30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 86
How did you get into the data centre
industry?
t’s been a pretty unexpected journey, to be honest. I
graduated with a double degree in mathematics and
computer science, so naturally, I started off in a very technical
role—working in the background at a company checking credit
scores and the like. But I quickly realised that kind of work didn’t
push me, so when a headhunter approached me about a sales
role at a system integrator, I gave it a shot—even though I had
no background in sales at the time.
I
That job really kickstarted everything. I spent eight years in
that company, moving from basic Cisco installs all the way to
software like ArcGIS. Back then, 昀椀ve megawatts in a data centre
was a big deal—which is funny now, looking at how much the
industry has evolved. Eventually, I left that role, spent six years
in barcode and automation tech and then stepped away to
focus on raising my son.
When I was ready to re-enter the workforce, I didn’t want
to return to sales right away. I actually studied project
management to better understand the part of the business I
had always clashed with in my sales days. That course gave me
a new perspective, and just as I started job hunting again, I was
approached by a data centre company.
Rayanne Dy
Sales and Account Manager,
APAC, Data Centre Solutions,
CBRE Directline
86
I wasn’t sure at 昀椀rst, but then a former colleague encouraged
me to explore it. He explained how the industry had exploded
and how the role I was considering was right in the heart of it.
Now I’m part of CBRE’s Data Centre Solutions team, focused
on the white space across APAC. I get to work across markets
like Indonesia and Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
I never expected to be reading schematics or pointing at
drawings again, but here I am, and it’s genuinely fun. The
learning never stops, and that’s what keeps it exciting.
