Women In Tech at IMGS

Tanya McDonald Marketing Executive

Tanya McDonald

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Tanya McDonald, Marketing Executive,
IMGS & DataBuilders

Work, Family Life & Everything In-Between

Can you describe your role at IMGS?

I hold the position of Marketing Executive at IMGS and DataBuilders, with key responsibility for branding, event management, marketing, budget management and sales support across both brands.

What do you love about your job?

I’d have to say the variety is what I enjoy most – no two days are ever the same.  Every day brings an opportunity to learn something new, which keeps things interesting.  On top of that, we have an amazing team that creates a positive and supportive work environment.

IMGS & DataBuilders Events

What would your perfect weekend look like?

Long walks, good food, a glass of wine in front of a roaring fire, trying out new recipes and cheering on my kids at the sidelines of their GAA games.

What movie genres interest you the most?

I’m a sucker for a rom com, you can’t beat them for the feel good factor.  I also enjoy World War II movies, 2 of my favourites are Saving Private Ryan and the Imitation Game.

What would your perfect weekend look like?

Long walks, good food, a glass of wine in front of a roaring fire, trying out new recipes and cheering on my kids at the sidelines of their GAA games.

What movie genres interest you the most?

I’m a sucker for a rom com, you can’t beat them for the feel good factor.  I also enjoy World War II movies, 2 of my favourites are Saving Private Ryan and the Imitation Game.

If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?

I travelled a lot in my life so far, but one destination that remains on my bucket list is Hawaii, with its breathtaking scenery, rich culture, history and unique wildlife.

If you could do another job for just one day, what would it be?

Growing up I always wanted to be a primary school teacher; however my grasp of the Irish language was a barrier to entry unfortunately.  I think teaching is such an important profession because it allows you to shape young minds and inspire future generations.

What's something that you've always wanted to try or learn?

I would love to play a musical instrument, in particular piano as it’s such a beautiful instrument with a soothing sound.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I’ve given this alot of thought, and I always come back to teleportation as the top choice.  It would make daily life so much more convenient, with the added bonus of being able to travel anywhere in the world effortlessly – no more airports or long flights to deal with!

What's something that you've always wanted to try or learn?

I would love to play a musical instrument, in particular piano as it’s such a beautiful instrument with a soothing sound.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

I’ve given this alot of thought, and I always come back to teleportation as the top choice.  It would make daily life so much more convenient, with the added bonus of being able to travel anywhere in the world effortlessly – no more airports or long flights to deal with!

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Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director, IMGS & DataBuilders

Aoibhinn Stuart

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Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director IMGS Balancing Projects, People & Family Time

Can you describe your role at IMGS?

As the delivery director my focus is on resourcing, project management, strategy and cost effectiveness across the company as a whole. I work closely with the operations director to agree growth planning and forecasting, new business channels and customer retention. I am also tasked with CFO responsibilities such as setting objectives around revenue growth and profitability for the company.  So, like most people, I wear many hats on a day-to-day basis.

Business Growth

What does a typical day look like for you?

Usually, the first thing I do is check my emails, and review my calendar for the day. Then I run around the house chasing my children to get dressed and find socks / coats / lunch boxes / random P.E gear before the school run. Once drop offs are done, I will grab a coffee and usually kick off with a team’s call. I would have a lot of calls between the hours of 9-4 after which I get a chance to reply to emails etc and catch up on the many actions I have accumulated in that day!

Evenings consist of kids sports activities, walking, Pilates and cooking dinner.  After dinner I usually do another catch up on emails and any outstanding tasks from the day. After which, I force my kids to watch T.V with me for an hour in the evenings as “Family Time” or else I would never see them.  They actually love it, even though in public they would like to pretend I don’t exist.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Usually, the first thing I do is check my emails, and review my calendar for the day. Then I run around the house chasing my children to get dressed and find socks / coats / lunch boxes / random P.E gear before the school run. Once drop offs are done, I will grab a coffee and usually kick off with a team’s call. I would have a lot of calls between the hours of 9-4 after which I get a chance to reply to emails etc and catch up on the many actions I have accumulated in that day!

Evenings consist of kids sports activities, walking, Pilates and cooking dinner.  After dinner I usually do another catch up on emails and any outstanding tasks from the day. After which, I force my kids to watch T.V with me for an hour in the evenings as “Family Time” or else I would never see them.  They actually love it, even though in public they would like to pretend I don’t exist.

Do you have a favourite company or team event that you've attended in the last 12 months and why?

I recently attended the Analytics Summit in October. It was a great event, very interesting as always. There was a lot of chat regarding AI, but also the need for sustainability and awareness of environmental impact. I came away wondering how we marry those two topics. Tech, as we know is not the most environmentally friendly industry, so we really need to do better at ensuring we continue growth without wrecking our planet. It’s the only one we have.

If you could learn any skill instantly, what would it be?

The ability to learn languages with ease. I am useless with languages. Give me numbers all day long, but languages refuse to embed in my brain.

Forest Walks

What would your perfect weekend look like?

Forest walks, roast dinners, red wine and family time. It’s very important for me to take time to be grateful, appreciate all we have. I think we live in a world where we are always wanting and consuming. Not enough time is spent appreciating all we have.

Is there a book or podcast that you would recommend to others and why?

Ah so hard to choose, I loved ‘the bookseller of Kabul’, ‘The catcher in the rye’ and one of my favourites is ‘to kill a mockingbird’.

What would your perfect weekend look like?

Forest walks, roast dinners, red wine and family time. It’s very important for me to take time to be grateful, appreciate all we have. I think we live in a world where we are always wanting and consuming. Not enough time is spent appreciating all we have.

Is there a book or podcast that you would recommend to others and why?

Ah so hard to choose, I loved ‘the bookseller of Kabul’, ‘The catcher in the rye’ and one of my favourites is ‘to kill a mockingbird’.

Forest Walks

If you could travel anywhere in the world where you go and why?

I would love to go to Japan. I have travelled a lot and Japan has always been on my list. The culture is so different and I love immersing myself in different cultures.

You win the lottery! What’s the first thing you would do?

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this over my lifetime!  I would pay off my mortgage and that of a few key people in my life. Then I would take a year to travel and come up with a plan for me to get involved with a cause I believe in, I would have to have a purpose and feel the money helps to change more lives than just mine.

lottery

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Women in tech at IMGS - Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director

Women in tech at IMGS – Aoibhinn Stuart

Women In Tech at IMGS / / 1 Comment

Women in Tech at IMGS - Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director.

To celebrate Women In Tech at IMGS and their invaluable contribution to the business, we will be turning the spotlight on key female members of our tech team over the coming weeks.  This week’s Women in Tech spotlight interview is with Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director, IMGS. 

Aoibhinn has over 15 years project delivery experience across a wide variety of industries, including Banking, Payments, Insurance and Utilities.  She is passionate about customer service and the importance of building strong collaborative business relationships. She is ISEB, ITIL and Scrum.Org accredited with a strong understanding of complex IT systems and processes.  Aoibhinn specialises in project management, process improvement and quality assurance to improve system stability, functionality and efficiency.

Women in tech at IMGS - Aoibhinn Stuart, Delivery Director

Aoibhinn Stuart: A Career in Tech

Aoibhinn what first got you interested in Tech?

It’s hard not to have an interest when everyone in your family is involved in tech in some way!  I remember desperately trying to get a hold of my brothers Atari and Commodore 64 when I was young and later in school we were introduced to the concept of coding, which really interested me.  I always had a love of engineering and tech and so it just felt like the right route for me.  It certainly helped to have been encouraged from a young age and exposed to the world of tech, long before I began working in this field.

Can you tell us a little about your role and what a typical day is like for you?

My official title is Delivery Director but in reality I am part-time PM, part-time tech lead, sometimes strategist and all day problem solver! 

My mornings consist of catching up on e-mails, chasing my children around to get dressed and doing the school run.  Most mornings we have a stand up to catch up with everyone virtually and go through the tasks of the day.  Usually this is followed by some project calls with customers and in the afternoons I will either have a new project plan, estimation or a marketing strategy to review. 

Since the pandemic, I have made a huge effort to regularly link in with each member of our team individually for a ‘virtual coffee’. It is really important to reach out and ensure we look after one another as these times are very isolating and as leaders we must lead by example.  That means making time for people and checking in with them on a personal level.  It’s too easy to lose sight of the human element of business when you are caught up in the deadlines and tasks of everyday life. 

Come the evenings.  It’s homework followed by dinner then a walk and usually a movie.

I do a final e-mail catch up before bed and check my calendar so I am prepared for the next day.

What obstacles do Women in Tech face?

Themselves.  When I speak to women in other industries or younger women deciding on a career choice, I often hear that they don’t like coding – therefore they wouldn’t like tech.  This common misconception drives many women away from our industry. Tech has such a vast array of jobs that I am still amazed at some of the roles people enjoy!  Coding is a small part of what we do.  There are business analyst roles, project management, solution architects, data driven solutioning, the list is endless.  If I could share my experience of tech it would be that women are great leaders, enablers, multi-taskers, mentors and yes, coders! There is room for everyone!

What advice would you give to a woman thinking of pursuing a career in technology?

Go for it!  It really is a fantastic industry to be  part of.  It’s never boring, things change so quickly that you are kept on your toes. Do your homework, look at all aspects and decide which interests you the most.  Is it infrastructure, data, application, web development?  Speak to others in those areas to get a feel for what their role entails.  Encourage each other.  There is an expression I love ‘real queens fix each others crowns’ and that would be my mantra for women in all industries.

What are most proud of in your career so far?

The biggest success for me is that I have managed to juggle a career with bringing up a family.  It is not easy to manage the pressures of young children and a busy job but somehow I have just about managed to keep all the balls in the air!  Joining IMGS has been a real career highlight for me, we have such a fantastic team and I love my job and who I work with.  I don’t think you can wish for more than that in any role.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Pre COVID, travelling would have been my big love.  I am really looking forward to getting back to visiting new countries and seeing new cultures.  Nowadays we do a lot of walking, cycling and movies!

When travel restrictions are eventually lifted, what destination would you most like to visit?

A bar.

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