Female Leaders at Columbus
Meet our inspiring female leaders
Women in Leadership
The tech industry is struggling to attract women in general, especially female leaders, and lacks female mentors and role models.
We're not the best in the biz - but we strive every day to be better and to reach the goal of 40% female employees by 2027.
By highlighting our women in leadership roles at Columbus - we hope to build internal pride, and awareness and inspire women to go after a leadership role. Whether it is at Columbus or another tech company - but we hope you choose us. 😉
Pallavi Vittal - Manager Global Information Security & Governance
What accomplishment in your career are you most proud of, and why?
I'm always grateful for successfully leading the SOC 2 attestation. It was a tough project, requiring coordination across departments and overcoming obstacles. Achieving the attestation was rewarding, highlighting my leadership and collaboration skills. Being recognized as a go-to person among peers in this area is a source of immense pride. It reinforced the value of expertise and its benefits.
Guri Gjørven Korshavn – People Director Norway
Why do you work at Columbus?
It’s all about the People. I really like to work in an environment where we have a strong focus on our Values and truly live them. It’s in our DNA.
Have you encountered any specific opportunities that have been instrumental in your professional growth?
Columbus, being a global company, have given me the opportunity to expand my network and develop more knowledge in my own field and other business areas. It has also been fun getting to know the various cultures
Janne Almeli – Head of Sales CXE
Why I choose to stay in Columbus is a combination of several reasons; Columbus has values that align with my own, has career development that enables me to continually learn and progress in my career, provides opportunities for leadership roles, positively challenges me, has a positive work culture and mutual respect among employees. Overall, I feel valued as an employee at Columbus.
How do you approach continuous learning and skill development in your role?
The sales landscape is constantly evolving with new technologies, methodologies, and trends. As a manager in sales, it is important to stay abreast of industry news, market research, and emerging best practices through relevant publications, blogs, webinars, and conferences. I participate in sales training programs, workshops, and seminars to enhance my skills and knowledge. I am also very pleased with our own Columbus Academy and have signed up for several Trainer-led Courses coming in 2024.
Camilla Waltin - Consultant Manager & Customer Success Manager
I work at Columbus mainly for all the amazing colleagues, but also because of the great opportunities to develop and the possibilities to find new areas or career paths that you might not come across at a smaller company.
What values or principles guide your leadership decisions and actions?
I would say that my leadership is based on pretty much all of our values and principles, but the ones that are closest to my heart are Collaborate, Deliver Customer Success, and Care For People.
Shijitha Sumesh – Senior Technical Lead Commerce
What values or principles guide your leadership decisions and actions?
I believe in the power of trust. People perform at their best when they feel trusted and respected. This principle guides my decisions and actions and provides an environment where individuals are empowered to excel and grow. Also, a collaborative culture where teamwork is valued and ideas are freely exchanged, ultimately driving success for the team and the organization.
Balancing work and personal life can be challenging. How do you manage to maintain that balance?
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For me as a mother of 3 daughters (+ one dog!), the possibility of freedom and flexibility that Columbus gives me is essential for a good work-life balance. I am in control of the days myself and can adjust whenever life requires it. I also think the support and strong bonds with my colleagues make me more resilient. We celebrate every win - but also the losses - as a team. And we learn from each other every day, which helps continually grow and improve.
Camilla Hetty
Business Development Manager
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The two key factors are good diary management and the ability to work from home. Everything goes into my Outlook calendar whether I am allocating time to focus on critical tasks, a walk and talk meeting with one of my team, taking the kids to the dentists or going wild swimming with my friends. I recently learnt the Norwegian word ‘friluftsliv’ (Outdoor life) and for me outdoor activities are how I find my balance.
Carla Owens
Head of Service Delivery D365
Mari Mosskin - Head of Delivery and Project Manager
Can you share a moment in your career that helped shape you as a leader?
One thing that comes to mind is from my job interview. My manager-to-manager-to-have asked me what I needed from a manager. This was the first time I had gotten this question and afterward, I understood what it represented. Because it turns everything around when you characterize leadership and leaders as serving team members instead of the opposite. Leaders then must listen and understand each team member’s unique needs and act on how to best serve them so they can succeed and grow.
How do you approach continuous learning and skill development in your role?
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I take courses and Columbus provides us with many good leadership courses. In general, I’m a person that likes “learning by doing”. I think it is important that you are the one responsible for taking the lead in your development.
Annelie Ekström Cardsjö
Consultant Manager M3 and Business Development AMS
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I learn new things every day, even if I have been a Consultant Manager for many years. Columbus has a unique way of knowledge sharing. We get to learn the fast-changing technology as well as tools for handling business situations and people.
Lotta Franzén
Consultant Manager M3
Everyone can be a leader and source of inspiration
At Columbus we believe everyone can lead - you don't need to be a manager. We have several examples of employees taking the lead in projects, social activities, internal initiatives, and many other areas! One example of this is WIN - Women's Inspirational Network that was launched in 2023. A network to inspire women, enabling networking locally and globally, and sharing experiences and learnings.
If you have read this far - we hope you feel inspired and might be interested in joining us. Please reach out if you have any questions and check out our open positions to see if we have anything that matches what you want to do! 🙌