With less than a month left until Transform 2020, we couldn't be more excited to celebrate our WIT community! And, what better way to do so than to hear from our very own 2019 WIT winner for Public Relations!
Today, we hear from Elise Harrington, Marketing Manager, Corporate Communications at Nintex, a complete platform for process management and automation.
Read on to learn more about Elise and her perspective on important WIT topics!
1. Please describe yourself in three words.
Energetic, loyal, and optimistic.
2. What do you find most interesting about the technology field in which you work?
At Nintex, our mission is to improve the way people work through process management and automation. What I find most interesting about our company’s mission is how different that can look across different organizations, industries, and departments. I speak with Nintex customers every day and hear first-hand how they are leveraging our software solutions–and not one story is the same. It is inspiring to learn about the innovative and different ways people can leverage our easy-to-use process mapping and automation tools to quickly solve business challenges.
3. How do you find work-life balance, or what do you enjoy outside of work?
I’m still trying to figure out the best work-life balance, now especially. When we first started working from home in March of this year, I didn’t have a desk set-up at home and was working across from my fiancé at our dining room table. I struggled to “clock-out” because even when I stopped working for dinner or personal time, I was still in my “workplace”. We recently moved into a new home, and I now have my own dedicated office space! I’ve found that just being able to shut the door has really helped me better disconnect from work during personal time, which helps me come back fully recharged and motivated. Creating clear boundaries in my schedule and space has also helped me find a better balance. I’ve always blocked off time on my calendar for exercise, and now I also block breaks in the day to go for a walk to get fresh air or run to the coffee shop.
When I’m not working, I love cooking and trying out new recipes. As we’ve been eating in more, I’ve been experimenting more in the kitchen with different techniques and ingredients. I also love exploring new restaurants and shops with my friends. I can’t wait to be able to travel regularly again soon. Last year we spent two weeks in Spain. Italy is on the top of our destination list when international travel returns.
4. What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
When I started my current role managing our customer evidence program at Nintex, the role had been vacant for almost 6 months. I had to rebuild our customer evidence program, while also learning how to do my new job. Luckily, I’d been with Nintex for a few years already and had attended all of our customer and partner conferences. I went out of my way to introduce and reintroduce myself to our partners and customers whenever I had the chance.
The biggest challenge was learning how to communicate the value of doing a case study, webinar, or speakership to our customers. As much as I try to make it a simple and easy process for our customers to collaborate on a case study with us, it still requires significant time and effort from them to share their story, gather metrics, acquire approvals, review drafts and more. It’s no small ask, especially when they are already busy with their actual job. However, when they understand that showcasing their success story can help drive adoption and support for their current and future process management and automation efforts, they go above and beyond to participate. I’ve quickly learned that the customer evidence that I thought was about Nintex software, is not–it’s about the people that are leveraging it in innovative and ingenious ways to drive an impact at their organizations.
5. Are there enough opportunities for women in tech? How would you assess the progress women have made in the tech industry?
There has been a lot of progress, but there is still a long way to go especially in roles of leadership. I’d like to see more female CIOs, CPOs, and CEOs across the technology industry.
I also think women in tech are less prevalent in more technical roles, like product development and engineering, especially compared to those like me with roles in marketing and communications. I’m hopeful we’ll soon start see a shift in this as there is a growing emphasis for girls in STEM, in everything from our education initiatives, to the toy industry, and non-profit organizations like Girls Who Code.
6. What are some things you think should be addressed on macro, peer, and educational levels to encourage women to feel empowered in the tech industry?
Visibility. I think the more we see women in technology, especially in leadership roles, as well as development and engineering, the more empowered women will be to pursue those roles themselves. I think representation can make a big difference in encouraging more women to explore opportunities and education in tech.
7. Please provide a WIT call to action
Build, grow, and celebrate together.