As the tech industry continues to grow and expand, there are still obstacles young women face when pursuing a career in tech leadership. We asked Renee Dhingra, Director of Marketing and Business Operations at hubTGI about her journey, how she got started in IT, challenges she has faced and what advice she would give to other young women interested in pursuing a career in tech leadership.
What struggles and successes did you face on the path to your current position at hubTGI?
Renee’s Response – I’ve had a lot of different jobs within hub. I started off in the customer service space then moved into more of a sales support role, then a specialist role, eventually becoming a sales manager, and then moved into a director position in charge of marketing and operations.
I’d say the biggest challenge was when there was a shift in the job market in favor of employees, and 50% of Canadians were changing jobs. I dedicated myself to understanding what makes a workspace an attractive and desirable place for people to stay and continue to work. It was a big project that took two years to accomplish, but I think we’ve created a culture that really puts the needs and happiness of our employees first. Our goal was to be the best company we could possibly be in terms of employee satisfaction, and I believe we succeeded. I talk about this in the interview process to attract new talent to our company because we have programs in place that support our employees.
What advice would you have for other young women who are interested in pursuing a career in tech leadership?
Renee’s Response – I think it’s important to always be curious and seek to learn. Being curious allows you to make connections with people and learn about their career paths. There are a lot more women in technology and technology leadership, so it’s becoming easier to meet and interact with them: there are conferences you can attend, there are virtual ways to connect, and there’s always LinkedIn.
Finding women that will mentor you can be really helpful; those are the people that I lean on today when I’m running up against a challenge. I can call and ask them, have you seen this before? how would you deal with it? and learn from their advice. Some of my mentors are actually peers who have become mentors. In other cases, we serve as peer mentors for each other, which creates a supportive environment for learning. I think being curious, making connections and finding mentors are great ways to help catapult your career.
About hubTGI
hubTGI is a Canadian-owned Managed Services provider that offers Print Services, Workflow Solutions, Managed IT, Cybersecurity Solutions, Cloud Services and VoIP to help their customers control costs, secure their data and make their people more productive.
For the latest industry trends and technology insights visit hubTGI’s Resources page.
