Celebrating Women’s History Month at Zayo

Lynn Daniel, Senior Manager, Business Insights & Analytics

“Being a woman in tech has been full of community and teamwork, particularly at Zayo. The encouragement, support, and opportunities that are around me here have been paramount in developing as a leader, learning new skills, and battling the ever-present imposter syndrome.

At Zayo we have a leadership series sponsored and run primarily by women in the company, this program along with our women’s employee resource group have been inspiring, vibrant, and supportive communities that I credit with such a strong community of women in Zayo.

Christal Harte, Program Manager, Global Sales and Marketing

“My experience as a woman working in technology has always been one where my managers and mentors have encouraged and asked me what I wanted to do next. They always supported my thirst for knowledge and provided opportunities for me to learn and follow up with on-the-job opportunities to apply that knowledge.

Zayo supports women as employees by engaging with the Women@Zayo Employee Resource Group. Andrés Irlando, our President at Zayo, was invited to come and talk to us about a spread of issues including diversity, equity, and inclusion and has been partnering with Julie Tschida Brown our Chief People and Culture Officer to execute against the actions raised on the call. It’s encouraging to see that our voices matter and that we have such an engaged leadership team working to increase employee satisfaction and support women as employees and leaders. 

Sarah Jo Fridley, Accounts Payable Lead Coordinator

“I work in Accounts Payable and don’t personally feel impacted by the “tech” side of the business but I witness the various opportunities and active support of women in tech here at Zayo. From ERGs to Women in Tech conferences, there is no shortage of opportunities for women at Zayo.

This past year I participated in our inaugural Leadership Series hosted by the Women@Zayo ERG. I appreciated that this program was made available not just to managers, but also to individual contributors like myself. Zayo is investing in women at every level in the company. Zayo also offers flexible work schedules, paid parental leave, and dependent care spending accounts. These programs help lower the barriers that women often face in the corporate work environment when trying to expand their careers.

“Participation in relational activities such as ERGs and networking events is the quickest way to get people beyond your own department to know your name. Invite others to reach out to you for help and share resources to help others be successful in whatever they do. Before you know it, your own supervisor will begin to hear great things about you from folks outside of the department. This kind of recognition is rare and not easily forgotten.”

Dee Hall, Head of Corporate Marketing

“Over the course of my career, I’ve had the opportunity to do so many different types of jobs. I started in developing and felt a passion for technology, but not for the role. I went back to school, got my MBA, and was able to move to a function I enjoy a lot more – marketing. No matter what you like, tech gives you the opportunity to diversify and find your niche. My journey in tech has also been very challenging because it’s a male-dominated industry. It can be difficult to be seen or heard in a room full of men. And I’m not just a woman, I’m a woman of color and that has made it even more difficult to be seen, heard, valued, and appreciated. But because I’m doing something I love I don’t mind trying to overcome those challenges.

Zayo does a good job of supporting women, promoting women to leadership roles, and offering professional growth and development opportunities along the career journey. As a leader, I make myself available to anyone who is looking for a mentor to support them, especially young women and women of color. I find women supporting women is a consistent part of the Zayo culture.

My advice for women seeking leadership positions is first, to have a continuous learning mindset. It’s important to grow your skills and stay on top of trends in technology because technology changes so quickly. Next, you want to surround yourself with strong people. Have a good coach, mentor, and board of advisors. Surround yourself with strong women inside and outside of the company.

Dhira Prasanti, Software Product Manager

“I definitely wouldn’t call it easy to enter such a male-dominated world. Women shouldn’t change completely just to fit into the work environment in general, but there were definitely a few adjustments that I had to make as a woman in tech. People who I worked with eventually understood my value and what I brought to the table and after all the years, I feel that work has somehow adjusted itself to fit with me as well.

I have been involved in Women@Zayo ERG which hosts events and development training for Zayo employees – both men and women. One of the development training is a year-long leadership series that I was lucky to be involved in as part of the first cohort. In those meetings, different Zayo leaders came and discussed topics related to personal and professional development skills that I found really helpful for my career. I also led the women’s equality day event this year at Zayo which really opened my eyes to the awesome support system at Zayo. My advice for women seeking roles in tech or product management is this:

1.  Don’t be afraid to reach out when there are opportunities that interest you. The worst that could happen is being told no, but I think it’s better than having regrets about not doing or asking about them. The reason why I have my current role is not that I had all the skills they needed at that time, but because I reached out to people that I never worked with previously, introduced myself, and proved that I could do it.
2. Develop people skills. In software product management, technical skills alone will not be enough to be successful in the role. This role requires you to be able to connect with the development team, negotiate priorities with stakeholders, and present software projects to the leadership team. So, developing communication skills and knowing how to build relationships with people is really important. Our team values this on the same level, if not more, as the technical skill when we look for candidates.”

Tatum Mares-Mandy, Account Executive

‘This is a man’s world..But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl.’ James Brown’s iconic song immediately pops into my head when I think about being a woman in the tech world.

It can be extremely daunting as a young woman in such a male-dominated environment. But being part of the minority has certainly made me learn the importance of holding my own and the importance of not letting it become a barrier to my growth or success. I also realise how important my role is as a woman in tech, yes I am just Tatum. But I have a responsibility to be a voice for women and to help push for more women to enter the tech space!

Personally, the Women at Zayo UK ERG has been a great support network. I am able to speak to like-minded women in the company and together we work towards improving the support women get in the workplace and how we can attract more female talent.

I’ve also recently been accepted onto the 2023 Female Leadership cohort, a fantastic opportunity to develop my skills from a personal perspective but also a brilliant initiative to improve leadership diversity within Zayo. My advice for women in tech is to show up as your authentic self. You don’t need to toughen up or be one of the lads. Be YOU. Because it is more than enough!

Many of the incredible qualities that women have have previously been looked at as weaknesses, but actually, these traits are what make women great leaders. Women aren’t weak or too sensitive. But actually, women are proven to be better listeners, more compassionate, and more open, traits which we see in the very best leaders!”

Kimberly Storin, Chief Marketing Officer

“I have been in the enterprise technology sector since 2010, and before that worked with many B2B technology brands as a consultant. I have led over 35 integrations in roles spanning from strategy to business line to marketing to communications.

At Zayo, we support women informally and formally. We have benefits but we also have a great ERG. Support starts at the top, and I have conversations regularly with leadership about how we continue to build a diverse, high-performing team. I’m very proud of the diversity of our marketing team – it drives better business outcomes and it’s the right thing to do period.

My advice for aspiring leaders is: Don’t wait for annual performance reviews to articulate the value you bring to Zayo. Advocate for yourself every single day – through the insights you bring; the attitude you exude; the outcomes you deliver. Demonstrate that you are ready for the next step by jumping in and taking on that next step. Don’t wait for permission to overperform and overdeliver.”

Jen Petsche, Executive Assistant

“If you were to tell me as a young girl that I would be working in tech, I would have probably cried out of fear. Technology was this big and scary thing that was ever-changing. Technology today is still one of those ever-changing things that have become a basic human need. It is one of those vastly moving targets that is exciting and terrifying all the same time….and I am learning to love it. I thrive in a fast-paced environment and the ever-changing day-to-day. Never in a million years would I think that I would end up in tech, but I seem to fit right in.

At Zayo, I very much feel like I am a part of a community and an integral part of the team. I feel valued and appreciated, and more importantly, I feel that I have a voice. I am a big believer in the power of collaboration, and the power that it has to harness the strength of a team. I have incredible leaders, incredible mentors, and incredible team members. I feel so blessed.

The best advice that I like to give is: “be the change you want to see.” If you see an issue or problem, really the only thing you can control is how you respond to it. Holding accountability and autonomy is key to setting an example, this in turn will help encourage others through the light of an example. Be the example, ask a lot of questions, hold yourself accountable and strive for excellence.”