Choosing to challenge: Perspectives from five women at Hootsuite

Here at Hootsuite, we continue to recognize Women’s History Month. Following my conversation with senior leadership on the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD), ‘Choose to Challenge,’ we organized another conversation. This time it was with five of our talented female leaders, who shared their insightful perspectives from our offices across three continents.

We discussed creating environments of equality and inclusion, and how we can work to reduce the damage caused by stereotypes, narratives, and unconscious bias. Thank you to Catherine Zamora Barbosa, Danielle Waknine, Ximena Martinez, Dominique Elsey, and Julia Anna De Los Santos for taking part!

Choosing to challenge our own limitations

I began by asking Catherine, an Enterprise Field Marketing Strategist for Southern Europe working in our Paris office, what choosing to challenge means for her:

“In my experience, I’ve seen that women like to feel secure, whereas men will take risks. We need to push outside of our own comfort zones. For example, Hootsuite offered me a placement in Toronto and I immediately felt like I wasn’t qualified enough. Speaking to the men around me, I realized I shouldn’t be afraid to take the opportunity. I’ve learned a lot from female leaders and male allies, and I try to transmit that down to those I have a chance to mentor. It’s so important to recognize and celebrate each other’s successes.”

Catherine was a fantastic addition to the Toronto team! And now she’s back in Paris, she pointed out an unexpected benefit of us all going remote—it’s opened up more chances to catch up with her old teammates there.

Turning gender stereotypes on their head

Danielle is a sales leader in our Toronto office. I asked her how that traditionally male-dominated field is changing for the better:

“I was one of only two women on a sales team when I started my career five years ago. Today, I’m so proud to be on a 50:50 split team at Hootsuite, and to see that same goal across other teams. You’ll often see women at the top of leaderboards, which is no surprise when we actually possess many of the characteristics that make a great seller: relationship building, active listening, leading with empathy.

“Still, the reality is you have to challenge the label of being in a ‘male’ field. I benefited from mentoring opportunities, and as a leader I want to do the same for others. Melissa, our new Senior Vice President of Global Sales, is making positive changes that are translating all the way down to the individual contributor level. It’s an exciting time to be at Hootsuite!”

I agree, we have lots of great changes in the works!

Advocating for gender equality alongside climate change

For a viewpoint from our Mexico office, I spoke to Ximena. She joined Hootsuite’s Customer Support team and has recently transitioned to the role of Customer Success Manager. Ximena also has a passion for environmentalism, and I asked how that relates to challenges around gender and inequality:

“It’s so important that we bring together these issues. Traditionally, everything has been addressed separately and that doesn’t reflect reality. I’m an intersectional activist who recognizes that we all have multiple identities, which means we may face forms of cross-discrimination and injustice.

“The first step is to challenge our own personal, internal limitations—why do we think that we can’t raise our voice? I want to say to whoever needs to hear it: Whatever you are is enough. Stop thinking you need to be some big deal to create impact. If you can support and advocate, you can make yourself heard.”

Those were powerful words from Ximena. It’s so important to remember that we all have the potential to make a difference. 

Turning conversations of support into real change

The UK has had a challenging Women’s History Month, and our Industry Marketing Strategist there, Dominique, explained why—and what’s got to change:

“Events this year were overshadowed by multiple news stories of women suffering abuse. First there was the media fall-out from Meghan’s revelations about her mental health, and then the devastating news that a woman named Sarah Everard had been kidnapped and murdered on her walk home in London. Across social media, women have come together to share their personal stories, as well as discussing how men can support a change in the damaging gender narratives we have. It’s a conversation that I hope creates real change.”

These words reflected some of my own experiences and the feeling that we need to peel back what we’ve come to accept. At university, I was one of a group of men who escorted women home from the library at night because it wasn’t safe. At the time, we were pleased to offer an extra level of security and didn’t focus so much on changing what was fundamentally wrong. Today, with social media, the problems have been pointed out so many times—it’s time for action.

Increasing diverse perspectives at events

Dominique has represented Hootsuite at many events and I followed up by asking her how we can address the gender disparities of who’s up on stage.

“Representation is getting better. I’m seeing more women, more people of colour. The challenge we have to overcome is tokenism. I was asked to speak at an event just because I am a woman. It was a box ticking exercise, rather than having anything to do with my credentials. That’s not the right approach, and instead organizers should focus on the knowledge sharing possibilities, asking themselves: “Is there someone who can tell just as good a story but is more diverse?”

Celebrating our wins

Last but certainly not least, we headed to the island in the future that is Australia! Julia is a Senior Customer Success Manager, based in our Sydney office, and I asked her how she helps to create an inclusive environment in the workplace:

“It’s an ongoing process, and it doesn’t happen overnight. I was one of only three women when I joined the Sydney office in 2018, but now it’s over 50% women. That’s a win we should celebrate!”

“As a regional office, it can be harder to get recognition. I've learned that sharing our knowledge and celebrating our contributions is one way that we can create an inclusive environment and have our team heard. As a leader, I can help to lift others, and as a woman, I acknowledge my responsibility to speak up.”

Committing to ‘choose to challenge’

This discussion was packed with great insight, and I thank my team again for getting involved. Our thoughts go out to the family and friends of Sarah Everard, and every woman suffering abuse. 

Everyone was united in the belief that we must all learn and grow together to create more equal, inclusive environments. The more conversations we have, the easier they become. Let’s commit to challenging those damaging narratives and biases, today and long after Women’s History Month concludes.