it. Sure, it was nice to work from home, but I did want to get back to having human interactions and face to face discussions. Technology has enabled us to overcome the communications hurdle during the lockdown, and NetApp has played a major role enabling its employees to conduct business as usual, even in challenging circumstances. Now the hybrid work environment is the new norm.

It offers a combination of in-office and remote working experiences to help ensure productivity. We have discovered that remote working is actually very beneficial from a business standpoint, as traditional work environments are put on hold. Our understanding of how people use offices is undergoing a massive change. Working remotely is possible for anything that does not require face-to-face interaction, or access to on-site tools. Checking in on the psychological well-being of the team is imperative, as using remote workers should be the same as working in the office. Stress and unhappiness can arise from isolated feelings. Employees should feel connected, even if they work from home.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly I have forged some invaluable and strong relationships among industry peers. This is one of my greatest achievements. I have received recognition by various industry bodies and publications for my contribution to the channel; it has given my work in the industry a new meaning and served as encouragement for new entrants as well. Over the years, I‚ have risen through the ranks during my years in the industry ‚ it has given me a different perspective at all job levels ‚ this experience is priceless and helps me grow professionally and as an individual each day. As far as achievements are concerned, I have played a crit-

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An Jian

President of Carrier Networks Business Group, Huawei Middle East

Maya Zakhour

Channel Director, MEA, Italy and Spain, NetApp

"I believe men and women perform their job roles equally well, however, women bring a unique intuitive ability, emotional quotient and understanding to the table."

ical role in efficient channel sales for the vendors I have worked with - not only growing the channel, but also ensuring my partner community is profitable as well.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with passion, compassion, humor and style. The channel has always been my passion.

However, I find driving sales revenue so interesting. In fact, the most interesting job today for me is at NetApp where I manage NetApp’s regional distribution landscape, alliances, and growing channel coverage in the MEA, Italy and Spain as a large territory. I find the job refreshingly dynamic, demanding, and challenging‚ where no two days are the same.

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THE RIGHT SKILLSETS Nagham Halaby, Senior Marketing Manager, Veeam Software discusses how she has been able to excel in her journey with the ability to be creative and analytical at the same time What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s ?

I always knew that I want to work in Marketing and I am glad that the IT industry picked me. The Journey so far has been very fulfilling for me. The ability to be creative, think outside the box but at the same time keep an analytical approach every step of the way has helped on this journey.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Unfortunately, I can see lots of gender-based differentiations in many careers, but luckily not in Marketing because women all over the world has proven themselves in these roles and somehow dominated the market. When it comes to creativity, events planning, multi-tasking, organizational and negotiation skills we all know that women are the best.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Hybrid work in the past 2 years had taught me the importance of agility and that there are many paths other than the one you plan to reach your goals.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Overachieving my targets and being able to create successful and new programs and projects every year are my biggest achievements. Without this success it wouldn’t be possible for me to get 2 promotions in the last 4 years.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

My goal for the coming years is to give more time for my individual development by learning and completing more certifications.

I will also will be working toward reconnecting with people to not lose the personal touch that we kind of missed in the past 2 years.

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Nagham Halaby

Senior Marketing Manager, Veeam Software

"Unfortunately, I can see lots of gender-based differentiations in many careers, but luckily not in Marketing because women all over the world has proven themselves in these roles and somehow dominated the market."

» SPOTLIGHT

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A THOUGHT Paige O'neill, Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore has enjoying managing teams and helping them improve their skills What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

I studied political science degrees, and then spent a year in New York University’s Media Ecology Ph.D. program studying how technology impacts culture.

During this period I got a part-time job working for a PR agency and ended up dropping out of the Ph.D. program, abandoning my idea of professorship and embarking on a career in PR and marketing.

I have worked my way up through various companies, but the key for me has always been to challenge expectations. I don’t like doing the minimum as I want to do more, be my best, authentic self and help companies develop their best representa-

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tion as well. I think that’s about having a bit of the teacher in me still! I also really enjoy managing teams of people, helping them to expand their skillsets. I feel it’s very important to be a visible role model for women in marketing, helping them to be confident in their abilities, and make their desires and ambitions known. People like me will always be there to point others in the direction of opportunity.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

We all arrive in a role on an equal playing field, but over time, that equality still,

unfortunately, degrades. Everyone brings their individual strengths to their role, and it’s only by embracing a diverse range of thoughts, experiences and skills that organizations can truly address their broadest audience and realize their potential. We need to make sure we’re creating workplaces where young women know they can grow, and lead, in the way that is most authentic to them, and where their contributions are recognized and rewarded.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

In March 2021, a survey my company commissioned from Advanis asked 402 U.S. marketers to reflect on the impact of Covid-19 and their priorities going forward. The results showed that marketers

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were stretching themselves to the breaking point. The vast majority of marketers we polled (79%) said that the past 12 months were the most challenging ones in their careers. More than half (59%) considered quitting and that number was even higher among millennial marketers (65%). As sobering as those statistics were, they also illuminated a path forward. As we hope to emerge from a pandemic world, it is clear to me that marketers and enterprises as a whole should acknowledge the problem, leverage technology, focus on employee experience and provide mentorship.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

I like to think that I am well established as a thought leader in the Martech space, thanks to the programmes I’ve delivered over my career. I haveve won numerous awards recognizing my contribution to the world of marketing, including TopRank’s Top 50 Influential Women in B2B Marketing (Jan 2021), Finalist for Best Video Leadership (LinkedIn Video Series), CSuite Content (Jun. 2020), B2B Magazine’s Top 20 Female Tech Marketers Making an Impact in the Industry (Mar. 2019) and Forbes Top CMOs on Social Media (2018). Most recently, I am extremely proud of the Sitecore rebrand we have just completed.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I believe that companies are not going to be in business for much longer if don’t understand customer experience and what customers expect companies to deliver. My job is to help our customers understand how we can help them do that. When I joined, Sitecore was on an exciting growth trajectory. We're launching new products, we're acquiring companies, we're growing, we're solving critical business needs. My goal is to tell our story with fluency so that ambitious, innovative companies around the globe can understand how they can better connect with their customers, and build unforgettable experiences.

Paige O'neill

Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore

"Everyone brings their individual strengths to their role, and it’s only by embracing a diverse range of thoughts, experiences and skills that organizations can truly address their broadest audience and realize their potential."

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Ranim Atour

Field Marketing Manager, Infoblox

FOCUSING ON INNOVATION Ranim Atour, Field Marketing Manager, Infoblox says she enjoys creating trends in the market, and focuses on the uniqueness of campaigns What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

It’s all about the personality, skillset, and knowledge which helped to shape my career in a way I am proud of today. A marketing career is cool & fun, it involves a lot of creativity, being a trendsetter, understanding the customer's behaviour, monitoring market trends, and meeting the market’s needs. It is also about owning campaigns and projects while collaborating with other shareholders in the organization, like Sales, Channel, Solution Architect, and others; and is a main contributor to the organizations' sales and generated pipeline. The business environment

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changes quickly, this pandemic just showed us how fast the playing grounds can change in a matter of weeks! That’s why cybersecurity is very exciting, and you can easily get interested in it once you get a deep dive, as it is a hyper-growth field that expands to different verticals and progress along the way. Marketing got my attention at age 21 when I first did my internship in Germany. I felt that this career path suits my personality and energy. I have been lucky to work in different marketing roles for multinational institutes to this present day. Today as the Field Marketing Manager for the Middle East, Turkey, Africa, and Pakistan at Infoblox, every campaign and success brings satisfaction that I feel proud of. The Marketing career path, especially in Cyberse-

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curity is tremendously motivating and very rewarding. I love this industry and what I do, and I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to live in different countries that gave me a huge cross-cultural background, which is much needed to grow in today’s world.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

What really matters is the quality, and value that marketing brings.

I think any successful Marketer, regardless of gender, can show and reflect the strengths of what they do. Gender stereotypes are fading anyways and many organizations are adopting the modern mindset that emphasizes bringing fairness to the game and ensuring society’s representation is accurate in the work world, particularly in the cybersecurity space. I believe that building an equal-opportunity culture isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the smart thing. So it’s really about the personality and expertise, that brings respect, regardless of age, nationality, colour, and certainly gender. Indeed, the absence of women involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) is a big concern in many countries, but from what I have seen over the past 7 years in META region, women are making progress in technology/ cybersecurity industry as they rise through the ranks and take on leadership roles. And I am so proud to say that I had the pleasure to work in such an exceptional industry where there is the willpower to transform it to future generations. I think women are already strong and they don’t need recognition or empowerment; they just need inspiration, my advice is to look for a career that you are passionate about because really, there’s no single formula for success; so just follow your passion!

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

It’s definitely a game-changer. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated both planned and unplanned IT modernization across organizations to keep pace with hybrid work. It actually gave more space for creativity, and I think it showed the difference between a normal and successful Marketer. Not only in terms of keeping the marketing activities running, de-risk the process of generating leads that will influence the sales pipeline, and retain the brand awareness; but also it shows who was already ahead of the game!

Digital marketing is a different level, and it certainly helped in the past 2 years. The pandemic did bring a new level of challenges, especially for women with kids, flexibility for women with families is key and the hybrid work model helps in finding the right balance to maintain or advance a career. For me personally, as a

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mother of a toddler, this model encouraged me to be doing more with less.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

I love creating trends in the market, and the uniqueness of the campaigns I have introduced to the different markets, with diverse cultural background and COVID regulations. Some of the best campaigns were the Deep Dive event in Dubai, the Raspberry Pi data exfiltration campaign in KSA, and the Taking off to New Egypt campaign.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

Marketing is a dynamic role, you keep accelerating your skills and knowledge and facing new challenges every day, which is exciting! Add this to the cybersecurity world that is essential in today’s and future business needs; I think this mix is great. I have been taking care of META region for the past couple of years and would love to explore new markets with different cultural backgrounds. It’s very interesting how much a person can learn from diversity., I know this as I experienced it through the past years of my life, where I have had the opportunity to live in Germany, France, Turkey, UAE, and Jordan, which allowed me to grow on so many levels. I am planning to keep rising within my field while enjoying motherhood and providing the support needed for my kid and family.

"I believe that building an equal-opportunity culture isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the smart thing.

So it’s really about the personality and expertise, that brings respect, regardless of age, nationality, colour, and certainly gender."

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A FOCUS ON DIFFERENTIATION Riddhi Anilkumar, Regional Marketing Manager, Omnix International has taken some standout initiatives in her role over the past couple of years and is relishing the responsibility of conceptualizing and executing them

the audience to grasp the product’s ability to offer a solution that addresses their challenges. Being an outcome-oriented individual, it is personally rewarding when I can measure the results of my initiatives in the form of new customer sign-ups, the extended reach of a product in a new sector and geographically, in a new region, and indeed the value of revenue generated through marketing initiatives to fuel the sales pipeline.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

I have been raised in the Emirates and as I embarked into my

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

Creative thinking, designing and a progressive career path stands at the core of what I would value the most in my profession and if there is one industry which offers it all, it is Marketing. The marketing landscape has massively evolved over the past few years and especially with technology marketing, there is immense scope for professional growth. Being a Technology Marketeer myself from the start of my career, I can tell it is like completing a puzzle with pieces of analytical data, insights, creative thinking, and innovation coupled with technology to devise an integrated marketing plan that not only has an extensive reach but also yields a measurable return. Marketing a software or service which is not tangible requires more than the regular marketing tactics and living in an era of ever changing technological landscape, marketeers like myself are also required to be technically versatile. Working with and for organizations and technologies that form the foundation of the next-generation, indeed, also allows me to upscale my skillset with a progressive learning curve.

Moreover, creating a market for such technologies means challenging myself to bring my best foot forward by conceptualizing marketing strategies that are equally catchy and informative for

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professionally journey, I was fortunate to not have encountered any gender bias in the opportunities that I was pursuing. Thanks to my parents, I am blessed to have the privilege of working in the Emirates - a land of ethnic diversities in all domains. It brings a sense of immense pride and accomplishment to see Women Leaders gaining their ground in other professions alongside Marketing that were generally dominated by the male industry like Architects, Engineers, Consultants, and Lawyers, to name a few. The U.A.E government has been extremely supportive of both men and women in critical roles. There may have been a gender bias in the earlier years. However, in recent years, U.A.E has made a rapid paradigm shift in bridging the gender gap related to disparities in pay and also in the number of seats held by men and women at higher roles like MD‚ VP, CISO‚ and more. Many organizations including Multi-nationals are increasingly inclined towards appointing female leaders in Marketing roles.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

The hybrid business model and digitization of several business operations due to Covid-19 has revolutionized the way organizations work. In my personal opinion, the Hybrid working model has actually helped me boost my productivity 3x as I had the flexibility to work at my own comfort. I currently work in the

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AEC industry where projects are conducted on premise. With increasing number of cloud-based technologies struggling to pave their way in to the industry, it was the perfect time for them to showcase their value. Majority of our customers that had their designing operations on premises, started implementing Autodesk’s cloud solutions to ensure seamless connectivity between all stakeholders. There was indeed a bit of uncertainty in how marketeers would practice their roles. However, thanks to digital marketing and the wide array of technologies available, marketeers like myself started developing and leveraging on digital marketing through targeted sponsored ads, conversational videos, case studies, and virtual event platforms to ensure continuity in marketing. On the contrary, with organizations around the world relying on the same digital marketing tactics, all at a time, it was a challenge to stay ahead of the competition and the only way to differentiate yourself was to have compelling content (re-emphasizing Content as the King) coupled with a touch of innovation in the existing way of doing things. For instance, I gained inspiration from Netflix and created a series with multiple episodes, that narrates a solution story along with customer testimonials as a closing note, as opposed to a regular webinar.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Riddhi Anilkumar

Joining Omnix just 2 months before the Covid lockdown in

Regional Marketing Manager, Omnix International

U.A.E., I was definitely in a flux as all my plans had to be revamped and budgets had to be re-aligned accordingly. In an era where Field Marketing is most valued amongst other forms of marketing, it was challenging to attain the same level of partner and customer participation. However, I have been fairly successful in innovating the available options in my own manner for achieving the same results. Where all the customers were being bombarded with webinars, I introduced the concept of Strategic Virtual Breakfast Roundtables and Virtual Panel Discussions with a discussion-oriented approach. My team and I would nominate AEC Industry leaders to host these sessions, addressing challenges faced by end-users in the industry while also sharing best practices from their own experiences implementing solutions and strategies within their organizations. Simultaneously, attendees were sent Omnix branded breakfast hampers prior to the roundtable to harness the essence of a live event. I would also engage our channel partners to leverage on this by engaging their techies and customers. In a recent campaign with Abu Dhabi Municipality about the mandate of BIM in Infrastructure, I have been successful in positioning both Autodesk and Omnix International as the prominent BIM advisor in the region.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I started off my professional career as a Marketing Coordinator for one of the leading IT Mobility and Security Distributors in EMEA in July 2014. After 8 years, and 3 jobs, I have been very fortunate to have a progressive career path working with some of the leaders in Digital Transformation as a Senior Marketing Executive, Field Marketing Specialist and now leading the Marketing role as a Regional Marketing Manager for the Omnix Engineering division in Omnix International. I love to think out-of-thebox and it brings me immense satisfaction when I am able to add a measurable element to my outcomes so I can understand what works best and develop newer strategies for better results. In the years to come, I aspire to attain a leading position in the Marketing role for a Vendor Firm that is a major technology disruptor of the Next-Generation.

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TRANSFORMING IDEAS Samantha Carter, Marketing Manager, Infor enjoys the process of transforming marketing ideas into executable solutions and has adapted well to the region’s cultural diversity

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

My professional career has always been in Marketing. I have always had a passion for enterprise technology marketing. I've currently been at Infor over 12 years and during this time have covered many roles in both Regional and Partner marketing roles and worked with various Infor teams in US, Europe, APAC and for the past 5 years in Middle East. I excel in driving sales performance through transforming ideas into solutions and creating ROI driven strategies. My technical expertise is across the whole marketing spectrum, both on and offline, which enables me to see the big picture and piece all the pieces of the marketing jigsaw together.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Men and women both have a vital role to play in Marketing. Marketing in our industry has traditionally been dominated by women, but over the years we've seen more males joining the Infor marketing team and it is good to have this balance of gender in the team. Women still need to work harder in more senior roles in Marketing to be heard by their male counter parts.

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Infor has always allowed employees to work in a hybrid manner, being a global organization, we are used to having online team collaboration across the globe - in fact during the pandemic it allowed the marketing organization to work more closely and capitalize on other regions activities.

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Samantha Carter

Marketing Manager, Infor

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

A key highlight was moving to Infor's Middle East region with my family (husband & two boys). Uprooting the family to a country and culture that they have never experienced was an exciting challenge. Another highlight was applying my marketing skills and knowledge in a completely different region. Understanding the culture and nuances of the region has been a key success as well. 5 years later I'm still enjoying the challenge and love the cultural diversity of this region.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

I will look to continue to embrace change and educate myself on modern marketing best practices and strategies. I'm always on the look out for the next new marketing initiative - trying something new is always exciting.

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FOCUS ON CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT Shaed Khader, Senior Marketing Executive, Logicom FZE discusses how the focus on engaging the customers through activities what they felt comfortable with has been a key to success

What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

My passion for Marketing is what drives me and my creative ideas. The reason why i picked the field of Technology is because it has the power to change the world rapidly. I have 7 years of experience in both traditional and digital marketing which helped me grow in Logicom because they give me the freedom to implement my own ideas meeting the organization's goals and objectives.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

In my opinion, women are more creative, have an eye for detail and drive with passion while executing any campaign or activity. I don't think women are recognized enough for all that they do in the tech field. For all the hardwork, dedication, passion and commitment we put in our work, we deserve much more in the industry.

Shaed Khader

Senior Marketing Executive, Logicom

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

More time, freedom helps the mind stay motivated and creative.

Getting best of both worlds i.e. working from home and an office life, has been helpful in maintaining a balance between the workloads we have in this fast paced industry.

with. In the past we believed that only traditional marketing was the way to go. Covid did help us realize that it doesn't matter where you work from, it is the work that shines wherever you are that speaks for itself.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Moving from push marketing to pull marketing led to the customers coming to us. Moving from lead generation to ABM lead to better ROI. Moving from Digital events to Hybrid events gave the choice to the customers to decide what they felt comfortable

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

Among what I would like to do is being able to execute 1 national wide successful campaign. Being kind, trying new things at work, going very creative, taking risks and most of all enjoying my work are all my priorities up ahead!

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BREAKING

THE CLASS CEILING

Sandrine Moustafa El khodry, Vice President Middle East and Africa, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise elaborates how the determination to overcome all the odds has been key to her success so far

What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

Freshly graduated, I discovered this path by pure coincidence during a discussion with a friend. So, I gave it a try and I am in since over 26 years and enjoying. It has been very challenging and stimulating and I have loved every moment of it. Every day is a new challenge to overcome; you go through deception and success as it is the case in the world of business. I acquired a lot of experience from being in Sales. Keeping an open mind, being flexible, ready to accept other points of view, adapting – all of these learnings especially reinforced me. I became stronger and more determined to achieve and to overcome all obstacles. this is

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how you should be to be a successful Sales leader: agile, people centric, flexible, open minded and show perseverance and never accept a NO as an answer. The Sky is my limit I would say.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

The tech field where I work is known to be a man’s field. Everybody knows how difficult it is for a woman and specially in a senior position. You need to overcome 3x times more obstacles and barriers than a man in the same position. Every day, it‚ is a battle to acquire the legitimacy in this man’s world but once you do it ‚ you can truly feel proud because you are really admired and

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well respected. Latest researches showed that women in leadership positions were perceived as being every bit as effective as men. Women were rated as excelling in taking initiatives, acting with resilience, practicing self-development, driving for results, and displaying high integrity and honesty, based on survey results published in The Harvard Business Review (June 2019). I really don’t want to be perceived as a feminist but I strongly believe that women have capacities that are underused or not explored due to lack of chances in the workplace Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

The new work mode has been for sure rewarding but also taxing at the same time. Rewarding because it assured the continuity of the business without any interruption Taxing, because working from home imposes no limit on working hours; so your working hours are trampling on your personal life, as you have no constraint on time you only continue working longer hours. I have got used like everybody else to work remotely from home and as explained this was a very enriching experience. From a productivity point of view, this was very efficient as we were using the business continuity tools of our company which allows to have continuous link with my teams, colleagues, Partners and Partners. However, at the same time, I am convinced that business is around people as people make the difference; especially in Middle East, human face to face contact is key to build up confidence and relation to be able to do business. I get the best of it by putting in place a hybrid model that is half at office and half remote, which brought a real balance to maintain contact with colleagues, partners and customers and at the same time being productive while working remotely.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly I have never had limits to my dreams, the sky is my limit. So my target was to climb the ladder and reach senior positions, which was a challenge for me as a woman in the tech industry I have been through a continuous fight to overcome lots of challenges, obstacles, roadblocks as well as stereotypes. I had to persevere and to work three times more than my peers as well as acquiring all the necessary skills via trainings, diplomas etc. to prove my legitimacy to obtain a promotion. My career is my true achievement, starting as sales specialist and ending up as Regional Vice President. My career continues and I am aiming for more senior positions and working towards it. I am currently preparing a PhD in business to reinforce my learnings and to get ready for my next step. I am also mentoring some entrepreneurs and start-ups to grow their businesses as well as to achieve their dreams.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

Jack Ma said "the most important thing is to keep doing what you are doing right now with passion, to keep it up." And I am

Sandrine Moustafa El khodry VP, MEA, Alcatel Lucent Enterprise

" The tech field where I work is known to be a man’s field. Everybody knows how difficult it is for a woman and specially in a senior position.

You need to overcome 3x times more obstacles and barriers than a man in the same position." passionate about business and leading people, this is what I do the best. Growing business and creating success stories are my passion. Leading, guiding and mentoring people are what I love doing the most. So, I will continue leading people and growing business wherever I go. My main personal target is to become a reference in my domain and to be able to guide and support people to grow specially women and most of all break their ‘GLASS CEILING’ and show to the world that there is nothing impossible.

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A TRENDSETTER Shahd AlQunaibit , Regional Director, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and Levant, Cisco AppDynamics has been a trendsetter as a Saudi woman working in a senior sales role and can be justifiably proud of what she has achieved so far What made you choose technology as your professional path?

How has this journey been so far in terms of achieving professional success and personal happiness?

As a fresh Information Systems graduate, my career plan was to be an analyst in an IT company. However, I was accepted into a sales internship program at one of the top international technology providers. It would have been a shame to pass! Throughout my internship, I got the opportunity to sharpen my skills and learn new ones, but most importantly, this is where I realized my passion for sales! I love sales because it’s a human centric profession. Everyday, I have the opportunity to support customers and partners, help them solve key business challenges, and achieve their goals. This gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and achievement as I can see, in a tangible way, how I am having a positive impact on businesses and the economy. My journey has been an interesting ride, filled with a myriad of experiences that have made me the person and leader I am today.

Does gender matter in channel sales in terms of expectations and recognitions? What are some of the common attributes as key differences between women and men in such roles?

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Men and women are inherently different, and as a consequence, do have certain strengths and weaknesses. However, when it comes to excelling at a job, particularly in this day and age of flexible working and focus on outputs over inputs, I do not believe gender matters. Success hinges less on gender and more on having the right knowledge and skills. This is something that I can personally relate to, given my experience at Cisco AppDynamics. Diversity and inclusion are at the core of our DNA. We are all treated equally and given the same opportunities regardless of our gender or any other demographic. We are evaluated solely based on the quality of work and our performance which fosters collaborative team spirit and a culture of fair competition.

Has hybrid work mode been rewarding or taxing? Describe your experience from last year onwards in adopting to the new normal at work? Especially as face-to-face meetings have been difficult to do, how does that impact your work?

The hybrid work world has its advantages and disadvantages.

Personally, I can say that it helped me be more productive. For example, cutting out the commute meant I was able to have more meetings with customers and partners. However, one of the key

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Shahd AlQunaibit

Regional Director, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and Levant, Cisco AppDynamics

success factors in sales, particularly in this region, is human interaction and we obviously lost that during the pandemic. Now that we are returning back to some semblance of normality, I am trying to find a balance that works for both my customer and me.

Describe some of the achievements or milestones you achieved in sales in this role as well as over the career briefly As a Saudi woman in sales, something that was not the norm when I started my career, I’m very proud of where I am today.

It was a difficult journey, with many disappointments and setbacks but I used these as motivation and opportunities to learn and grow. Now, being a young Saudi female leader, in charge of the development, execution, and expansion of AppDynamics in Saudi Arabia, North Africa, and Levant, I consider this one of my greatest achievements. I have the opportunity to act as an enabler for the team, establishing a high-performance culture and supporting colleagues to reach their goals and achieve their full potential. We’re building a young, dynamic and promising sales team in the region with a passion for exceptional performance and a desire to deliver aggressive growth.

On the road ahead in your professional journey, what are the ambitions that motivate you?

My objective in life is to add more value to others’ lives, as I am passionate about encouraging people from all backgrounds and supporting them to achieve, and even exceed, their goals. And my current role gives me the platform to make this a reality. Over

"Everyday, I have the opportunity to support customers and partners, help them solve key business challenges, and achieve their goals. This gives me a deep sense of satisfaction and achievement as I can see, in a tangible way, how I am having a positive impact on businesses and the economy."

the next few years, I want to develop my leadership skills further and foster others to become leaders and grow. I will be looking for opportunities to expand my responsibilities, build strong and reliable relationships within the MEA region, and make an impact in my country, region, and even beyond.

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DELIVERING OUTCOMES Sonali Basu Roy, Marketing Manager, Bulwark Technologies has focused on strategies that deliver tangible outcomes right through her career What made you choose this career path? How would you summarize your professional journey so far in terms of meeting expectations, both yours and the organization’s?

Technology is causing massive changes every day. My continued endeavour would be to keep myself updated to all changes & continue always delivering my best in my current role. I would look to stay agile & up to date on industry trends with a constant thirst & focus on knowledge enhancement. There are many moments of pride and accolades which are mention worthy. However, the one thing that most satisfies me is the ability to successfully devise marketing strategies having measurable mix of direct, Indirect and Digital channels creating positive impact to the Business objectives.

and executing? Are women sufficiently recognized for their contributions?

Gender has been a differentiator, however, women have overcome all challenges with their strengths they bring in conceptualizing & execution & creativity in the field of Marketing. Women should believe in their capabilities and should be quick learners and acquire different skills. Market trends and mentalities are changing and there is plenty of opportunity for those who are dedicated and motivated. I strongly believe that success and passion towards your job & responsibilities are correlated and would enable in achieving the desired level of success and at a shorter timeframe and get sufficient recognition for your contributions & excellence in the Marketing domain.

From your experience, is gender a differentiator in Marketing at all or are men and women similar in these roles in terms of the strengths they bring to these roles in conceptualizing

How has Hybrid work and accelerated digitalization challenged, changed and enabled your role in Marketing?

Hybrid work and digitalization has changed and enabled my role

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Sonali Basu Roy

Marketing Manager, Bulwark Technologies

in Marketing. Few years ago, people went to one or two websites when looking for a product, and made a decision based on that information. Today, however, the information available about products is almost endless. With limitless data online, customer reviews, and countless vendors to purchase from, the purchasing power is in the customer's hands more than ever before. Today, however, customers are able to locate most of this information before ever speaking with the company with the help of the channel called Marketing. Social media marketing is one of the most powerful way for businesses of all sizes to reach prospects and customers. Our customers are already interacting with brands in small but constant and highly effective social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram amongst other online platforms. Marketing on social media can bring remarkable success to your business, creating devoted brand advocates and eventually driving leads and sales, which has a direct impact on the Brand’s top line and revenue.

Briefly highlight some of the standout milestones from your current role and over the past?

Over the last 12 years, I was faced with unique opportunities in the form of either creating Brand awareness for a new Security Technology player in the regional market or help create a brand equity of an organization as a Thought Leader in Cyber Security. For attaining both these objectives in totally separate scenarios, have successfully devised Marketing programs hav-

ing a measurable mix of Direct channels (such as events/webinars etc.), Indirect Channels (such as website/blogs/Magazines/ Interviews etc.) and Digital medium (such as social media/EDM etc.), collaborating at any given point of time with various partners like marketing agency/media houses/PR agencies/Printers etc. amidst an aggressive timeline to have the maximum impact.

A planned approach towards the key objectives of the program, optimum utilization of resources and budget I had for disposal, the marketing mix and the market which we wanted to address, helped me very quickly achieve the desired results of the Marketing campaigns for the organization and channel community.

What would be some of the goals that you have set for yourself in the years ahead in your professional journey?

When I was in the crossroads of choosing a sound career, I was highly fascinated and impressed to see how an ordinary product transforms into an extraordinary brand with the assistance of the creative engine of ‘Marketing’. This highly inspired me to be a catalyst in the formation of large brands and pursue my dreams of becoming a successful marketer in the IT segment.

The growth opportunities are enormous and so are the challenges associated as you successfully climb the corporate ladder. I feel it is important to balance my personal & professional career giving both the required importance for a healthy work-personal life balance with constant support from my organization to achieve this.

MARCH 2022 / CXO DX

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Women's Day Supplement

» INSPIRING QUOTES

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

“Do not be afraid to make decisions.

Do not be afraid to make mistakes.”

Carly Fiorina Former CEO, Hewlett-Packard

Sheryl Sandberg COO, Facebook

“I learned to always take on things I’d never done before.

Growth and comfort do not coexist."

Ginni Rometty Former Executive Chairman, IBM

"Rarely are opportunities presented to you in a perfect way. In a nice little box with a yellow bow on top. 'Here, open it, it's perfect.

You'll love it.' Opportunities – the good ones – are messy, confusing and hard to recognize. They're risky. They challenge you."

Susan Wojcicki, CEO, Youtube

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CXO DX / MARCH 2022