When and how did you decide to join the technology field (as a career)?
I’ve been in the IT industry for about 20 years now, and it all started by a stroke of fate. I had the opportunity to go through express class during my early years and was 16 when I had to decide what area of studies I would venture into. After much consideration over traditional professions such as becoming a doctor, lawyer or engineer – I finally took the advice of my seniors to venture into Computer Science. It was the buzzword back then, something they cited as the future the world was looking at. There's been no turning back since and I am glad I stuck with the decision.
Did you ever feel discriminated against in your work place because of your gender?
Admittedly, back in the heydays it was a little more difficult as women were finding their ways and coming into their own in the workplace, especially in the IT industry. I think for female veterans like us, we were not perturbed by these gender issues, or at the very least brushed them aside or tried to work harder to prove ourselves capable for the job. (more on this to follow below).
Please describe your typical day in office and at home?
My day starts very early with morning prayers before I spend some quality time having breakfast with my husband and son before sending him to school. Depending on my schedule, I would then head off to work or to some appointments. Sometimes, to avoid the traffic jams on the road, I catch the LRT (one of Malaysia’s train system) to work, which sometimes raises a few eyebrows as people do recognise me, but it’s a really very efficient mode of transport.
Being in Microsoft Malaysia, I am fortunate to work with some of the brightest and smartest people around for a good full day before I head home. Work-life balance is very important to me because a successful vocation is not about the sprint but having the ability to run a fast marathon. It can be challenging at times in the fast paced and dynamic world of IT, but it’s a very important cause and objective, not only for me, but for everyone in the organization.
At this point in my life, I am motivated with a) personal development and benchmarking myself against the global talent pool and b) making a difference to the country that I love. I am lucky that my role in MS allows me to do both; MS gives me the exposure on the global arena, such as representing MS at the recent Global Summit of Women, where I was on the Global CEO discussion panel. I was also recently appointed to be the leader of one of the Learning Circle cluster in MS, which comprise of countries such as Chile, Uruguay, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.
On making a difference to the country, I not only have great support from MS to do this, I am in fact formally measured as a KPI, on the effectiveness of MS Malaysia’s Nation Building activities. So we focus our efforts on Human Capital Development in the three main areas of fostering local innovation, transforming education and enabling jobs and opportunities. The foundation of these three focus areas is built on Microsoft’s vision and passion for Malaysia; that is to enable the rakyat (people) and Malaysian organizations and businesses to realize their full potential in the increasingly globalised environment of today – in other words, Microsoft Malaysia is deeply committed to consciously helping move the needle towards the growth and development of the country. Our goal is to bring the benefits of technology to the next 26 million people in Malaysia and our outreach was built specifically in line with Malaysia’s aspirations for digital inclusion, growing the local software economy and producing quality human capital resources for the country.
I am enjoying every moment at Microsoft. It’s an absolutely incredible company to be in and which attests to the saying that “the road of learning and to success is always under construction.”
In the West, the proportion of women in IT is declining. Do you think the situation in Asia is better in this regard?
While I am not able to comment on the overall situation in Asia, I can share with you the landscape at Microsoft Malaysia. On the whole, women account for almost half of our total workforce, which is considered quite high, especially in an industry some previously viewed as being male-dominated.
Does gender diversity bring a competitive edge to IT companies?
These days, I believe the issue on leadership based on gender is passé. Today, women dominate many fields, locally and globally. Definitely, the styles of leadership may differ slightly, based on the fact that physically and mentally, we are different, however, our core competencies and leadership skills are very much individual and independent of gender.
Should IT companies consciously increase the percentage of women in their employee pool? What are the benefits of doing so?
Being in Microsoft Malaysia, I am fortunate to work with some of the brightest and smartest people around for a good full day before I head home. Work-life balance is very important to me because a successful vocation is not about the sprint but having the ability to run a fast marathon. It can be challenging at times in this fast paced and dynamic world of IT, but it’s a very important cause and objective, not only for me, but for everyone in the organization.
Is there a need for special policies to retain women?
There is no real need to put in place special policies to retain women, however, we must acknowledge that the needs and lifestyle changes of women employees requires a little more flexibility. By providing women employees work flexibility and the necessary resources and support, we would be able to help women maximize their productivity, enable a healthy integration between work-life balance and ultimately, encourage more women to join and stay in the IT industry and enable them to achieve their career aspirations and realize their potential.
Despite a large number of talented and successful women in the field, why is it that society tends to associate only men with technology?
There are always windows in the glass ceiling so one does not have to be shattered into pieces to break through. My advice to all the women out there is this: the world is your playground – there is nothing that you cannot achieve if you set your heart and mind to it. Being a woman doesn’t take-away from who and what you are, in fact, it adds a whole entire dimension to the person that you are and the way you handle issues and challenges. We’re made very differently from our male counterparts and for good reason. Because of that, we are presented with different priorities, decisions and challenges.
It really all boils down to choice, and I’m glad that we can make these choices. When employers look at men, it is assumed that they will give it their best and go the distance and so their progress depends very much on their capabilities. Women on the other hand, capable women, have to assess their life priorities especially when one matures and progresses in her life, then it is a choice and challenge to balance both work and family – one that continues in our life cycle and can only make you a more competent and capable person.
