Acceleration Economy recently connected with Meenakshi Singh, who shared her journey as a woman in tech. Singh has been involved in the Microsoft Dynamics market for over 20 years, working on both the developer and consultant sides. Today, she works primarily with end users in her role as senior director, corporate enterprise applications.
She shared her personal experiences and insights on following passions even if it means going down an unknown path, the impact of allies, what it means to be a leader, and her experiences with Dynamic Communities’ Community Summit event.
Early Experiences
Singh has always gravitated toward computers and “the cool things they could do.” With an educational background in computer science under her belt, Singh has been driven by wondering how something can be done better. She thought, “I want to work on computers and create something better.” So, she followed that passion as she began her professional journey.
For around the first 10 years of her career, she primarily worked as a developer then transitioned to consulting. Throughout her career, she has alternated working with both Microsoft partners and end users. She recalled thinking, “This is where I want to be, helping the companies not just understand the use of the technology but also understand the importance of using the right technology with the right training and with the right partner.”
For example, when she first moved to the United States from India, she worked with a company that was an end user of Microsoft Dynamics NAV. She began training end users — including a team of salespeople, operations managers, and more — on how to best use the system and develop better solutions. From working with this company and other Microsoft partners, she gained an understanding of not just the back end, which she knew from the development side, but also of the front end, because she was training them on how to use the functionality better.
Her early experiences provided her not only with the knowledge of the systems and tools but also equipped her with skills to explain the capabilities to those she consults with.
Opportunities and Allies
From her education to each step of her career, Singh has consistently pursued her passions, even if it meant not knowing where the next step would lead her. She’s been driven by asking “What can I do better?” By constantly asking this question, she was able to learn more about herself, build skills, connect with others, and discover new passions. “I’ve been very blessed with good supervisors and managers in my career who actually helped me pave that path and find myself and bring it all together,” she said.
For women in tech, it’s especially important to have an encouraging support system to help grow into new opportunities. When Singh initially started working as a developer, her first boss recognized that she had management and leadership skills, so he assigned her two people to manage. “At a very young age, I had no idea how to lead people, but he trusted me not just with project management but with people management. That was my first break on becoming a leader.”
Singh encourages women in tech to find allies in the workplace. She defines an ally as someone who will give you a chance to voice your opinion and back you up when you’re feeling uncertain or lost. They don’t necessarily have to agree with your thoughts, but they’ll make sure you have a seat at the table and that you’re heard.
She also encourages men to be part of women in tech conferences and sessions. “We know what our challenges are, there should be men there to learn what challenges we face,” she says. As more men attend these events, they can gain an understanding of challenges specific to women in tech, broaden their perspectives, and learn how to be allies.
Community Summit
Singh has been heavily involved with the Community Summit event for years. Her first time attending, she went to learn and pick other people’s brains to not only solve problems but also learn how to use the newest technology. By her second year, she presented, which she credits to a mentor that she met at Community Summit the previous year.
“[Community Summit] was where I discovered how to be a good leader and a public speaker,” Singh recalled. During a session she attended her first year, she recognized the presentation skills of one of the speakers and decided to connect with him to learn from his expertise. “When you see a person like that and you have a chance to talk with them, grab that opportunity.”
While she had never worked with him before, she was able to find an ally. After connecting with him, he helped her navigate her hesitation and fear of public speaking, practicing with her so much that when she presented, it was with confidence. “He became such a good mentor to me,” she said.
Since she began presenting that second year at Community Summit, she has not looked back. She started with two sessions then five, and now will be making seven different presentations this year. She tries to host sessions for women in tech and be involved whenever she can.
As she became more involved, Singh joined some of the Community Summit committees — the Summit Planning Committee and Programming Planning Committee — to be part of planning the event and various webinars throughout the year. She was also awarded the BC/NAV Community All-Star Award in 2022 and served as a BC/NAV board member in 2022 and 2023.
These opportunities have enabled her to connect with so many people and grow further in her career. “I have a friend in every corner of the world, thanks to Summit!”
