This blog is part of our ongoing Women in Technology series.
Amanda Bergeron has built her career on providing exceptional client experiences. She cares about delivering customer-centric end-to-end eDiscovery solutions that exemplify expertise, quality, and a commitment to doing business with transparency and integrity. Amanda leads teams of technical experts to create powerful eDiscovery solutions by digging deep to see what’s working, what’s not, and challenging the status quo. With a history of providing Managed Services, Document Review, and eDiscovery Processing and Hosting services, Amanda works with her team to offer a concierge-level experience that focuses on innovation, consultation, and strategic best practices. Amanda has established herself in various leadership roles to motivate and inspire team members. She does so by collectively achieving a sense of fulfillment through a collaborative, solutions-driven delivery approach that emphasizes innovation, quality, accuracy, proactive project management, and consultation. Amanda is a licensed attorney in Florida and was a founding partner of a small, boutique law firm before joining Special Counsel, which Consilio has since acquired. Amanda currently resides in the greater New Orleans area.
How did you get into this industry?
After attending law school and passing the Bar, I worked in several small boutique law firms in the South Florida area. Those early years as a young associate were spent, like many others, doing predominately document review. That was my introduction to eDiscovery in a real-life setting, and it piqued an interest in the crossroad where law and technology meet. To my surprise, technology ended up being a passion of mine, so when an opportunity on the service provider side arose, I took a chance going into a technology company using my legal background in a slightly different way. I’ve never looked back.
What were some pivotal moments in your career that helped to get you to where you are today?
I’ve been extremely lucky to have had some amazingly talented, innovative, and forward-thinking leaders. They have been mentors and allowed me to work closely with them to drive where our eDiscovery services and technology should go. Without these champions who have supported me in thinking outside of the box, trying new things, failing without fear, and succeeding with no regret, there is no way I would be in the position I am today and rising as a senior leader myself.
Have you ever noticed a time in your career where your gender proved to differentiate you?
In the last two or three years, I have certainly seen an increase in Diversity and Inclusion and Gender Equality groups to ensure a proper balance across companies. An onsite client meeting that I attended a few years back stands out to me in this regard. I was the only woman representing my company, and there was just one woman on the client-side. She and I organically hit it off. We spoke about workflow, technology, where the industry is going, and how we can succeed together. I do not doubt that if I had not been there, she might not have decided to work with us had she not seen a fellow woman at that table.
What is your advice for someone working in a predominately male workplace?
Have a voice that is thoughtful, strategic, and forward-thinking. Sometimes I notice people being outspoken in counter-productive ways, being meddlesome and unnecessarily quarrelsome. On the other hand, the leaders and workers I see shining and standing out as superstars are outspoken and opinionated. However, they are collaborative and solution-oriented with an eye toward innovation and propelling their company forward. I’ve always tried to be someone who has smart ideas, knows how to convey them effectively, and moves the needle in a positive direction. If you can find your voice and be entrepreneurial-minded, you will find recognition, respect, and success no matter your role in a company.
What do you think companies could do to motivate more women to pursue careers in technology?
It’s hard to do because having a place in technology starts long before entering the job market for many women. It begins in our education system – women having greater access and encouragement to pursue technology at an early age. Apart from that, I think all companies need to be looking at ways to upskill and train their current workforce. So often I see conversations about the need to hire for a particular role, and we are automatically looking outside the organization to fill it. Instead, if we look to our in-house talent, we can train and up-skill into the needed role by utilizing someone we already know and trust their work ethic and professionalism.
I get excited when I see companies with robust in-house training programs or are using third-party companies to advance their workforce. It shows they are dedicated to making their employees successful. If I had the opportunity ten years ago to be trained as a developer or SQL ninja, I would have leaped at that prospect, but it just simply wasn’t there. Imagine if we lived in a world where companies truly invest in up-skilling their talented and loyal employees. It would advance careers and benefit the company because it’s breeding a new culture that inherently lowers attrition and creates a great workplace. Doesn’t that sound inspiring? Instead, we constantly look to the open market and inadvertently promote a culture of incessant transience where employees resign at the drop of a hat. That needs to change. Let’s invest in our people, our superstars, whether male or female, to learn and become not only technologists and leaders but well beyond.