Celebrated on March 8th every year, International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. This year, the theme is #EachforEqual. The theme is a call to action for accelerating gender equality, not just on International Women’s Day, but all year long.
To mark International Women’s Day, we asked Alice Young, Sales Director, EMEA and Astra Duke, Customer Experience, EMEA to share their thoughts and experiences as female leaders at LogicMonitor.
Was there a certain moment in your career that you felt was a turning point?
Alice Young: After being in sales for several years, selling a range of products and services, I needed a new challenge. It was then I decided to move into the software industry. I was fascinated by the speed of innovation, the ability to make such incredible impacts on entire organizations, and the sheer complexity of the sales cycles. Nearly 6 years after making the leap into software, my fascination with this brilliant industry is still stronger than ever. Whenever I walk into a room, no matter the age, seniority, or gender of the audience, I’m confident that I can add value, provide insight, and facilitate interesting discussion.
Astra Duke: I haven’t had my ultimate turning point in my career as of yet, however, the one point that has been an influential moment is when I decided to leave Inbay; my father’s company. After 5 years of hard work and true career progression, I decided to break out onto my own path. I was invited by the SVP of Autotask (now Datto) to come and work for him and build his Customer Success and Implementation teams–and I said yes!
What advice would you give to other women in the tech industry?
Alice Young: Give it your all. It doesn’t matter who you are. Success takes hard work, focus, and drive. Don’t stand still, and constantly think about how you can make small improvements. My biggest advice is to not waste time complaining and instead spend your time fixing the problem and finding a solution. This is something I completely believe in because ultimately you make your own luck!
Astra Duke: My advice is to make sure you pair yourself with a great mentor in your field, no matter their gender. Doing this allows you to have a go-to person for all your unanswered questions. Whether the questions are around your career progression, change in role, company adjustments, or industry changes, it is always good to be a step ahead if you are aiming for your next position.
Who is your female role model?
Alice Young: My female role model is Whitney Wolfe Herd, Founder & CEO of Bumble. Whitney has had an incredibly impressive career, where she has overcome challenge after challenge and still doesn’t shy away from the next one. Online dating is a modern-day necessity for many people who are looking for a relationship. Many of my friends have done it, and several of them are now happily married after meeting their other half online. I have a lot to thank online dating apps for myself as I met my boyfriend of 3.5 years through Tinder. Whitney has shaken this industry up with Bumble, empowering women to speak first, and she is continuing to push boundaries by expanding Bumble to India. In a recent interview she said, “I’d rather be overly ambitious than completely complacent”, and I completely agree with her.
Astra Duke: My role model is Heather Rabbatts.
What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Alice Young: For me, it’s a time to take a step out of hectic schedules to read about and acknowledge all the great things people are achieving in the world every day. To ensure that everybody on my team (regardless of gender) feels that they have equal opportunities, a plan of where they want to be, and the knowledge that we are helping them get there.
Astra Duke: International Women’s Day to me is about congratulating and recognizing the hard work and great initiatives that my female colleagues and peers contribute to every day. It’s important that there is a day for women to be recognized for their contributions and success in a company, no matter how big or small.
Has International Women’s Day inspired you to take action in any specific way?
Alice Young: International Women’s Day has prompted me to make sure we are constantly discussing the incredible things that are being done across the world and also locally in our office. It enables the team to learn, celebrate others’ success, and find inspiration to drive them forward.
Astra Duke: I have been invited this year to participate in a Women in Tech drinks event celebrating International Women’s Day. Going forward, I would like to participate in some way each year to encourage other young women to achieve great things in the workplace and at home.
