Voice of Experience: Patricia Florissi, EMC Vice President and Global Chief Technology Officer, Sales

Welcome to The Glass Hammer’s “Women in Tech” month! We will be celebrating successful women in technology all month long!

Patricia Florissi, EMC Vice President and Global Chief Technology Officer, Sales, knew from a very young age that she had an affinity and a talent for math problems and logic puzzles. What she did not realize at the time is how this skill set and passion for more technical subjects would lead her toward a rewarding career in information technology.

This is because at the time, computer science had not fully been developed as a curriculum. Perhaps it was fate –or a stroke of luck –that Florissi encountered when the first computer science course was created at her university in Brazil, giving her the opportunity to enroll in the class and take the first step toward her bright future in the field.

“I feel so fortunate that the doors opened for me in the computer science field,” said Florissi, who had planned to study civil engineering. She continued, “Nobody had any idea what the future of the field would be because it was all so new, but it seemed like an exciting path that would offer interesting career opportunities.”

Career Path

Florissi stayed on the computer science trajectory in college and as a result she met her husband, who shared her passion for logic and learning. “We always pushed each other to advance our studies and this led to amazing opportunities for both of us,” explained Florissi. One of these opportunities happened when Florissi and her husband were offered the chance to complete their Ph.D. at the same university in the United States.

“Our goal was to complete our doctorate studies and return to Brazil to become professors because there was not yet a lot of career choices in the business world for people with computer science degrees,” said Florissi. The pair returned to Brazil and began teaching, but in another twist of fate, Florissi’s life took turn in a different direction when her husband fell ill and needed serious medical attention and care.

“My Ph.D. advisor was visiting Brazil for a conference and when he saw my husband’s health condition, he urged us to return to the United States to seek medical treatment,” Florissi explained. “I went to work for my advisor’s company, SMARTS –a small technology firm –and my husband became a research assistant at Columbia University.”

When Florissi joined SMARTS in 1997, there were only 23 people in the entire company. She had the unique experience of growing her career along with the company, which was acquired by EMC in 2005. “It never set out to be a CTO at EMC,” said Florissi, “but I was lucky that the events that occurred in my life and career brought me down this particular path.”

Although Florissi does feel grateful for the series of opportunities presented to her throughout her career, she also noted that when she joined the team at SMARTS, she worked extremely hard in order to gain recognition and advance her career. “I did whatever was asked of me because I knew that all of these experiences would benefit me in the end,” Florissi stated.

She continued, “Sometimes we might overlook minor opportunities to hold out for something better, but it is often these smaller roles that lead to bigger things and some of the greatest opportunities of your career.” Florissi added that women in particular tend to close the door on new opportunities before they have fully assessed the situation. Although a linear career path is nice, deviating from the path can create a totally new and rewarding career trajectory.

“Don’t be prescriptive to the point that you are only focused on a predetermined notion of what your career path should look like,” advised Florissi.

Currently, as Vice President and CTO of Sales, Florissi is excited about the new era of digital technology and its impact on every aspect of society. “Technology is changing the way we live,” said Florissi, “which means we are in the middle of a social revolution. Businesses are transforming themselves in order to respond to digital demands and this is such a thrilling time to be working in the technology industry as a result.”

“Everything we have been taught about business is being reinvented and I love being in the middle of all the changes and advancements,” she added.

Advice for Professional Women

According to Florissi, there are still challenges that professional women in IT must face as they advance in their career, but she noted that these barriers extend beyond the technology industry and permeate the larger realm of the corporate world. “Big technology companies tend to get a lot of attention for the lack of women in senior level positions, but the problem is much deeper,” explained Florissi. “Once women cross the line and enter corporate life, they face obstacles in their career at all levels.”

Florissi advises women to seek out mentors, but not to depend solely on mentorship as their primary career advancement tool. “You have to build your own mountain and climb it as well,” she added.

“If you want to be successful, identify areas in the need of improvements in the processes and systems in which you work and develop solutions that benefit the company a whole. Be relevant. Make a difference,” said Florissi. “Mentors can guide you and advise you, but you must take control of your own career and move it forward with your ideas and actions.”

The number one lesson for the future generation of women leaders to learn, Florissi noted, is that you have to work hard and fight your way to the top. “You have to be the best at what you do.”

By Michelle Hendelman