Meet Kelly Harman, Vice President of Marketing at Carousel Industries. Harman is also the President of Women In Technology and sat down with WashingtonExec to talked about WIT programs such as “Girls in Technology” and its networking opportunities. With the motto of “from the classroom to the boardroom” Harman discussed future plans for WIT as well as her love for technology.
WashingtonExec: Please tell us a little bit about your background and why you chose a career path in technology.
Kelly Harman: I went into sales because I saw it as an opportunity to have control over my income. Initially I focused on real estate and construction. When the bottom fell out of those industries in the mid 1980’s I started evaluating other markets that could offer more growth and broader opportunities. I made a conscious decision to move into the technology sector. I didn’t realize at the time how much I would come to love technology, nor could I predict what a closet geek I’d become.
Eventually I moved from sales into marketing after realizing that I had a particular talent for that area. My 10-year background in technology sales gives me great insight into what sales people need from the marketing team, as well as a lot of credibility when I’m working with the sales executives. And today, the amount of technology we use in marketing is unbelievable. Everything is data driven. I need to show a solid ROI on all our marketing efforts. We’re able to do this with a number of tech tools.
WashingtonExec: You are currently VP of marketing at Carousel Industries and also founded your own business, Zephyr Strategy. How was that transition?
Kelly Harman: The transition has been easier than I thought. After owning my own company for eight years, I was worried I’d have a problem reporting to someone else and losing my autonomy. Instead, I’ve discovered that I enjoy being back in the corporate environment. Carousel Industries has a very unique culture with a demanding, fast paced work environment. With 20% year over year growth, we’re on target to hit $300 million this year. I’m able to apply much of what I’ve learned in the past to my job, and we’re seeing excellent results in our marketing efforts. Plus I’m learning new things every day, which is also very important to me.
WashingtonExec: Do you think the role/number of women in the technology industry has changed throughout your career? How has the landscape changed?
Kelly Harman: Our roles have changed tremendously. When I started selling technology 20 years ago, I was one of very few women in the field, and most of them were in administrative support roles. Fortunately, I’d transitioned from the construction industry, where there were even fewer women. So that didn’t bother me at all. I just wanted to learn, sell and make money.
We still aren’t anywhere 50/50 yet, and unfortunately some tech sectors are seeing the percentage of women shrink. That is why initiatives like WIT’s “Girls In Technology” programs are so important, to encourage young girls to learn about science, technology, engineering and math. And to open their eyes to the incredibly rich and diverse career paths available to them in the broad field of technology.
I remember meeting with my high school counselor when I was a freshman and asking her about what classes I should take. She suggested I take typing and shorthand because “you can always get a job as a secretary if you can type and know shorthand.” Can you imagine anyone saying that to a young girl today? We’ve got women starting and leading technology companies in every area imaginable. I can’t think of a more exciting field to be in today.
WashingtonExec: You are the new Women in Technology president, what made you become involved with WIT?
Kelly Harman: I got involved in WIT about 12 years ago. I was the VP of marketing at a technology company headquartered in New Jersey. I was the only female executive in a leadership team of 12 men, most of whom were Italian and from either New Jersey or Brooklyn. Needless to say, our meetings were often extremely vocal. I wanted to find a place where I could broaden my network and meet more women in the tech field (and possibly, just stop yelling for a while…)
The more WIT meetings I attended, the more I wanted to get involved. I became the Chair of the Sales and Marketing SIG, then two years later accepted a board position. After serving on the board for 4 years I was given the opportunity to serve as WITs president.
WIT has helped me in many different ways. I probably generated over $1 million in revenue for Zephyr Strategy over a five-year period as a result of connections I made at WIT. Many of my closest friends are women I met at WIT, and I’ve built a very strong network of business colleagues as well. I’ve also learned a great deal, and not just about technology. I’ve honed my leadership and management skills by having the opportunity to work with some very talented women on the WIT Board.
WashingtonExec: What are some future goals of WIT?
Kelly Harman: Our members have really embraced the idea of supporting women “from the classroom to the boardroom.” We have active initiatives that support both ends of this spectrum. Girls in Technology has incredible programming for middle school and high school girls that introduces them to career paths that require science and technology degrees.
Our Leadership Foundry program provides intensive board training sessions that prepare women to serve on a board of directors. This fall, our first “class” will go through the program and hopefully this time next year we’ll have more women sitting on boards in the greater DC area where women are woefully underrepresented. We’d like to see both of these initiatives continue to grow and prosper.
WashingtonExec: What is your favorite technology gadget?
Kelly Harman: Definitely my iPhone – it basically runs my life. I’ve got apps for just about everything. My favorite app is Kindle for iPhone. I am a voracious reader and whenever I have any down time I jump back into my favorite novel. It has also come in very handy during long, boring meetings. I pretend to be reading my email, and every so often I pop up my head and ask a profound question. Then I go back to the latest suspense novel I’m reading and nobody is the wiser (unless they read this article!) Like I said, I just love technology.