As a woman, you can have it all

I joined Infosys Consulting in February 2015, after being recruited by the company as a part of North American Talent Model from the MBA Program at Mays Business School at Texas A&M. Infosys really intrigued me because it was unlike any of the other consulting firms that recruited at my University. I loved that their work didn’t stop at a PowerPoint presentation, but that the company had the technology and man/woman-power to bring strategy to life. I also liked that I was the ‘picture of diversity’ at Infosys, being a Caucasian woman. I knew this would be a good differentiator for me, not only at Infosys, but for our clients as well.

Since joining Infosys Consulting, I have been working exclusively in SURE and have been staffed at both BHP and BP. My first eight months in the firm was spent supporting process Improvements in the oil field. During the Oil & Gas downturn at the end of 2015, I pivoted and made a move to the Downstream side of the business, where I began working for BP. Since November 2015, I have been staffed at BP in various roles in both Downstream and what is now P&O (Production and Operations). Over the past five years, my reach and responsibility has grown significantly both in BP and Infosys Consulting. I joined as a Senior Consultant in February 2015, was promoted to Principal in October 2017 and Senior Principal in January 2021. On the client side, I started managing an $800K budget in my first role at BP and now manage a portfolio of client work that exceeds $10 million annually.

I am very grateful for the opportunities and advancement presented to me by both Infosys and our clients, as I look forward to help building what’s next at Infosys. I love the collegiate atmosphere that Infosys cultivates at the client side and within the organization. Though we each have different titles, when it comes to client delivery or internal initiatives, titles fall to the wayside. Whoever is best suited and/or most passionate about the task at hand, takes the lead – whether that person is an Analyst, Partner, or falls somewhere in between. This is something I’ve experienced and benefitted from since Day One of joining the firm and I know for a fact this doesn’t happen at other competitor firms and for that reason, I do not take it for granted.

I also appreciate that Infosys leadership “lets me be me”. Though I have been coached and mentored in different areas, as I’ve been promoted from one role to the next, I have never been asked to change who I am to fit a mould. This is also something I’ve appreciated very much and do not take lightly or for granted. My leadership have supported me tremendously since I was a new hire. They have positioned me well at both clients to which I’ve been assigned and have consistently challenged me to do more and do better, to make sure that my career never stands still.

My curiosities and interests thus far have been focused on delivering value to my client, growing in my career, giving back to my alma mater via campus recruitment, and being the best wife and mother I can be. I can say with complete confidence that Infosys has fully supported me in all these areas, hence the reason I’ve been over six years in the firm, and haven’t looked back once! Many of my MBA classmates who joined other management consulting firms after graduation are now on to their second or third employers, and I’m very pleased that I’ve been able to grow and cultivate deep roots at Infosys Consulting.

Also, since becoming a new first-time mom in December 2019, I’ve become very passionate about what it means to be a working parent in the field of consulting. While pregnant and on maternity leave, my client and Infosys leadership were both very supportive, as I took time off to recover and figure out what it meant to me a new mom! During the last 17 months, I’m pleased to report that, I’ve not only survived, but thrived, during this time of adversity. As we exit the Covid-era and look to the future and define how we service our clients – how we recruit and position ourselves for the long-term – it is extremely important for me to continue to perpetuate the message that, ‘You can have it all!’ A woman shouldn’t have to choose between being a good mother/wife or a good management consultant; and the same goes for a man. True to the spirit of Infosys culture, we bring our complete selves to work.