Channel Marketing Manager Denise Gale has over 20 years’ experience in technology channel marketing. This year she’s an Outstanding Transformation of the Year finalist in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards. Selected, among other things, for her suite of as-a-service programmes, we talked with Denise about the past 12 months, her career to date, and the need for apprenticeships for young women in tech.

8x8: What brought you into a role/career in tech?

Denise Gale (DG): I had several sales roles before I started marketing in tech: cars, recruiting, and real estate. But later in life, I undertook a degree at night school to help me move into the sector. I was drawn to it because it's dynamic, fast-moving and variable. In many ways, the changes and growth technology is bringing feels like the Industrial Revolution and I wanted to be part of that. It's incredibly exciting.

8x8: What's it like working at 8x8?

DG: 8x8 is one of the most collaborative places I’ve worked at. There are a lot of bright, intelligent, and motivated people here and the environment is friendly. What I appreciate is the openness to new ideas; they listen to your ideas in relation to the market and give you the opportunity to implement them.

8x8: Do you have the career you envisioned for yourself?

DG: My career has taken a few turns or gone down forks in the road. I left school at 18 and quickly started in sales. First in back-office roles, later moving to front-office selling. Although these roles weren’t in tech, they laid the foundation for my move into tech marketing because I could see how sales and marketing support one another. I did a lot of direct marketing, working in events and comms, and then channel marketing. I like working in the channel because I feel that you help to get a product out there and you’re helping other businesses to grow and build themselves.

8x8: What's been the biggest surprise for you in the last 12 months?

DG: Being nominated for the Women in Tech award was a surprise. So too is the success of the suite of as-a-service programmes that I’ve introduced. When you introduce something new, people have to get used to the idea. And the success and enthusiasm with which they’ve been adopted has been positive.

8x8: What have you achieved in the last 12 months that you are most proud of?

DG: I would say the three as-a-service programmes: Business Development Rep as a Service (BDRaaS), Account Mapping as a Service (AMaaS), and Marketing as a Service (MaaS). They have grown significantly over the last 12 months, and we’ve added new tools and marketing materials to support partners too. The full suite of assets is there to help partners grow; to use their and our data to get traction and develop a demand generation engine.

8x8: Are there barriers for women wanting to work in tech/SaaS?

DG: I didn’t experience any barriers when entering the industry, but I came to it later, which could make a difference. I see the data, and women still only account for roughly 28% of the tech workforce; there’s clearly a barrier for women and young girls. It’s encouraging that 8x8 is good at promoting women to senior leadership roles because those sorts of role models are needed.

"I think more awareness around tech as a career is needed. Although young people engage with technology more, that doesn’t mean young women see technology as a career."

8x8: What more could/should men be doing to ensure it's a level workplace?

DG: Many issues come down to getting the culture right, and that’s not just an issue that men should be addressing. Leadership should make sure everyone is given and educated about opportunities, and we should try to guarantee a balance within the workplace. I’d also say that women in tech groups aren’t restricted to women only, men can be a part of them too. By listening to these groups and knowing what topics are being discussed, people can hear clearly what issues need to be addressed. The groups are there for support and awareness raising.

8x8: In terms of equality, have things progressed in the last 12 months, gone backwards or mostly stayed the same?

DG: This is a difficult question because it’s a hard thing to measure. From what I’ve read, progress over the last 12 months has been fluctuating to the point that, overall, everything has probably stayed the same. As a company, 8x8 is open as a culture and it’s working to continually make progress on equality and diversity.

8x8: The four pillars of the Women in Tech Festival are diversity, innovation, community, and empowerment. In your experience, which has resonated with you the most during your career?

DG: It’s community because it’s through communities that you’re exposed to all of the others. There’s a strong women in tech community in general, and there are many groups out there you can be a part of. They range from large community meetings, hosted by the likes of Google or Microsoft, where you can get educated and get the detail and data around the issues. And then there are smaller, community-oriented groups that will focus on managing and developing your career through workshops and similar events. One workshop I attended gave us the advice to create your own board of directors for your career. Get six neutral people outside your organisation and talk to them about what you’re doing and what you want to do. That was useful advice for me.

8x8: If you could click your fingers tomorrow and it’d be different, what one thing would you change in the tech sector?

DG: Having given this a lot of thought, the one thing that kept coming back to me would be for there to be many more apprenticeships or skills-building programmes for young women and girls. It would be a positive thing for the industry to offer that. It’d help to grow a skilful talent pool. And though there are graduate programmes, as someone who left school at 18, I’d like to see them opened up to younger girls.

8x8: How do you feel about being nominated for the Women in Tech Excellence Awards for 2023?

DG: I felt delighted, humbled, and excited all at once. Being nominated and becoming a finalist is due to the work I’ve done at 8x8, specifically with the suite of as-a-service programmes I’ve introduced and championed. So, without having the freedom and 8x8’s trust to deliver a transformation project like this, I’d not be able to do the work that got me nominated. Of course, the collaboration of my colleagues was crucial too – a company is never just one person.

8x8: Your nomination is very prestigious. What advice would you give to women starting their careers who want to make a similar impact?

DG: First, I’d say be prepared to go off plan. My career has taken several turns and it's always worth taking a risk. So, if you have a plan, be prepared to deviate from it. I’d also say keep learning. Pick up new skills that will help you progress. For me, I always need to feel like I’m making progress. Lastly, I’d say remember to focus on your career. Whenever you’re thinking about your next role, think two roles ahead so that you’re planning into the future. And don’t get too focused on your day-to-day work. Step back so you can see the bigger picture.

Read more in 8x8’s Women in Tech series