Hello!
Well! I have something awesome for you!
We have had 3 gent Tech Trump Cards so far in 2023, and I am happy to release the first of the ladies for 2023.
Zoe Wilson everyone!
Zoe is a really awesome lady. I have been following her work on LinkedIn for a little while now. She is definitely someone to be inspired by. She is highly experienced in tech, and really passionate about what she does around that. I adore her answers in this mini-interview - she is absolutely my kind of person.
Have a read/listen and enjoy!
Hi Zoe, So tell me...
What's a typical day look like for you?
I work at home most days, so I usually get up and get organised, sort out my cats (6!), grab a coffee, and then make a start on emails & checking my diary/tasks for the day.
I work in a Europe-level role for Avanade, so work closely with teams from across all of Europe. This means my day varies from day to day, but I'll generally be involved in pipeline review calls, providing support for bids / RFPs, sales enablement training, and working on go-to-market collateral and planning for offerings in my area.
I work closely with Microsoft, so I'll speak with Microsoft colleagues most days on things like Microsoft Viva and Frontline Worker, and I also talk to clients about how we can deliver business value using the Microsoft 365 technology stack along with their wider ecosystems of platforms and line-of-business systems.
Most of my day will typically be spent in meetings, and then any time where I'm "free" is spent reviewing numbers, working on slides/documents, or developing strategies/plans for how we realise value from the M365 stack.
Once I finish work, I will usually spend time on community activities, whether it's supporting one of the events I organise or volunteer at, liaising with the Viva Explorers, or researching/writing a new blog article/speaker abstract!
What is your favourite Microsoft 365/Power Platform/Dynamics 365 app or feature, and why?
This is a really hard question, as I love all of it!
I can't pick just one - I love Viva Insights, because it helps me stay on top of managing my time and my network, and Microsoft To Do helps me stay on top of the tasks I need to complete. Outside of those, I LOVE the accessibility features that you can find across the Microsoft stack. I find the "read aloud" function to be really helpful when I'm reviewing content. OneNote is also vital for helping me stay on top of what I've done, what I've said, and what I'm doing! You'll notice a huge focus in these on my own personal productivity...
My favourite set of features though are probably the presenting features in Microsoft Teams, particularly using PowerPoint Live. These make it really easy to deliver a slick and seamless online presentation, as well as make it easier for people to be included with things like live captions and the forms meeting add-in.
What do you love most about working in the tech/Microsoft industry?
I love the art of the possible! It feels like we're at a really exciting time in terms of technology trends and the changes that we see unfolding in front of us in real-time, and I love the fact that I get to look at how technology can be applied to solve real-life business problems and act as an enabler that will help people work more effectively to achieve their goals. Workplace technology has transformed in recent years, I love the focus now on people rather than systems, and I can't wait to see what impact AI will have in the next year or two.
I also love the community that exists around working in tech, and the Microsoft tech community specifically is fantastic.
How did you get into the tech/Microsoft industry?
By accident really. From being a teenager, I wanted to be an officer in the British Army - specifically in the Royal Signals, so still very tech-focused. However, when I was at uni I was diagnosed with asthma which excluded me from joining. I moved back to Leeds, found a temp job in a contact centre, and was moved very quickly into a technical role. I left there and got my first service desk role and worked my way up through the ranks.
I'd been working in service desk-type roles for a couple of years when I discovered SharePoint, and the rest as they say is history. This was back in 2004, and I worked in an all-male team. I loved the fact that by supporting and working with SharePoint, I was able to get out into the business, understand all of the different processes and pain points, and start to figure out how SharePoint could solve those. (And get to talk to more women across the business as a result!)
What single bit of advice would you give a newbie to the tech/Microsoft industry?
Start connecting with people on LinkedIn and Twitter, and figure out who the best content creators are that you can learn from! There are so many online resources now, so find your community, start following them, engage with them - and then once you start learning, give back to them as well!
If you had an autobiography, what would you title it?
The things I wish I'd known!
Name one hobby or other interest you have outside of tech.
I'm an avid reader, I read every single day - this is how I disconnect from the online world. I find if I watch TV, I still end up scrolling through LinkedIn and Twitter, but if I'm reading, I'm offline. I read loads of different genres, but I'm a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy, as well as books on business and leadership. I also love a good cheesy romantic comedy when my brain needs a rest though!
Name one thing that you would like to have achieved within the next 5 years.
Written a book!
Do you have any role models within the tech/Microsoft industry? If so, could you name a few?
Satya Nadella - what he's achieved at Microsoft since taking the helm is just extraordinary.
Adam Harmetz - inspiring product manager working at Microsoft in the Office 365 space.
Inspiring women in the Microsoft world - Dona Sarkar, Heather Newman, Holly Lehman, Laurie Pottmeyer, Ana Ines Urrutia, Sara Fennah, Martina Grom, Sharon Weaver, Janet Robb, Sara Lagerquist, Vivian Voss, and tonnes more - sorry to anyone who I've forgotten!
Are there any sites that you would like to share with the community?
Is there a little note that you would like to add for the community?
Feel free to connect with me on Twitter or LinkedIn, I'm more than happy to answer any questions! I'm especially interested in helping women early in their careers or early in their community journey, but more than happy to help anyone! :)
Thank you so much Zoe for getting involved!
There you go!
I hope you had a good read/listen!
Please do connect with Zoe if you get the chance!
Thanks everyone - that's it for this week. Watch out for next weeks Tech Trump Card.