Women in tech: Odette Malkoun, area manager – Levant and North Africa at Milestone Systems

The year 2022 recorded numerous achievements and growth opportunities for Milestone Systems. Despite the challenges, we showcased faster growth than the average market.

As a people’s manager, I have been working on expanding the team across our major markets in the region. I have also been focusing on my professional development and ways to benefit the company by gaining new skill sets.

As a woman working from home and the youngest person in my team, I have struggled with the bias and prejudice surrounding leadership positions, especially within the tech space. People managers have traditionally been selected based on their age or physical location – both of which didn’t apply to me.

In addition, if you look at the female presence in the tech industry, you’d be surprised to learn that the ratio of female CEOs or women in leadership roles in top technology firms today is roughly only 10.9 per cent.

This meant that I have had very few role models in the industry. However, I didn’t let that stop me as a woman in tech. I believed in my skills and passion for leading my team to continuous success and building a culture of trust and respect between us. I took it upon myself to mentor and guide my colleagues even before a managerial title. I’m thankful that my company has an inclusive and supportive culture for women leaders, and we have many female VPs and CxOs to look up to.

The tech industry is a fascinating world where knowledge is the key to success. Women must seize every opportunity to learn about what’s new. They should, also, have faith in themselves and forget the stereotype of the industry being male dominated. Finally, they shouldn’t let their age, gender or background keep them from achieving their goals.

Read: How we can encourage more women to enter the region’s tech industry