Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 43
Who has played a meaningful role in your
development so far, and what impact did
they have?
My 昀椀rst mentor was through a more traditional mentoring programme. Nico
Brits was incredibly energetic and very intentional about development. Early
on, he asked where I saw myself in 昀椀ve years, and I honestly didn’t know. So
he helped me break it down into smaller, more realistic steps, from 昀椀ve years,
to three, to one. That shift in thinking really stuck with me. He was one of the
昀椀rst people who genuinely believed in me. He taught me that con昀椀dence isn’t
loudness or perfection; it’s simply taking the next step, even when you feel like
the odd one out in the room.
He wasn’t in building services, he worked on large-scale mechanical projects
like hydropower stations, but that distance actually helped. He could give me
objective advice on things like how to navigate relationships at work, how to
communicate effectively, and how to manage upwards rather than just waiting
for direction. He also took me out to site with him, exposed me to bigger
systems and different environments, and while that was interesting, it actually
reinforced that building services was where I wanted to be. I enjoyed the
curiosity that was sparked by seeing similarities of other projects outside my
regular projects.
My second mentor came through a reverse mentoring programme, which was
a very different experience. I was paired with Tim Ter Haar, he was serving as
Chief Operations Of昀椀cer (COO) for Africa in the organisation, and suddenly
I was the mentor and Tim was the one asking the questions. We spoke a lot
about generational differences, the future of engineering, and the skills different
generations naturally bring. What stood out most was seeing the human side
of someone at that level. He shared that he felt less approachable because of
his seniority and that he missed the connection he used to have with people
earlier in his career. We ended up working together on ways to rebuild that,
which led to things like regular town halls and more personal touches, such as
acknowledging birthdays, to create a stronger sense of connection.
Both Nico and Tim passed away far too early. Their loss could have left only
grief, but what stayed with me was their impact. The con昀椀dence they helped
build in me, and the small human gestures that change everything. The “hello”
when you walk into a room and don’t feel you belong. The space someone
makes at a table so you can join the conversation. The nudge that says,
“You’ve got this, take the mic.”
Those moments shaped how I show up now and are why I built the
mentoring programme at Ethos. Mentoring is about connection and can
change the con昀椀dence someone carries for the rest of their life.
What are some of the biggest obstacles
young people face in starting their
careers today?
One of the big obstacles is around learning and development, especially
in a much more global and hybrid way of working. A lot of junior people
really value learning face-to-face from more experienced colleagues, and
when your senior team might be sitting in another location, that becomes
harder. It’s not that you can’t learn online, but it takes more effort and uses
a different kind of energy. For some people it just doesn’t land the same
way as sitting next to someone and asking questions in the moment.
Because of that, I think intentionality becomes really important. If there
is an opportunity to be in the of昀椀ce, it should be used with purpose.
Scheduling time when juniors and seniors are in together, setting up proper
mentoring or training or coaching time, and being clear about what that
time is for makes a big difference. Otherwise, everyone’s calendars 昀椀ll up
and learning becomes something that keeps getting pushed down the list.
Another challenge is con昀椀dence. It can feel intimidating when you’re
starting out to ask someone senior for their time or to say, “I’d really like
to learn this from you.” But there’s also a shift happening with younger
generations where hierarchy feels less rigid. People are more comfortable
nudging the person next to them and starting a conversation. This is a
positive thing, especially in industries and companies that are already
relatively 昀氀at in structure like the data centre industry is.
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