What drew you to this industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA job [laughs]. I was 22 and never really thought I\u2019d get into IT. Believe it or not, I was very into the arts. I did well in science and math, but I never saw myself there. My parents were pretty liberal, though, and gave me the opportunity to follow the path I wanted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I got into tech, and more specifically information security, somewhat by luck intersected with talent for design and a strong work ethic. I was hired to be a website developer, writing code in HTML and developing dynamic code for the information security department. I really enjoyed it and the rest is history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Are there any female mentors that helped you propel your career?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nTechnology is a very male-dominated sector of work and then it gets even more dominated when it comes to cybersecurity. Because of that, there really wasn\u2019t a woman that I could refer to as a mentor. However, I did have peers in the early part of my career that helped make me feel more comfortable \u2013 we all kind of supported each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What has your experience been like being a woman in the industry?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m one of those people that doesn\u2019t see things overtly and because of that I sometimes have a hard time seeing the bias around me. However, as I stepped into management it started to become more evident to me that I was being treated differently because I was a woman. There are a lot of people out there that have a preconceived notion of what a boss in tech looks like and being a woman, especially a woman of colour, it\u2019s not obvious to them. Because of this, I\u2019ve had situations where I\u2019m supposed to be interviewing members of a team that I am stepping into and it turns into an interview about me and my qualifications or being spoken for in scenarios where I am responsible for the response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over time, I started to get in my head. I\u2019d ask myself, \u2018Why is he saying this to me?\u2019. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s because I didn\u2019t talk as much as I should have?\u2019. What I realized is that maybe it\u2019s because he just simply has his own biases and has his own idea of what a boss should look like. I\u2019ve started to just dismiss it and I\u2019m in a good space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do you navigate this bias?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nWhen I make a decision, I stand by it. I\u2019ve had to become a lot firmer and exert myself harder than I had anticipated defending why I\u2019m leading something a certain way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What advice would you give to women looking to launch their career in the FinTech and Cybersecurity space?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nStay the course. I know that there aren\u2019t a lot of women in the cybersecurity and FinTech space, but you get to be the person to pave that road. Become the example that someone else can look at and want to go there as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also, make sure you find something within FinTech and Cybersecurity that you enjoy. It\u2019s a big space and there\u2019s a lot of opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Most importantly, don\u2019t be concerned about being the only person. It\u2019s easy to be consumed by the fact that you may be different than those around you \u2013 instead, change it. Let others see that it\u2019s possible and foster a new community of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Gender and gender identity are one of the eight dimensions of demographic and cognitive diversity recognized through the Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace program at Interac.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n