8x8 Women in Tech: Lisa Orford, Vice President, Contact Center PM
This year, 8x8 was a sponsor of the Women in Tech Festival. As part of this, we’re highlighting some of the talented women who work across the departments helping us deliver our eXperience Communications Platform™.
After founding and growing a start-up that she went on to sell to 8x8, Lisa Orford joined our organization in 2015. Closing the door on a career as a mechanic, her successful career in IT and product management has given her access to all the problem-solving opportunities she is passionate about.
8x8: Did you set out to work in the IT sector, or did you get here by chance?
Lisa Orford: I always set out to work in the IT sector. I did a BSc honors degree in Multimedia Computing and Digital Animation. I wanted to be a real developer, a proper geek. But I actually struggled out of university, and the closest thing I could find was selling broadband.
But it was there that I bumped into the person who would become my co-founder for the company that I went on to sell to 8x8. He didn’t expect me to be coding at first, it’s that stereotypical “not for women” thing. But we got talking; he offered me a job, and three of us ended up putting together a cloud contact center solution.
After more time dealing with customers and understanding their needs, I eventually landed where I am today, on the product management side of things. I see being on the product side as a nice balance between knowing what problems the end user needs solving and actually building the technology. It’s the bridge between knowing how to put the puzzle pieces together and knowing what puzzle we have to solve.
8x8: When you told people you were going to work in IT what was their reaction? Has it changed now?
LO: Truth be told, I always enjoyed the IT sector but I wanted to be a mechanic. My dad said to me, “You can’t do that; that’s a man’s job.” Not in a negative way, but that’s probably just how people saw things 25 years ago. But then I looked at what I enjoyed, and IT was one of my passions in college. So that’s what I wanted to do. My dad still told me it’s a man’s role, but I thought, “Well, I’ll prove you wrong.” And today, he always tells me he’s glad I ignored him, and it’s one of the best things I ever did.
When I went to university there were probably four women in our class of 45. The industry was male-dominated back then. I think that made me more determined to prove that I could do it just as well as anybody, no matter who they are or what they do. If you tell me I can’t do something, it gives me more drive and determination to do it.
Going from zero to £10 million
8x8: What has been your one proudest moment working in IT?
LO: Up against some difficulties, I persevered, and we were fortunate enough to sell our company to 8x8. We took our company from zero to £10 million in turnover. We built a product from the ground up and genuinely solved a problem for people. I am really proud of getting it that far.
8x8: What would you say has been your toughest moment in IT and how did you get through it?
LO: Our company had a dip in its financial situation, as any start-up can. We had to do a round of layoffs, which was really hard.
There are also tough moments where you feel like you have to prove yourself. Sometimes, for me, after I had my first son, there was a pull between being with him and giving that little bit more to the company. It was also challenging to convince people that I could do both.
I think the stigma in society is that you can’t have it all, something’s got to give, or something’s got to suffer. But trying to convince myself and everyone else that you can have both was exhausting at times. I had to find that balance quite quickly, but it may not work for everyone. I was fortunate that the people I worked with were very flexible.
8x8: In your opinion, do women have equality in IT careers?
LO: My career has largely been at 8x8 and my company. Gender hasn’t mattered there. As a start-up, we were looking for a skill set; it didn’t matter who you were. When I joined 8x8 it felt exactly the same.
I do think some people are surprised sometimes when, as a woman, you have technical ability. Though today that stands out as a minority attitude, and when people think that way, that’s what’s now turned out to be the surprise. I don't think I've ever been discredited for being a woman and having that technical ability.
The stigma of IT
8x8: What are the issues or challenges that women still need to overcome within the sector?
LO: I think the challenge is for women to see IT as a career opportunity that they can have. I think there’s still that stigma, that image that IT is a man’s world. But that’s no longer the case, and I’ve seen a whole heap of very successful women throughout my career achieve great things.
8x8: Would you recommend IT as a career to young women?
LO: Yeah, I love it! I loved it from the minute I started it, and I still love it today. I like to fix things and problem solve. That’s why I wanted to be a mechanic, and that’s why I was drawn to IT. It’s about fixing things and solving problems.
8x8: Would your answer be the same for women looking to return to work?
LO: Yeah, 100%. I’ve returned to work three times now. If you’ve got a passion for anything, you should do it. If you believe in something and you think you can be good at it, then nothing should stop you, certainly not gender.
8x8: Do you think attitudes toward women in IT have changed over the years?
LO: I think that it’s probably that most people aren’t surprised to hear that women have the ability and technical background.
Influencers and influencing
8x8: Did you have mentors as you rose through the ranks, or did you have to do it all yourself?
LO: My two co-founders were both mentors, and we’ve massively helped each other over the years. They are both gentlemen, but gender was never an issue for them. The people I’ve been surrounded with don’t see gender as an issue, and they just strived to push me to succeed.
8x8: Do you mentor anyone yourself, what has been the biggest challenge or reward?
LO: I have a team of 24, and of those, 11 are women—which is almost 50/50. That’s something that has changed over the years too. I mentor them. But also, my cousin is in IT, and we talk a lot about how she can succeed and what she can do to get there. It’s definitely rewarding seeing her succeed—my children’s friends, too. I’ve guided a few people that have gone off to university based on our talks and my suggestions.
8x8: On your journey, has there been anyone who influenced you, either at the personal level or the aspirational level?
LO: I think every day you learn new things about yourself, and you learn things from everyone you’re around, whether they’re on your team or not. But as an inspiration, definitely my Nan. She gave me that determination to never give up, to believe in yourself and what you do, and just go for it with everything that you’ve got. To just keep trying to succeed, because, you know, why shouldn’t you try?
There shouldn’t be any boundaries to people’s career path or success, and I think now we’re seeing all those barriers come down. It’s making people say to themselves, “You know, I can do that, I can be this”. I like to think that any one of my children, or any child, would look at us in this sector now and think “Yeah, I could do that.”
