Movers and Shakers: Beth Devin, Chief Technology Officer, Manilla

By Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Beth Devin is conscious of the challenges that women face in Silicon Valley. As Chief Technology Officer of Manilla, she works for men and with a majority of men, and said that there are times when she has wished for more gender diversity. But she also believes that technology is a terrific field to work in – and by discussing the industry’s challenges and benefits, the good and the bad, senior women can provide encouragement for younger women coming up the ranks.

“Successful women in technology leadership roles are few and far between – we should not underestimate the positive impact we can have on women considering a technology career or just starting out,” she said.

“Speak up as women in technology, talk about the amazing opportunities and what the challenges are. Your wisdom and experience are valuable. The more information that’s out there, the more storytelling you can do, the more it will benefit others.”

Career in Tech

Devin began her career almost 30 years ago as a software developer at Bechtel in the early ‘80s. She stumbled into her technology career and was glad for it. “It didn’t feel like work and I loved the challenge of building software,” she said. She moved to Pacific Bell, where she stayed for ten years. “I learned a lot of my fundamentals in those first jobs and gained a breadth of experience,” she explained. “Then I accepted a job at Turner Broadcasting – by that time I had a family, and we moved from San Francisco to Atlanta.”

She continued, “It was a good risk taking experience – a little painful at times, but I’m glad I made the jump.” After a few years on the East Coast, Devin took a role back in the Bay Area at Charles Schwab.  “I started in ’98, in the run-up of online financial services and the eventual dot com bubble,” she said. “It was an exciting time experiencing the ups and then the downs.”

During her time at Charles Schwab, Devin advanced to executive vice president, gaining experience in financial services and managing large teams and executives. She left in 2004, and since then, has worked in CTO roles in smaller companies – Blackhawk Network, Art.com, and now Manilla, an online personal account management system. “I was employee number four,” she said.

Successfully making the transition from large company to small company is one of Devin’s proudest achievements. “I was insecure about my ability to apply my skills and experience and succeed at a small company after a 20-plus year, large company career,” she said. But now, she continued, she is glad she did. “Once I started, rolled up my sleeves, and started to tackle what needed to be done, I recognized the impact I was having and my confidence grew.”

Particularly at Manilla, she has enjoyed the experience of building a company from the ground up. “At the beginning it felt like a very large project as we set up an office, firmed up our product vision, and started to execute.”

“One of my first tasks was designing and staffing the Manilla technology team. It’s challenging building a team from scratch – it’s a little bit like completing a puzzle. Each new hire fills a role and brings a perspective, skills and experience. I regularly revisited the org design and hiring plans as new people joined the team. Twenty plus people were hired in the first year. I am proud of the team on board today – it’s a good group. We work hard and we have fun. Being able to build a culture and a productive and respectful work environment is very rewarding.”

One thing she has learned is the importance of building external relationships and leveraging her network. “When you report to the CEO and you lead the technology team, you need to tap into a virtual group of technology colleagues for advice, product recommendations, and more. I remember, when I was at Blackhawk and new to the payments and stored value card industry, just calling anyone who I thought could help me learn the business and understand the technology considerations.”

She added, “I’m enjoying working at a company where I know everyone, I am close to our users and the business, and my ideas and contributions have an immediate impact. I am no longer several levels away from the work at hand.”

Devin is also energized about the constant pace of change in her industry. “There’s so much change – particularly for a consumer internet services company. It makes it challenging, but exciting at the same time.” She cited issues like social media, the cloud, security, the migration to mobile, and customer privacy. “And how does all that change the services we’re building down the road, in six to nine months, 12 to 18 months? How can we create an even better and more useful consumer service?”

Challenges for Women in Technology

Devin said that she hasn’t personally experienced significant road blocks because of her gender. “I don’t feel like I’ve had a huge number of barriers. Most of my peers (and my boss) are men. I spend a lot of time with men. I wish it was more balanced because I know how much women can contribute. I do spend time thinking ‘Why is that?’”

She continued, “My hunch is that it’s part of Silicon Valley. It sounds and it feels like a male culture – there’s a lot of ‘hey dude,’ cryptic acronyms, and talking about the ball game. It’s probably not as welcoming to women.”

“When I was a software developer I was less aware of the scarcity of women in my field. It’s really as an executive that I have recognized the challenges. I approach management and leadership differently than many of my male colleagues. These style differences sometimes disadvantage me. There are opportunities for relationship building and discussing business that I miss out on because I am not on the business trip or the golf event. There are a lot more examples. In the end I think I am always trying to prove myself and build credibility – I don’t take anything for granted.”

For example, Devin shared that she has been fortunate to work for two CIOs who were women and in both cases she was in awe of their work ethic and command of the business and technology. “I never saw women work so hard – there was always the feeling they had to be as good or better to be in their role.”

She added, “When there aren’t enough senior people that you relate to it’s hard to see yourself getting ahead and being in a similar role.”

Devin admits that serving as a role model can be challenging, “especially as I get older and my staff gets younger.” She continued, “For example, similar to other start-ups, we have an open floor plan – no offices or cubicles – and I sit with my team so I am not disconnected from everyone.  I can’t say I’m quite in my comfort zone yet but I am enjoying the camaraderie and the opportunity to stretch myself. I’m constantly thinking of ways to connect with my employees that helps them while still being the person in charge and not being able to be everyone’s friend.”

She added, “And I hope I’m demonstrating to everyone on my staff that women can be in charge, make tough decisions, and contribute in important ways to the planning, design and creation of great technology. For the women, I hope they see some of themselves in me and they will be great leaders and roles models one day.”

Advice for the Next Generation

“I wish I had taken more risks early in my career. It’s those risks that give you the biggest jumps in your career and expand your horizons, especially when you have no kids, no mortgage or other financial responsibilities,” Devin said. “As a parent of young adults – I’m trying to impart that knowledge to them.”

She continued, “I always felt that before I could take on a new job or expanded responsibilities, I had to prove I was capable or have prior experience. I would ask myself, ‘Am I ready to do this?’ But when I took on the big challenges, I tended to find I was able to figure things out quickly and succeed. I would have been more proactive if I had known that earlier on.”

Women should learn to trust their instincts and leverage their own skills, she advised. “This is a generalization, but I think women are often better communicators, relationship builders, and planners. So much of a tech career is building bridges between different stakeholders. It’s amazing how much of what I do is managing expectations, communicating, and making things as transparent as possible.”

Devin continued, “The other thing I would encourage younger women to do is to also seek out mentors who are men. They don’t all need to be women. My earliest role models were all men, because that’s who was there. I benefited from that tremendously.”

In Her Personal Time

Outside work, Devin likes to stay active. “I just finished my first half-marathon in San Francisco. I also do Bikram Yoga – it keeps me sane.”

She enjoys traveling with her husband, and between them they have 4 grown kids and 4 grandsons.

She also supports and spends time with organizations that promote and encourage women in STEM careers, including Women in Technology International, the American Association of University Women, and GirlVentures, a San Francisco group that builds confidence in adolescent girls. “They do camping, hiking, rock climbing – it’s a vulnerable age, and it’s cool to hear about how the group has impacted them,” she said. “The choices start earlier than folks think. I’m trying to be part of the solution.”