WWCode Podcast #28 — Gail Evans, Chief Digital Officer at Mercer
Written by WWCode HQ
Women Who Code Podcast — Episode 28 | Spotify — iTunes — Google — YouTube — Podcast Page
Chethana Gopinath, Associate Software Engineer at Realtor.com and a lead with Women Who Code Python, interviews Gail Evans, Chief Digital Officer at Mercer. They discuss how Gail fell in love with tech, what her leadership style is, her tips for success in the industry, and her views on the future of women in technology.
Chethana Gopinath, Associate Software Engineer at Realtor.com and a lead with Women Who Code Python, interviews Gail Evans, Chief Digital Officer at Mercer. They discuss how Gail fell in love with tech, what her leadership style is, her tips for success in the industry, and her views on the future of women in technology.
Tell us about some of the highlights of your career journey and tech leadership.
I come from very humble beginnings. I went to school part-time while working to get my degree. I fell in love with software engineering. I almost became a teacher, but fell in love with the web and the opportunity to drive so much change and create value with technology. I’ve been a software engineer, a chief architect, a CTO, and a CIO, at various companies.
I started my career at Eastman Kodak company. I learned how to be a coder and an architect. I left Eastman Kodak company as their CIO of consumers. I moved over to Bank of America where I led bankofamerica.com. There I learned about performance and volume and being a part of a high-velocity website. From there, I left and led HP.com’s transformation. I always sought after transformations. It’s a lot of energy in transforming a company using technology to create value for colleagues and for clients.
I needed a big tech name on my resume. I went over to Microsoft and led Microsoft studios’ transformation and change with their Xbox titles. From there, I fell in love with Mercer. I found purpose in my life. I came to Mercer to lead their digital transformation and also modernize their technology.
Talk us through a day at Mercer.
I started Mercer as the CIO, it was different. It was my first entry into a consultant’s life. In the first two years it was learning about the tools they used and how to apply technology to deliver value to their clients. It became more and more exciting as a CIO, then I was asked to be the digital officer. I got to sit on the executive leadership team and start to introduce algorithms data as a service. We created our own Mercer OS.
My day at Mercer begins with a team because any success from any leader is about their team. The team I was able to assemble with Mercer has delivered many millions of dollars to the company. More importantly, it’s a team that has fun learning and transforming the culture to become more agile. That’s been a very exciting journey for me.
What are some of the things within Mercer’s culture that excite you?
I’m surrounded by smart, passionate, caring people. It is an atmosphere and a culture that activates its employees to do their very best. That’s the culture I thrive in. I’ve learned many times in my career, early in my career as a black woman in tech, it hasn’t always been an easy road. I may speak of it with a smile, but it wasn’t always smiles. At Mercer, I found a place where I can learn a new domain. I could deliver value with tech and the culture was thirsty for change.
How would you describe your leadership style currently, as compared to when you began Kodak?
My leadership style early, I guess I always thought I needed to be like someone else. Over the years, I realized it was okay just to be me. I’d be remiss not to call out my mom. I am a product of what she has instilled in me. I use that every day because leadership is about caring and nurturing. My leadership style is about coaching, about growing leaders and helping them on their journey. It’s not about being like anyone else. It’s about learning about your team and being able to have a personal relationship with them..
What are some things you enjoy doing outside of work?
My friends call me a geek because what I enjoy the most is a cup of coffee and picking a technology topic and researching it. But what really excites me outside of work is my grandson. He is the joy of my life.
What excites you the most about the future of tech and what do you think women would specifically bring to the table?
I think the future of tech is changing the world. As you think about what data and analytics are, from a personalization perspective, the more I know about you, the more I can serve you. I can personalize the communications with you. Look at social media, it’s blown up. It’s changing the way we communicate, the way we interface with each other. The smartphone is a game-changer. Everything is in it. Every app you have, every phone number, how you communicate.
I think women will continue to bring a big difference to technology. Women approach technology, solve problems differently and lead differently. Technology in itself is not where the value is. It’s how we take that technology and solve problems with it. I think women are in a unique position to tackle those new behaviors in a way in which many will benefit from their perspective.
They need to be themselves. They need to allow themselves to look at a problem through their lens, not to be like anyone but to solve the problem using the technology strength that they know they have. Once women are able to do that, they will rise in status and roles and be seen in more leadership roles. Don’t be afraid of leadership. Don’t dream small, dream big. I was a dreamer, I was a janitor, and now I’m the Chief Digital Officer at Mercer.
What is one pro tip for women in tech?
You should have a core technology. Whether it’s AI or software development, whatever it is, be good at it. Be confident that you are good at it. That will enable you to take more risks and have more fun. When you walk in a room and you know you’re the best, it’s a wonderful feeling. You just know that you are and you treat people with kindness. At the end of the day, it’s the team that makes a leader successful.
