Celebrating International Women’s Day with a Few Female Leaders of Vantage Data Centers

Today marks International Women’s Day, an observance held annually on March 8 to recognize women’s achievements across social, economic, cultural and political arenas. The celebration began in 1911.

The data center industry, traditionally male-dominated, has seen Vantage persist in its initiatives to advance women into leadership roles. The company has established the Women’s Leadership Forum and the Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Council (JEDI) to amplify women’s representation and participation within its ranks.

Vantage attributes much of its success to the contributions of women in key senior executive positions, including Dana Adams, president, North America; Tricia Elias, chief people and culture officer, global; Valerie Finberg, chief of staff and vice president of investor relations, global; and Purnima Wagle, chief information officer, global.

Dani Underwood, Vantage’s internal communications manager, global, recently discussed the significance of International Women’s Day and sought career advice for women entering the data center field from these key contributors, spotlighting their role in Vantage’s growth.

Click the <PLAY> button below to watch the video, or scroll down to read a transcript of their comments.

Transcript:

Dani: Hi, everyone. Thanks for tuning in. My name is Dani. I am here with Dana, Valerie, Tricia and Purnima to celebrate International Women’s Day.

I have a few questions lined up for our fearless Vantage female leaders. Valerie, I’m starting with you. Can you share what International Women’s Day means to you?

Valerie: Thank you, Dani. I’m excited to celebrate International Women’s Day, particularly in the data center industry, which has traditionally been very male-dominated. I’m so happy to be surrounded by other female business leaders and grateful that we have the support from Vantage to take the time and mark the occasion.

Dani: Purnima, what about you? What do you think?

Purnima: Well, we are maybe more male-dominated, but it is important we create an environment where differences are valued, appreciated and celebrated. So, for me, what it means—as a leader—is to continue to lead by example and create an environment that feels safe and where all people are seen, recognized and appreciated, irrespective of their connections or departments or whatever else.

Dani: Dana, what does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Dana: A couple of things. Firstly, for me, it’s an opportunity to celebrate. International Women’s Day is actually my mom’s birthday, so she’s the first person that I celebrate on International Women’s Day, [as well as] all of the other strong and powerful and successful women that we have in our lives and in our industry.

Secondly, for me, it’s an opportunity to challenge ourselves, to take a moment to pause and think about what we can be doing on both a personal and a professional level as a business to keep advocating for women and inclusivity across the board.

Dani: Yeah. Tricia, what about you? What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

Tricia: Dana, I’m glad you [mentioned] emphasizing the celebration aspect of International Women’s Day. So often, we look at what is not. We look at what we wish were true, such as having more women on boards or in leadership roles. [But] this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate where we are, how far we’ve come, and the support of the women and men who have helped us get here.

Dani: And for our next International Women’s Day question: what advice would you have for our female colleagues at Vantage?

Tricia: Well, thanks, Dani. I think part of it is actually that support that I just mentioned. I had a ton of support in my career from other women like my mom, who helped me raise my kids as I was off gallivanting, trying to build my career, and other women and men who helped me by amplifying what I was saying in a meeting or by mentoring me or by checking me when I needed checking.

And, at Vantage, what I love to see is so much support between women helping each other out when we need it and even when we think we might not.

Dani: Great. Valerie, what about you?

Valerie: Yeah. I’ll echo that notion of support this International Women’s Day, and I think women supporting other women is fantastic. It reminds me of a quote, which is, “Be the woman who fixes the other woman’s crown without letting the world know that it was crooked.”

Dani: Yeah, I love that. Purnima, what advice would you give on this International Women’s Day?

Purnima: My advice to women this International Women’s Day would be to believe in yourself, know your own strengths, know what you’re interested in, what you’re passionate about and then be brave. You know, raise your hand looking for those opportunities that get you to your desired space.

And, as part of that, be resilient, because sometimes things will work out, sometimes they won’t. But either way, it’s good because it’s a learning experience.

Dani: That’s right. And Dana, how about you?

Dana: Yeah, I think in a similar vein, mine would be to not be afraid to take a risk. Whether it’s putting your hand up for a challenging task or a new opportunity or, in my case, taking a risk and moving halfway across the world to take on a new and exciting role with the company.

You have to put yourself out there and accept those challenges as they come. Take this International Women’s Day as an opportunity to do so.

Happy International Women’s Day!