You Are a Woman in Tech: Own Your Voice
The latest subject of our “Women in Tech” blog series is Natalie Billingham, Senior Vice President of Sales EMEA at Akamai. Natalie shares her journey into tech sales, and provides insight into why mentorship is important and how being your authentic self is essential to women working in tech.
In our previous Women in Tech blog post, we explored how a chance encounter with a piece of technology equipment changed the trajectory of Christine Ross’s career. Similarly, Natalie Billingham’s introduction to mobile phones led to a pivotal moment in her career path into tech sales.
Let’s learn about how Natalie Billingham was exposed to the growing popularity of mobile phones, which eventually led to her career at Akamai.
In search of an exciting future
The year was 1995: when Nokia phones had reached peak popularity with SMS text messaging and games like “Snake.” During this period, adolescent Natalie Billingham was living in the same town in the United Kingdom where the Nokia-owned telecommunications company Vodafone was created.
“It was huge. Everyone was into mobile phones where we lived. In my last year at university, I had a holiday job in a mobile phone shop,” explains Natalie. “I could get a staff discount for a Nokia phone. I went into [phone] sales as my first, proper job.”
She ultimately decided that she wanted a job that would be more challenging, more exciting, and have better longevity. As the internet was just starting to gain popularity, Natalie recognized that those types of jobs could be found in tech.
Tech sales are ever-changing
Natalie discovered that the tech industry was consistently delivering an ever-changing landscape, which aligned with her quest for a career that would not only challenge her, but also help her to grow professionally.
So, she made a conscious decision to work in tech sales because she was convinced it would deliver the interesting, exciting, and challenging pieces of her ideal career.
Natalie began searching for sales jobs in tech and was fortunate enough to find one within a big tech mobile provider. “That was the start. The company I went to, called Exodus, re-sold to Akamai. Fast-forward through a few other roles in managed hosting, including at Savvis (now Lumen), which also has a CDN … and a role came up at Akamai on their new media team. I knew from my previous experiences that Akamai is a great company, and I have been here ever since.'”
No two days are the same
Today, Natalie is the Senior Vice President of Sales for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region at Akamai, responsible for all the go-to-market motions across EMEA. Natalie has geographical oversight of all EMEA sales to partners, handles customer advocacy, and manages the indirect route to market, including mergers and acquisitions. She also handles cross-functional projects.
“Part of the reason that I stayed at Akamai for as long as I have is because this is a fantastic company for people who like different experiences. A typical day doesn't necessarily exist. I never thought I'd get to be SVP of a company like this. I feel very fortunate. I have this really talented sales force, and I try to get as much time with them, or my leadership team, as possible.”
Problem-solving starts at the top
At Akamai, everyone is united by a shared mission: to tackle challenges and address the unique needs of those we serve. Each day, the collective effort is fueled by the higher-ups.
“I love solving problems,” says Natalie. “And everyone in this company has that in them — an innate curiosity. It comes from Tom [Leighton], co-founder and CEO of Akamai]; it comes from the very top. ‘Let's solve their problems in a way that nobody else can, whether that’s with my team, whether that's with partners, or for us to do with customers’ — that’s what we do, all day, every day.”
Effective leadership requires grace under pressure
Effective leadership encompasses myriad responsibilities, including the challenging tasks of navigating conflicts and addressing sensitive matters. In these delicate situations, true leaders are able to maintain grace under pressure, while keeping the lines of communication open.
“Sometimes in this role, you have to make difficult decisions, but you have to lead with courage. Conflict is never enjoyable, but sometimes necessary and [when] handled constructively, can be productive,” says Natalie.
The challenges of conscious communication for women in tech
Given the negative connotations associated with women’s communication styles, women often find themselves needing to make a conscious effort to communicate effectively, and taking into consideration how their communication may be perceived.
“I want to make sure I communicate in a way to make my voice heard. You can read tons of studies around the way women communicate and the way men communicate and how people hear things. It's a challenge. It's an area that I focus on in terms of: ‘Am I communicating in the right way to get the message across?’” explains Natalie.
Supportive individuals can be mentors — but they don’t have to be
Many women recommend having a mentor, especially during career transitions, but Natalie believes that individuals can serve as mentors without having an official title. Support comes in many forms, including giving advice, sharing knowledge, or simply being a source of inspiration.
“My [first] leader was very inspirational to me. She really helped me transition from normal selling to tech selling, so she was my first mentor. But there have been numerous mentors along the way who have helped me …in different ways — learning about technology or in sales, learning about how you can become a better salesperson.”
Advising the next generation of women in tech
Natalie quotes Madeleine Albright — who was a trailblazer in many ways, including as a former U.S. secretary of state — when asked about mentoring the next generation of women in tech: “There's a special place in hell for women who don’t help other women.”
With Albright’s quote as her guiding light, Natalie’s advice to the future women in tech is: “Take all the opportunities to immerse yourself to get different views of the different avenues in tech. Because, since I started [in the industry], it's proliferated in so many different ways. Embrace as many opportunities as you can so that you can work in a part that is of particular interest to you.”
Just as she had help in her journey in tech, Natalie currently works with a charity through academia, where she serves as a mentor to women interested in STEM.
You don't have to try and be something you’re not. You don't have to model or be an archetype of a woman in tech. You are a woman in tech..."
Being a woman in tech isn’t difficult — it’s just different
This Women in Tech series has highlighted how being a woman working in tech has a unique set of challenges. Natalie believes that those challenges do not make being a woman working in tech difficult — they simply make the experience different.
“There are these different expectations that have to be accepted, and you just have to be aware of that, which conflicts with playing into stereotypes,” notes Natalie. “There were times when I used to go to meetings with customers or partners and they would expect me to make tea for them. Why do you think that that’s what I'm going to do for you?”
Your authenticity creates inclusivity
There has been a significant shift toward greater inclusivity and diversity efforts in recent years, but there’s still more to do. Natalie believes the tech industry is already well on its way to becoming more inclusive. She notes, “There's a lot of work about accepting the best of people for who they are. There's a lot of neurodiversity, diversity of thought, and diversity of gender.”
Women bring unique perspectives, talents, and experiences to any industry. In the case of tech, this uniqueness can help contribute to the removal of societal expectations and the continued diversification of the tech community.
“Some of the best advice I've received is to be confident enough to be authentic in your own voice. You don't have to try and be something you’re not,” says Natalie. “You don't have to model or be an archetype of a woman in tech. You are a woman in tech, so, therefore, that is what a woman in tech is like, and it's quite freeing.”
Build a sense of belonging by understanding your colleagues
To foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and further your career in tech, Natalie recommends becoming familiar with the NeuroLeadership Institute’s SCARF model.
Created by Dr. David Rock in 2008, the SCARF model is based on neuroscience research suggesting that there are five social domains — status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, and fairness — that activate the same responses in our brain that we rely on for physical survival. These responses help explain the strong emotional reactions that people can have in social and/or work situations, and can help you understand your colleagues.
“I love the SCARF model,” says Natalie “I recommend that everybody utilizes [it to] understand why people are behaving in the way that they are. It's the clearest way to understand how to build a sense of belonging and inclusiveness [in the workplace].”
