What was your last career change?
I spent the last few years working as Product Manager in Information Technology and recently became Senior Manager for the IT Solutions’ Engagement and Marketing team.
What made it successful?
The strong support of my colleagues and peers helped make the transition a success. As well as the guidance, coaching and continued support from my former senior manager.
What was the biggest challenge in adapting to your new role?
The ramp-up phase was the hardest as I had a lot of new things to learn in this role and a lot of processes to understand.
What advice would you give to someone considering a career change?
Information Technology really fosters an open and collaborative environment. My advice would be to take advantage of training, mentorship and job shadowing opportunities, and to not be afraid to reach out to someone who works in a role you wish to learn about to get guidance.
What do you look forward to in your day?
I have a wonderful team and work with fantastic colleagues. I look forward to collaborating with them every day, and seeing how I can help them. Learning and discovering something new can also be a joy of its own.
What ingredient should never be found on a pizza?
So, picture this: You’re sitting there, eagerly anticipating that cheesy, tomato-sauce-kissed slice of pizza. The aroma is tantalizing, and your taste buds are already doing a little happy dance. But wait—what’s that? A rogue spoonful of peanut butter has decided to crash the party. It’s like the pizza looked at the jar and said, “Hey, buddy, let’s shake things up!”
Now, I won’t judge anyone’s culinary choices; , food preferences are as diverse as the toppings on a pizza. But peanut butter on pizza? It’s like the universe momentarily glitched, and now we’re in an alternate reality where taste buds play pranks on us. Sweet meets savory in a cosmic collision, and suddenly you’re questioning everything you thought you knew about flavour harmony.
Maybe there’s a secret society of peanut butter pizza enthusiasts out there, gathering in dimly lit basements, whispering, “Have you tried the crunchy peanut butter with pepperoni? It’s life-changing!” Or it’s just a quirky dare that someone took too seriously. Either way, it’s a conversation starter—a culinary Rorschach test. Mention it at a party, and suddenly everyone has an opinion.
So, my dear pizza purists, if you ever find yourself contemplating that jar of peanut butter while eyeing your pizza crust, remember this: Life is short, and taste buds are unpredictable. If you decide to embark on this peculiar flavour journey, may your crust be crispy, your cheese meltsy, and your peanut butter… well, spread with gusto.
How have you added AI into your regular workflow?
I occasionally use generative AI chatbot tools like Microsoft Copilot to bounce ideas off them, to get help rewriting some phrases, to see how the technology is evolving, or even to generate some fun, humorous stories like the peanut butter pizza one above.
What benefits do you think AI brings to our workplace?
Regardless of your role, there’s an opportunity to leverage some of these emerging AI technologies. For digital marketers, these tools can help generate the right images and photos needed in an article, or even help draft those articles altogether. For developers, there are now all sorts of tools that can assist with generating entire blocks of code, or that provide suggestions on how to improve code written. For business analysts, product managers and project managers, these tools can help generate the foundation of a project plan, requirements list, or a task breakdown list.
The list goes on. Ultimately, these tools help us all be a little more productive and that, in and of itself, is a net benefit for the workplace.