Careers in tech run the gamut, but talk to women in tech long enough, and you’ll find they have at least two things in common: They love a challenge, and they love to help other women build better careers.
Olga Miller, director, CIS business partner marketing, at Veeam is no exception. Not only has she forged her career by jumping on opportunities to learn new things, she’s also part of the core leadership team of Veeam’s Women in Green employee resource group (ERG). Their goal? To help other women advance to leadership positions.
Read on to learn more about Miller’s career at Veeam and how, with her company’s support, she hopes to create more space for women at the top.
Olga Miller
Director, CIS Business Partner Marketing at Veeam
Her top three must-haves at work:
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Management Opportunities
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Flexible Work Hours
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The People You Work With
You have a technical role at Veeam. Tell us first what you do, how you got where you are, and about your career at the company.
Corporate Information Systems (CIS) at Veeam is responsible for the business applications that are used by various Veeam departments. We provide technical leadership and support in technology investment decisions, overseeing the process of purchasing or building business applications, and setting up effective business processes that enable Veeam’s success. To accomplish this, we have teams of business partners who work closely with each department to understand and address their technology needs. My team serves as the business partners for the marketing department.
I joined Veeam in 2018 to develop a project management office (PMO). First, I was asked to run an enterprise-wide program to bring in a new financial system to be used by the whole company. That was a complex program that took well over a year. As it was coming to a successful completion, we had reconsidered a need for PMO at CIS and decided to rather focus on business partner roles, which combine the technical expertise and project/program management skills. Thus, I became a senior manager of business partners for marketing. After about a year, I was promoted to a director.
My path at Veeam reflects my overall career path. I always look for new challenges and new directions. I started out as an application engineer in a highly technical and cutting-edge scientific field. Within a year, I was recognized for my leadership and promoted to build and manage a group of engineers. Pretty soon, I realized that the company was missing product management, so I developed it and took a role of manager of product management. Later as I looked to join bigger companies, I decided to focus on program management, which allowed me to work in various areas from software development to sales to finance and now marketing.
What kinds of benefits or cultural aspects of Veeam have made it possible for you to grow your career so successfully?
Veeam has a culture of respectful directness. It also is very good about hiring very smart people. One of our core values is Veeam Speed (Take ownership, move fast, and work hard.) The effect of this is that in my day-today work I am surrounded by focused, quick thinkers, and no-nonsense communicators. This makes the work all that much more enjoyable. In addition, I find that many people with whom it’s easy to work are just overall interesting and easy to be friends with beyond work. Such an enjoyable environment puts me in a good mood every morning and allows me to be more productive. Another important factor is that the leadership at Veeam is good about recognizing the true success and potential and helping develop it further.
One of InHerSight’s 20 Best Information Technology and Services Companies to Work For, Veeam’s top metrics are Ability to Telecommute, Flexible Work Hours, and The People You Work With. Eighty-five percent of respondents also say their growth and success are prioritized here and that they’ve received the necessary feedback at their jobs to achieve their goals! Click below to explore Veeam’s company profile and open positions now!
Beyond work responsibilities, you’re also involved in Veeam’s Women in Green employee resource group (ERG). What aspect of the ERG has been most impactful to you?
I have been a part of Veeam’s Women in Green almost as long as I have been at Veeam. Women in Green’s goal to support capable women in achieving leadership positions is very important, an initiative that goes beyond Veeam. This is a part of a larger movement to ensure women achieve equality in reaching any leadership role in the world and to establish this as the new normal. The ultimate success would be for the next generation of women in all industries and all professions to never even think about “women in leadership” but simply pursue excellence in whatever field they choose and naturally progress without anyone questioning their fit or imposing any glass ceilings.
I have a daughter who is very likely aiming to go into an engineering field. If we are successful in our mission, then she should never even be aware of such ERGs. I am sure there will be future resource groups, but they would not need to separate women out.
In the future, how do you imagine the ERG, its existence and participants, will motivate change at Veeam. Are there certain areas of the company the ERG hopes to get most involved in?
Women in Green supports all Veeam employees with valuable activities such as presentations and training in such areas as soft skills, business acumen, and leadership. Our one-on-one mentorship program is highly valued and has helped many women identify what to improve for their career and life, as well as how to do so.
As a part of the Women in Green core leadership team, I am focusing on practical approaches that I hope will have a more direct impact on women’s presence in upper leadership ranks. These include having our core team review hiring for senior positions to help remove unconscious bias, trainings or roundtables for men in management to help them identify where they can do better, as well as raising more awareness of what microaggressions are and help people learn how to stop them.
Why Veeam? What are three things you love about the company that you think every woman considering applying needs to know?
Among U.S. high-tech companies, Veeam stands out in how well-respected and equal women’s voices are. It is important in one’s career that they are heard and recognized, and Veeam does that. Women have opportunities for growth and a supportive environment to pursue the opportunities that they are interested in.
In many departments, people have a lot of flexibility in managing their time. The focus is on the quality of your deliverables and not on unnecessary bureaucracy. It is very important for everyone, but especially needed for women, who often take on more responsibilities in their family lives. Veeam is also very supportive when employees encounter difficulties and sometimes need out-of-the-box thinking in helping them.
Finally, having an intellectually challenging environment and interesting people whose company you enjoy is a serious advantage for all, not just women. I cannot stress enough what a difference it makes in your day-to-day life.
