Meet the Team: Vanesa Orellana

As part of a Two Circles series celebrating brilliant Two Circlers around the world, meet Vanesa Orellana – Delivery Director for the Technology team, based in London.

How did you start out on a career journey in technology?

I started out with a dream of working for the United Nations and NGO’s, helping contribute to improvements in society via policies, hence why I studied Political Science, International Relations and did an MSC in Economics for Development.

In searching for that dream, I found myself working in the digital team at Amnesty International. My first task involved a review of the website, making changes to their Content Management System in various languages using. I eventually ended up fully owning the updates using WordPress, and created and managed social media pages across several digital platforms.

This was my first taste of technology and the impact, reach and performance it can have. I enjoyed working with digital products and technology, and most interestingly for me, I was a natural at it. This opened the door for me to explore Front End Coding, understanding different CMS platforms, and also getting into courses about Product and Project Management.

Thanks to the variety of opportunities this created in the technology space, a new world was opened to me for the first time, and I was truly fascinated and excited about where it could lead.

What have you learned about yourself and about the industry in the time you have worked in it?

I learned that having a positive attitude can go a long way. It enables better team collaboration when you can uplift the mood in the teams, showing them that whatever crisis or issue we have on our hands, it can be resolved with good communication and aligning expectation.

Within the realms of project management and delivery management, being calm and collected under pressure is key to ensuring the team can work to their best. Protecting them from any outside noise or distraction is important, so they can focus on getting things done.

We are there to protect the team and help them – be it through creating an innovative environment for them to work in, or liaising with the clients to make sure the team has everything they need to move forward.

In terms of the sports industry, it’s a great one. There is so much opportunity and so much variety. It’s exciting to feel like you are learning something new every single day. Being able to combine technology with sport is something so many people dream of. I’ve loved getting to experience working in tech and sport for so many years and seeing so many of the wonderful things we are able to achieve with our amazing clients – from building wonderful digital products and services, to providing robust DWH solutions.

The industry is very competitive and you are always being challenged to be better.

What was it like building your career in a male-dominated industry such as tech?

When I started in an NGO it was quite balanced, but this changed quickly when I moved into Banking, Pharma, Telecom. In the early years, it was intimidating being one of the few women in the team.

At the time, I worked in Latin American countries, where I was used to being the only women in the room, and then moved back to Europe and UK and found more women around, but still we were very few. Sometimes getting people to listen or respect you straight away was difficult (especially in Latin America), but once you had the chance to demonstrate your skills, it helped a lot.

I felt like progress was being made once I got involved in Project Management. I tried to convince my bosses that we should hire more female project managers. In one company, I managed to hire five female project managers and it made such a difference when working with so many male engineers. It created a great balance in the teams.

Finally, at Two Circles, it’s brilliant how we have managed to create a business with such gender parity, and it’s really exciting to see where these opportunities for women in the business can lead.

What advice would you give to women starting out their careers in tech?

Be curious. Keep reading. And keep yourself up to date on the latest in tech – including across different industries like banking, sport, pharma, telecom and retail. So many ideas have a way of circling around. It’s a constantly evolving industry.

Be bold and don’t be afraid to express your thoughts in a room, even if it’s full of men. At the beginning this was my biggest fear, until you get to a point where it becomes natural.

As a result, be yourself. Don’t feel pressured to change depending on who is in the room with you. Find your strengths and back them.

How would you describe your time at Two Circles in three words?

Fun. Collaborative. Empowering!