Interview with Elisabeth Vanderveldt : Leading the ‘Women in Technology’ movement via smart partnering

 I met Elisabeth two years ago at the IAMCP board meeting. I was mesmerized with her intelligence and passion to build technology awareness among women. She has inspired me and many women across the world. She not only runs a successful company, but she is also a wonderful woman — made of gold.

Today, I would like to introduce Elisabeth Vanderveldt, Co-Founder of Conamax. Elisabeth started the ‘Women in Technology’ (WIT) movement with IAMCP and by 207 made it a global movement. Today she shares her journey and passion with all of us.

Chaitra: Elisabeth, can you tell us something about yourself? 

Elisabeth: I was the first Microsoft MVP for what is now known as Sharepoint Workspaces. I helped internalize the use of what was then Groove with some of the executives at Microsoft, which was actually in use at the Gates Foundation. I was also the first female SBSC Partner Area Lead (there were two of us globally). I started the WIT movement with IAMCP and took it global in 2007 along with the community and citizenship chair. I was the first female international board member for IAMCP and have stayed on there.

I appeared on the cover of January 2009 Redmond Channel Partner Magazine and I am on the cover of Computer Dealer News Canada this month, as one of the top 20 women in IT to watch. What I am most proud of is the fact that my daughter saw fit to step into the IT world at a young age of 15, as an MCP and MCTS. Now at 16, with my help she is working to create a digital channel for youth and technology, especially for girls. And we just finished interviewing James Cameron at Microsoft’s Imagine Cup. 

As some people would know, since my days as an MVP I’ve been a keen martial arts enthusiast. In fact, I’ve been a world competitor in forms and combats. One of the most passionate sessions at an MVP conference was my mobile platform session a few years ago. I was the only woman among 50 men there. They let me have the floor when I asked for it.

Chaitra: What got you interested in technology?

Elisabeth: My introduction to technology, other than a friend’s compulsion with Pong, was as a ‘booth babe’ at a computer show in Toronto, where I met my eventual business partner and husband. Since then, I’ve taken the most aggressive steps by challenging myself to run everything from business development to cabling and even a network admin and technical writer. I am an MCDST and MCTS Sharepoint as well as a certified Software Asset Management specialist. Before that, I came up with the software concepts for four lines i.e. accounting applications that were acquired by Computer Associates in 1998. They wanted my company, too, but we politely declined because by then we’d seen where Microsoft was heading and we liked what we saw.

Chaitra: Helping women in leadership is your passion, what drives you?

Elisabeth: Oh that is so simple. I have lived through the perceived glass ceiling for almost two decades. Frankly, many of the stereotypical issues women face are true. I had people who’d ask for my boss and display utter shock when I’d point out major electrical flaws in their network infrastructure. With so few women at technical events and those that did show up, feeling a little out of place, it felt important to get the industry leaders together to find a way to not only bring these women together, but also discuss industry issues and increase the pipeline of young women in IT. I can honestly say that the network has grown beyond my wildest expectations and whether it’s IAMCP or dozen other organizations, women are just making great strides as leaders and innovators. 

And now I get to share that with my daughter, who on her own terms has dug into the industry with both heels.    

Chaitra: What do you plan to do to assist women in IT globally, are your plans for the next five years? For the next 5 years, what are your plans to help women in technology globally?

Elisabeth : Gen INC was started recently by myself and my daughter. The purpose is to make young people aware of the industry, their options and to do as much social awareness around the benefits of technology in dealing with serious global issues as much as the consumer aspect of IT. We have a particular element that focuses on young women.  Its already evident that the interest in motivating girls (and boys) to engage in this industry is a priority of more than just women but men as well. We absolutely need more skilled IT resources and soon.  By engaging young people as role models, especially ones who have take the certification path, the stage is set to start recruiting youth to consider IT as an exciting career option. My role here is to help mould the format and then content of the channel we are building and to use that to reach the North American market but with the ability of 2 additional languages (French and Spanish) reach global markets as well. With women in the industry I will continue to promote and develop events like the upcoming WIT sessions and networking events at WPC. As I engage with more WIT organizations globally I hope to see a greater synergy amongst our groups to better broaden the breadth and depth of women professionals and leaders and encourage them to take a leadership role in mentoring the next generation of women in this industry. My last goal  would be the technology center in Bangladesh myself and another wonderful Microsoft partner have dreamed about building along with my daughter upon which she based her decision to become certified.   

Chaitra : Teaching Smart Partnering is integral to helping WIT. Why did you choose this strategy?

Elisabeth : Women by nature like to share and are great social networkers so why not put those two things to work as the foundation of Smart Partnering for women in IT. It’s that simple. What isn’t evident is that women don’t always know how to utilize those connections. I spend a large amount of time introducing women to each other and love watching the sparks fly but nowadays I try to choose women who I know are very strong leaders and try to match them up with others who feel “intimidated” in this industry even though they themselves are successful business people. What they soon learn is their own value via these relationships and they step up their game.  They also learn that there are still issues to be resolved around things like work/life balance but they realize they are not alone. From this interaction they often turn around and do the same for the next woman which in fact strengthens the foundation of WIT and allows for their own careers to blossom while setting the stage for the next person. As with all the relationships I am just as much on the receiving end of some great advice and learn new strategies that help me do a better job as well in my own careers. The benefits go both ways.     

Chaitra : Share few ideas how other can learn to implement Smart partnering to help women in business?

Elisabeth : I would strongly urge women to take an active role by participating in associations like IAMCP where many chapters have a strong female board presence. For women who are looking for great partnering opportunities with a strong global network that advocates educating partners to grow their business then IAMCP is a great first choice. Geek Girl Dinners where the informal format is a ideal for a wide range of speakers and topics helped me learn about areas of the industry and how I might adapt some of their best practices or engage some of these women to work together with me on some of my projects. Already I received a great deal of help to prepare for events this July and to get some marketing materials last minute for a major presentation.  WPC in July in Washington is also a must attend event because it allows a global face to face with many strong women leaders in our industry. It’s important to reach beyond your physical geography. Some of these women have been my greatest assets and I hope vice versa. That show also lets women connect with so many women within Microsoft and other major vendors, women who can help connect them with opportunities they might otherwise be too shy to pursue. I am never surprised by the willingness of these ladies to reach out and help one another. Chaitra you are a perfect example.

Chaitra :  What do you want people to remember after reading this feature?

Elisabeth. I want people to remember 3 simple ideas to become engaged in WIT : 

1. There has never been a better time to be in this industry as a woman
2. We have a global responsibility, women and men alike, to mentor and engage young people to take IT seriously as a career option.
3. Gender is no longer an issue in this industry so get out there and network! 

 Thanks Elisabeth for enlightening and inspiring us. I sincerely hope we meet soon in Seattle for a great  dinner and share our experiences and stories. I really enjoy every conversation we have to improve lifestyle of women in technology!

Join the Facebook : GenINC

Related Resources:

• CIPS interview
• Interview with SIKH Geek

Tagged as: Elisabeth Vanderveldt, Movement, smart partnering, Woment in Technology