Voice of Experience: Lis Brown, Application Management Outsourcing (AMO) Lead, Accenture

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Lis Brown, Accenture‘s Application Management Outsourcing (AMO) Lead, based in Singapore, is perhaps the most enthusiastic evangelist we’ve interviewed yet on the importance of relationship-building in the tech industry. According to Brown, working in IT is all about networking and building deep relationships.

“Don’t underestimate the power of networking. You don’t have to come out with your guns blazing to network,” she joked. “But in all that you do, you will become known.”

She continued, “And for women working in the tech space, you’ll be known as ‘the woman who…’ This is something that will just happen, but make sure it happens because you know something as well as someone. I’m probably best known for my ability to build relationships with clients at all levels.”

After over two decades in IT, with a career that has spanned the globe, Brown should know. She has been a passionate supporter of women taking charge of their professional growth in the tech space, as she continues to grow her own career.

Importance of Networking

Brown graduated from Ravensbourne College of Design & Communication with a BA Honors in industrial design – and then took a completely different career path. She’s now been in the IT industry for just over 21 years, having worked for Accenture for half that time. “IT – was just something I really enjoyed, and still do,” she explained.

Prior to joining Accenture, Brown worked as a freelance consultant to companies that were outsourcing for the first time. Then, she recalled, an opportunity arose. “I had the opportunity to work for Andersen consulting, and thought I would just be polite and meet them.” She continued with a laugh, “But here I am ten years later!”

Currently Brown, based in Singapore, is working for the largest chemical and natural resources account Accenture has. “A lot of my role is spent traveling, working directly with the client and working with my team,” she explained.

She said, “I ended up coming to Singapore as the result of an international opportunity. I’ve been very lucky, actually, I’ve never actually applied for any of my roles – every time there has been an opportunity, I have been asked if I wanted it. But the reason I’ve been so lucky, is that I firmly believe in the power of networking,” Brown explained.

“You have to connect up with like minded individuals,” she said.

“I believe that working in outsourcing enables you to build long term connections with clients,” Brown said. “As a result of that, I feel you can actually get a better arrangement by building deep and lasting relationships – it makes for a more enjoyable career.”

In fact, she said, all of her roles have been client facing. “From my very first role in utilities in the UK when I was based on site at the client’s office,” she recalled.

A Role Model for Women in IT

“Working in a resources organization, one of the challenges for women is simply that you’re often one of the only women in the room. Particularly when the client has a very small female presence in the IT space, it’s perfectly normal that I’ll be the only woman walking into a meeting,” Brown explained. “I realized fifteen years ago that this was how it was going to be.”

“For me, one of the things I actively try to promote with my own team, is that I try to show – especially the junior women – that there are role models for them.”

In fact, she said, being recognized as a role model is one of the things she’s been most proud of throughout her career. “It was when I started to read our global employee feedback surveys here at Accenture, where I was cited as a reason for people staying with the organization.”

“There are not a lot of women in senior roles in this industry, but they could see that it is possible to progress and move up. It was really touching. It really dawned on me that you do have an effect on others.”

Authenticity and Flexibility

Brown continued, “I am quite an authentic person – people say I am exactly the same on the weekends or at events as I am in the office. I think that’s a good thing. Being authentic is something I feel good about – and it’s part of a message that was given to me years ago and something I think is important.”

“When you come into an organization, particularly one the size of Accenture, just come in and be yourself. You’ve got skills and talents and that’s why you’re here,” she advised. “But no matter the interaction, make sure the interaction is seen as positive by the time you walk away.”

She also emphasized the importance of remaining flexible. She said, “There are always opportunities for something to happen, and you can’t always predict what’s going to happen. That’s fine. Be prepared. You can plan for a lot of things, but you have to remain flexible. Dealing with course changes is something I’ve learned over the years.”

As women move into more senior levels, she said, you should resist the urge to compare yourself to others – particularly men. She explained, “I was guilty of this myself. I felt this constant need to compare myself to others. You don’t need to do that. Men don’t appear to do it as much either.”

She continued, “But by the time you are at a leadership level in your career, you’re there by your own merits. Don’t lose sight of that – it goes back to authenticity. You don’t need to act like men or be one of the boys to get on.”

It’s important to have a partner and family who are supportive of your career, she added. “Opportunities can come from the strangest places – from people you’ve worked with over the years. I have an incredibly supportive husband and I’ve been lucky. He would drop everything to support my career – and that’s very important. Without the support of my husband, my family, and my friends, if I didn’t have that, it may have restricted my ability to go after opportunities that presented themselves.”

Finally, she said, working for a strong supporter of women has been beneficial to her career. In fact, Brown was recently asked to join the Singapore Inclusion & Diversity team. “We have fantastic programs in Singapore,” she said. “The women’s network is one of the things that we do, and they asked me to facilitate our International Women’s Day event this year, and we invited lots of clients as well.” Brown also discussed Accenture’s mentoring programs.

“We do a lot of mentoring programs for women, including one for women who have returned to work after an absence. When you’re out of the picture for a bit, the workplace changes a lot.”

She continued, “It’s sort of a buddy system. They try and align similar minded ladies to each other. For example, I can’t speak knowledgeably about balancing work and having children, but I have spent a number of years caring for the elderly or terminally ill, and I’m happy to be put in contact with women in a similar situation.”

In Her Personal Time

In her personal time, Brown said she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures with her husband, as well as exploring Singapore and surrounding South East Asia. “Singapore is a global culture in itself – a nice environment to work in. It opens your eyes to further opportunities,” she said.

“I did a lot of work organizing charity events in the UK,” she said, particularly for The Prince’s Trust organization. She also volunteers her time with an animal shelter in Singapore. “I’m using skills I developed at Accenture working for this NGO – you find an awful lot of like-minded individuals, including clients, who want to get involved when you’re doing this kind of work,” she said.