Critical Careers - Women Building Careers in Digital Infrastructure - Book - Page 79
Joining Start Campus gave me the opportunity to be part of something
being built from the ground up, at a moment when issues such as data, cloud
capacity, AI infrastructure, energy resilience and sustainability are becoming
central to economic competitiveness and technological sovereignty. That
combination of scale, complexity and long-term impact was incredibly
compelling to me.
As General Counsel and Chief Compliance Of昀椀cer, I am involved not only
in the legal and regulatory architecture of the business, but also in enabling
growth, supporting strategic decisions, helping manage risk, and ensuring that
the company develops on strong governance and compliance foundations
from the outset. In a project of this nature, legal is part of what helps make
the business viable, credible and scalable. That has made the experience
particularly rewarding, because it allows me to combine legal expertise with
commercial judgment and to contribute directly to the development of a
landmark project with both local and international relevance.
How have you decided to stretch yourself with
a bigger role or higher-stakes responsibility?
Stretching into larger roles has always been driven by a blend of curiosity and
a desire to remain challenged. Work holds a meaningful place in my life, and I
recognise that when I am no longer learning or being pushed, my engagement
quickly diminishes. That’s when I know I need to step into something more.
I intentionally choose opportunities where I can build something and not just
maintain it. I’ve always been drawn to roles where there’s complexity and
something is evolving, or even where something doesn’t exist yet. That’s
what motivated me to move into real estate. I wanted to take on broader
responsibilities beyond legal. Later on I joined projects where I could help
shape how things work, rather than just follow established processes.
I also tend to stretch myself by stepping into things that aren’t strictly “my job.”
If there’s a problem to solve, I’ll raise my hand, even if it sits slightly outside my
role. Especially in smaller or high-growth environments, that mindset naturally
leads you into higher-stakes responsibility, because you become part of making
things happen.
In larger organisations, like the bank, I stretched myself in a different way, by
challenging how things were done. For example, legal didn’t typically engage
directly with clients, but I pushed for that to change. I wanted us to understand
the problem 昀椀rst-hand and work towards solutions that made sense for both
the business and the client. The shift from being purely technical to being more
business-oriented was a big part of how I grew into more senior roles.
You’ve worked in very traditional, maledominated industries. How have you used
your own experiences to help younger
women navigate those environments?
It hasn’t always been easy and I think it’s important to be honest about
that. Probably the hardest moment was when I moved into a much larger
organisation and felt like everything I had built before didn’t count. I had
to prove myself again, and sometimes I was dismissed very quickly, not just
because of where I came from, but I do think also because I was a woman
in that environment. That was tough, and at times, pretty demotivating.
So when I work with younger women now, I try to be very transparent
about that reality. I don’t think it helps to say everything is 昀椀ne, because it
isn’t always, but equally, I don’t think it helps to position it as something
impossible. It’s about acknowledging that these challenges exist and
helping them navigate through them.
I also try to create space for open conversations, not just with women, but
with everyone. Whether it’s around career progression, motherhood, or
simply feeling supported at work, I think these things need to be discussed
more openly. For example, I actively encourage both women and men to
feel comfortable prioritising family when they need to, because that’s part
of changing the culture as well.
I also try to challenge assumptions wherever I see them beyond just
gender biases. I’ve seen incredibly talented people be underestimated for
different reasons, and I think it’s important to bring those examples forward
and show what people are truly capable of.
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