Balance in the industry and balance in the workplace. At Danoffice IT, we work tirelessly on our ESG goal to achieve a better gender balance both within our own organization and the industry as a whole. Therefore, we have launched an initiative to put powerful women in the spotlight through a series of biographies through which these women will share their respective journeys to a career in the IT industry.

The next woman up is Account Executive, Michala Severin, whose journey in the IT industry has lasted nearly 25 years. This is a journey with few stops along the way; however, it contains a multitude of goals achieved and powerful relationships formed. 

Stability in a Fleeting Industry

Michala’s journey in the IT industry began 25 years ago. When she was very young, she did not set out with the IT industry as her goal, however, a quick lane change became the start of a long journey, yet with very few destinations. The IT industry is marked by rapid development and changing trends, yet in the midst of all of this, Michala more or less unintentionally sought out stability. This stability is one founded on relationships.

 

“It has now been 25 years since I started at AKS which later became Arrow. I stayed there for 11 years before I landed at Conecto where I stayed for 13 years in the partner circle until I went with them to Danoffice IT a year ago,” she says and adds: “The stability I may or may not have sought out has clearly been fully related to people I work with. Both my colleagues and my customers. Therefore, I have only changed my place of employment one singular time by my own choosing when I switched from AKS to Conecto.”

Portrait of Michala Severin, Danoffice IT Account Executive

Relationships Mean Everything

 

To Michala, people mean more than technical aspect. “I am not particularly technically inclined so my success in this industry is attributed to the talented people I am surrounded by. We also learn from each other. There is also something new to learn about and we are great at helping each other,” she says. Relationships are the main driving force in her work.

“I am a relationship person through and through. I believe that some may think that I am very personal with my customers, and I cannot deny that. Relationships mean everything to me, and I give a lot of myself in my work with others. As an example, I have known many of my customers for very many years. They know my entire team. They know me and know who I am as a person. That means that we have formed trust and dependability and that is truly valuable.”

MyRoadToIT

 

Together with the campaign in the IT industry called MyRoadToIT, our series of mini biographies is centered around 3 standard questions to which women in the Danish IT industry provide their unique responses. Here are the “three standards” for Michala:

 

 – What do you do in the business these days and which difference do you feel you contribute to?

”In my job as an Account Executive, I am a part of the sales team to our customers. I manage both small customers and large corporate customers. They are all equally important to me and it is very important to me that we treat all our customers well.”

“Everything I do at Danoffice IT is directed externally. I feel that I am making a difference when I create success for our customers and when they are successful in their business as a result of the things I have done to help them. I do not give up until I can connect the proper person to a specific task, and I keep going until success is achieved. My customers know that I will go to great lengths for them. I will fight for them, but always in a decent way naturally.”

 

 – Why do you find it interesting to work in the IT industry and what motivates you in your work?

”After 25 years in the industry, everything becomes very familial. Everyone knows each other and we are all participating in this. Even though I have been here for a long time, and I am in my fifties, I am still very inspired. Every day is different, and I think things are going well. I am motivated by helping my customers and achieving my goals. One example of this would be my meeting my quotas which is an everyday motivator for me. However, I am a relationship person which means that I am highly motivated by social interaction. I enjoy that I have great colleagues, and we always understand each other. This is important because it makes you go the extra mile. This might be something special to the IT industry because we are good at truly seeing each other.”

 

– How did you end up in the IT industry?

”It was truly by chance that I ended up in the IT industry. I had a good friend who worked at AKS which later became Arrow. That is 25 years ago now. I was very young and had no aspirations of joining the IT industry, but once I got my foot in the door, a whole new world of possibilities opened up and I never looked back.”

”I came from CBS and shortly after I started, I landed the role of Marketing Manager, a role I had for several years. Relationships are incredibly important to me so after a number of years, I applied for a sales position. Many of the customer relationships I had from then, I still have to this day.”

We Need to Bring the Young People on Board

To Michala, it is not that relevant whether the colleagues are men or women. As a woman in the IT industry going on 25 years, she knows what she is talking about. “I have not been treated any differently. I do not feel that I have seen my colleagues who predominantly are men, act differently towards me than each other. I have always been treated with respect,” she says and points out that perhaps the IT industry is a bit unique in this aspect. 

Michala Severin, a woman in IT at Danoffice IT, enjoying a conversation

“As a young woman before I joined the IT industry, I did experience women being hard on each other. I have not experienced that since joining the IT industry.” As for the future, Michala has some concerns because we truly need to get young people into our industry. That includes the young women. There are a lot of us who are my age, so we need to think ahead and attract them and not only the ones who are fresh out of school, also those who are still studying,”

Michala Severin, Account Executive at Danoffice IT, concludes.  

Did you find Michala's experiences insightful?

 

Make sure to also read about Henriette Normann-Ekegren's journey as an ESG Manager at Danoffice IT in "Women in DOIT #1."

You can also discover the impactful work that Elizabeth, IT Manager at Christian Aid, is doing, and how technology drives their fight against poverty.

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