Celebrating Female Leadership at Unibuddy
“The greatest gift an aspiring female leader can receive is another woman spotting your potential, nurturing it and ultimately setting you on a path you didn’t even know was possible.”
At Unibuddy we’re big on championing the women on our team and committed to doing so on a regular basis—for us, it goes beyond International Women’s Day. We keep it in mind when hiring, when thinking of our Buddy benefits, and when supporting and encouraging our female talent to reach their full potential.
The tech industry is no longer a boys club, and we’re proud to have incredibly talented, driven, and intelligent women leading our team. We’re proud to say women currently make up 47% of our entire company, and we’re dedicated to increasing that number and welcoming more women at Unibuddy.
So this International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women that help lead Unibuddy to success. We hear from our Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer Nina who shares the importance of playing your own game. Our Head of Product Amelie discusses why we shouldn’t shy away from traditionally female traits in the workplace. Our Director of Engineering Vindhya notes the inspiring women that helped shape her career. And our Head of Customer Success Amy explains why failure is a must.
Nina Angelo – Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer
What is the biggest success you have had in your career so far?
My biggest accomplishment was when Top Hat (my previous employer) asked me to officially join the executive team. Personally, this gave me the opportunity to take a bigger, more active role in cross-company decision-making. Perhaps more importantly, though, I saw this as a success for the women at Top Hat. Until I joined, there was only one woman on the 10-person executive team. I felt a great sense of pride in representing my female colleagues with a seat at the table.
If you had one piece of advice to give yourself at the start of your career, what would it be?
Make your own rules. Everyone thinks they need to play someone else’s game. Play your own game. If you want a meandering career path, do it. If you want to take a break to raise kids, do it. If you want to take two-month maternity leave and get back to work, do it. If you want to plan the next 20 years of your life from the get-go, do it because you want to, not because you think that’s what you’re supposed to do to succeed. Life’s too short to spend it playing by arbitrary rules that are just a construct.
Who is the most inspiring woman you know and why?
In high school, I participated in competitive speech tournaments (oratory, drama, poetry, etc.). My coach, who also taught me Composition, was Mary Yorke. Many students over the years said Mrs. Yorke was their toughest teacher. In fact, they’d get compositions back covered in red pen and would endearingly refer to her as “Bloody Mary.” (She didn’t mind, she just switched to using green ink instead.) Mrs. Yorke and I spent countless hours together after school, preparing for competition but also talking about the world and our own places in it. She was charismatic and was guided by a strong moral compass. But most importantly, she listened and made me feel that my voice was valued even as a student. She showed she genuinely cared about me. In fact, she provided the inspiration I needed to stretch beyond my comfort zone when applying to colleges. I owe so much to Mrs. Yorke.
How would you advise that women support other women in the tech industry?
The biggest challenge I’ve seen women face at all levels of leadership is a lack of confidence. Women who have years of experience and accolades to show for it still doubt their abilities. So the best thing we can do is to call out specific contributions female colleagues are making on a daily basis, in public but in private too. Sometimes it’s that tangible, personal, positive feedback that means the difference between whether a woman feels confident to speak up in a meeting or take on the big project or go for the promotion.
In your experience, what is a good example of women supporting women in the workplace?
The greatest gift an aspiring female leader can receive is another woman spotting your potential, nurturing it and ultimately setting you on a path you didn’t even know was possible. I’m indebted to Lisa Lewin, currently the CEO of General Assembly, for taking a chance on me. When I joined her team at Pearson, I had limited education sector experience and virtually no product experience. She focused on what I did bring to the table and mentored me at every turn. I still remember one time, she was on the road with our sales team and running between customer meetings, but still took the time to give me a crash course over the phone on how to iteratively test for product-market fit! Lisa allowed me to find the potential within myself that I didn’t even know was there. Now, I make it a priority to pay that forward to other women aspiring to leadership roles.
What do you think men can do to support women to reach success in their careers?
When any leader, no matter their gender, sees potential in a rising star, I think the biggest contribution they can make is providing the opportunity to “be in the room where it happens.” (Couldn’t escape the Hamilton reference!) I’m so grateful to the men and women whose shoulders I stood on to see better, to understand what happens in the boardroom, behind closed doors, one-on-one with the client, and watch how they would respond. Boot camps and online courses are all the rage right now, and there is a book you can read to “get smart” about any topic under the sun; however, I’ve personally found there’s no better way to learn than by seeing and doing.
How has Unibuddy supported your career growth?
When our CEO Diego Fanara hired me, he focused on what I did bring to the table rather than all the (many) skills and experiences he could’ve said I lacked. Even when you’re hired for a senior role, you want to know there’s an opportunity to grow, to make mistakes safely, and to learn. In the four months, I’ve been at Unibuddy, I haven’t stopped learning—from the talented executive team and from the passionate teams I have the pleasure of leading. Being surrounded every day by people who are hungry, humble, and smart makes you want to level up your own game.
Amelie – Head of Product Management
What is the biggest success you have had in your career so far?
The biggest success for me was when I set up my own company to start contracting in Product Management and become a more independent professional. Especially as it allowed me to start a new career in fitness at the same time. The feeling of freedom and the thrill of taking a risk was a huge growth opportunity for me.
If you had one piece of advice to give yourself at the start of your career, what would it be?
When you think something doesn’t make sense or is hard to understand, 99% of the time your question isn’t stupid. Whatever the other person is saying isn’t obvious and I guarantee someone else will benefit from your question.
Who is the most inspiring woman you know and why?
One of the most inspiring women I know is the fitness instructor who made me fall in love with sports again. She is the strongest, most badass person I’ve ever met and yet she’s even shorter than me. She showed me what female strength could look like, how much our bodies can do and how priceless it is to feel strong, fit, and capable.
How would you advise that women support other women in the tech industry?
This happens through proudly adopting a leadership style that promotes traditionally “feminine” traits that have been seen as weaknesses in business for many years, especially in male-dominated industries. Embrace empathy, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing as standards of excellence. A lot of these are our strengths as women. And at the same time discourage individualistic, alpha-malish behaviors that many women have felt like they had to subscribe to in order to succeed.
In your experience, what is a good example of women supporting women in the workplace?
Women being able to open up about their doubts and challenges and advocate for each other when they see injustice for women is essential. Taking a bit of extra time to boost each other’s confidence whenever you can is also important. And not just because you’re someone’s manager or because someone’s struggling—just do it as often as you can because you know yourself how amazing it makes you feel when someone’s telling you that you’re smart or cool.
What do you think men can do to support women to reach success in their careers?
They can use more inclusive language (e.g. stop assuming the new manager or engineer is going to be a “he”). They can stop assuming caring and empathy are weak and imply we don’t have high expectations or can’t make tough decisions.
How has Unibuddy supported your career growth?
I have been surrounded by extremely caring colleagues regardless of gender, and I have been given a lot of trust, respect, and opportunity to lead. Feeling listened to when you’re the only woman in the room has not always been a given in my career. As a company, Unibuddy has shown its ability to listen to tough conversations, learn and evolve. We are all the better for it now.
Vindhya – Director of Engineering
What is the biggest success you have had in your career so far?
What I prize most in my career is having had the opportunity to build a wide range of technologies ranging from operating system device drivers to mobile applications.
If you had one piece of advice to give yourself at the start of your career, what would it be?
Don’t get hung up on promotions and career levels. Enjoy what you do, focus on learning, look at everything as a learning opportunity. Promotions and growth on the career ladder are external validations of who you are as a person in the role that you are in.
Who is the most inspiring woman you know and why?
I have been fortunate to have been surrounded by many inspiring women. My mother, who did two Master’s and a Ph.D. after having two children, is a huge source of inspiration. Her fearlessness in facing new situations, her ability to collaborate and navigate unknowns, her ability to balance family and career—all are things that I constantly draw inspiration from.
My aunt was my inspiration for pursuing engineering as a career. She was a pioneer in her era, breaking societal norms in pursuing engineering as a career, moving to a different city to live alone, and growing to become the chief scientist of her department. Many of my friends inspire me with their unbounded energy and enthusiasm and the bring-it-on attitude with which they go through life.
How would you advise that women support other women in the tech industry?
Call it out when you see instances of gender-biased behavior (or remarks) in the workplace. Actively demand workplace policies that will create an equitable, inclusive workplace environment. Lead by example by being confident in your own capabilities, voicing your ideas, thoughts, and concerns confidently—and encourage other women to do the same. Give actionable feedback that will help your female colleagues learn and grow. Offer to mentor women in junior roles.
In your experience, what is a good example of women supporting women in the workplace?
A great example of women supporting women at Unibuddy happened a couple of years ago when the female employees discussed the absence of a maternity/parental leave policy, and championed this with our People team.
What do you think men can do to support women to reach success in their careers?
In the workplace, men can be supportive by calling out gender-biased behavior when they see it. They can also actively champion workplace policies that create an equitable, inclusive workplace environment. Providing actionable feedback and mentoring are also ways to support women. At home, spouses can be supportive by sharing equally in the responsibilities of running a home and raising a family, and by being vocal champions/cheerleaders of their partner’s career growth.
How has Unibuddy supported your career growth?
Unibuddy has supported my career growth by actively building and nurturing an inclusive environment across all departments. A flexible work environment, an identity of radical candor, psychological safety, and sustainable growth. These are all factors that help me achieve the right work-life balance, and enable me to do my best work. The most important way in which Unibuddy has supported my growth, however, is by placing trust in my capabilities and giving me the room to experiment and learn from my failures.
Amy – Head of Customer Success
What is the biggest success you have had in your career so far?
Building a US Customer Success team from scratch! I had the great opportunity to build our first US Customer Success team for Unibuddy and to scale our book of business from the ground up. It was a steep learning curve but I learned a great deal about CS hiring, coaching, strategy, and management. It’s been a privilege to see the team grow and develop at Unibuddy over the past two years. I am excited to see what 2022 holds for them.
If you had one piece of advice to give yourself at the start of your career, what would it be?
Don’t take criticism or failure personally. When I first started my career, I put my whole self into my work. As a young woman, I felt I had something to prove and I put pressure on myself to deliver perfect results in every project. When things didn’t go perfectly, I took it really personally and blamed myself. I internalized this feeling of failure, which hindered my ability to learn and progress. So if I was speaking to my younger self, I would say: lean into constructive criticism! It’s an essential part of growth and no one does a perfect job all the time. Failure is an opportunity to learn and grow.
Who is the most inspiring woman you know and why?
My mum is my original role model and inspires me every day. She’s a strong, driven woman who stands up for what she believes in and teaches us to do the same. When society tells her she can’t do something, she says, “Why not?” She forged her own freelance writing career and always taught us to do every single job to the very best of our ability. It’s a simple lesson, but one that has served me well in my career. On the tough days, she brings perspective and pushes me to believe in myself. She’s definitely the person I lean on most when I need support and inspiration.
How would you advise that women support other women in the tech industry?
By advocating for other women and making sure their voices are heard. Men are often praised for their confidence and self-assurance, but that’s not always the case for women. When they speak up or challenge, these same behaviors are dismissed as negative, aggressive, or bossy. When they don’t speak up, their opinions and contributions can be overshadowed. At times, it feels impossible to navigate. Being confident or assertive does not come naturally to everyone, and in male-dominated industries, this can push women to the sideline in meetings. This is where women can be true allies—by highlighting the impact/contribution of their female colleagues and actively involving them in discussions. For women managing women—be proactive in finding opportunities for them to step up and take on new responsibilities.
In your experience, what is a good example of women supporting women in the workplace?
I think mentorship and coaching are really powerful. They create a safe environment for women to learn from one another and to show vulnerability.
What do you think men can do to support women to reach success in their careers?
It’s all about perspective. The first thing men can do is step outside of their comfort zone. Make a conscious effort to understand how women experience the workplace, and the challenges they face in their day-to-day. For men in management positions, recognize that women on their team may need more encouragement to step up into a new role or to put themselves forward for a project. Men can also attend training on unconscious bias and intersectionality to understand the different behaviors and discrimination that exist (often unconsciously) in the workplace.
How has Unibuddy supported your career growth?
My career trajectory at Unibuddy has been steep and varied! I joined Unibuddy in 2018 as a Student Engagement Manager. Over three years, I progressed into a full-time CSM role, then a team lead, then a head of department, and now an interim global role.
What I value at Unibuddy is how we encourage people to make that leap. With each opportunity, my confidence grows and I am challenged every day to develop and move forward. There is a faith and belief in my ability that motivates me to keep pushing, and as a manager, I hope I can instill the same confidence in my team. Because as a woman, there are days when you doubt yourself; when you question your right to be in the room; when you just don’t feel like you are good enough. And it’s on those days, you need a strong manager behind you, advocating for you and making sure your voice is heard.
Our team continues to grow and there’s never been a better time to get involved. Whether you’re interested in a leadership role or want to take your first step on the career ladder, check out our current roles and join a company that values and supports diversity and inclusion.
