My Career: Chief technology officer Eilish O’Connor

Did you always want to be a chief technology officer (CTO)?
When I was growing up, and in the earlier years of my career, I didn’t really know what a CTO was – so the answer is no! Even when I started my career in the technology sector and learned what the different leadership roles were, I don’t think I ever saw myself as a CTO. It’s hard to imagine yourself in a role when you don’t see anyone that you relate to doing it. (If you can’t see it, you can’t be it). I naturally progressed into the role of CTO without necessarily pinning my sights on the role. I’m technical and love technology but I love the people side of technology just as much. I love bridging technology with the challenges people and businesses face. It was only when I became a CTO that I realised what a valuable skill that is. As technology is evolving and changing so much, being able to foster a culture of collaboration, resilience and innovation is vital to growing a technology business.

In college, I studied… Applied Physics at the University of Limerick.

My most formative work experience was… working as a technical training consultant for Ericsson. I delivered training courses on our technology all across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. It was an amazing experience. It opened my eyes to the world, literally! I travelled to countries you would never imagine visiting on holidays, especially on your own as a young woman. A lot of people consider technology and development as a Western phenomenon. It was amazing to see advancements and developments in countries that you might only have otherwise associated with wars and poverty. I learned pretty quickly that you only hear about the bad things in a country on the news, which skews people’s perception of that country for a long time afterwards. The job really suited my love of independence and sense of adventure. My mother, on the other hand, may not have enjoyed that aspect of my job so much!

My first real job was… depends on what you consider a ‘real job’. Coming from a farming family, I worked from a very young age – without getting paid! So, for me, my first real job was one that gave me cash! I babysat from the age of 12, and then worked in the local supermarket from the age of 15 at weekends and on summer holidays. Work was always something I did. I had a desire to earn my own money and be financially independent from a very young age. My siblings and I were guided on what to do with our communion money – my parents made us all buy a calf with the money we received as gifts. Those animals grew into cows within a few years and had their own calves. Before long I had built up my own little stock of cattle. Every year I’d sell an animal or two, and have money to buy my own school books etc. It was an amazing lesson in business and money management.

The most invaluable thing I learned early on in my career was… to be yourself. The first few years of your career you are unsure of yourself, where you fit in, you doubt your capabilities. My career really started to accelerate when I learned to trust in myself, not to compromise on my own personality, to know my strengths and weaknesses and just enjoy being myself. If you find that you have to put on a façade at work, then you probably aren’t in the right place for you. What I love about working at Viatel is that people’s differences are celebrated. You don’t need to conform to get recognised for great work and a great attitude. We foster a culture where people can bring their full selves to work, and also bring their best selves home.

A common misconception about what I do is… that it’s all men. CTO roles have been traditionally dominated by men, and to a large extent still are. However, in the last few years, I have started to meet more and more amazing women in the roles of CTO and CIO (chief information officer). There has been a real shift in thinking. Now, within the technology industry, there is more focus put on attracting, retaining and promoting females. Within Viatel, I have personally benefitted and contributed to the great work that the 30% Club does in promoting female leadership. The 30% Club is a global campaign supported by board chairs and CEOs of medium and large organisations, committed to achieving better gender balance at leadership levels and throughout their organisation, for better business outcomes.

My main responsibility in work is… to lead great teams. There are a few areas of the business that report to me – product development, solution architecture, systems development, IT, cyber security and compliance & regulatory. It is my job to set the strategy for these teams, tie them into the wider business goals, and remove any obstacles to my teams achieving success. From a leadership perspective, I’ve also spearheaded initiatives that make Viatel an award-winning great place to work including summer flex-time, working from abroad, flexible work practices, hybrid-first (and always), family-friendly policies, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives (such as membership of CWiT – Connecting Women in Technology) and leading our ESG approach.

Do you have a career mentor or someone you look up to/seek advice from?
My colleagues on the senior leadership team in Viatel are an amazing support. Every one of my teammates has huge experience, different ways of looking at challenges and opportunities, and are incredibly supportive, both personally and in business. I learn something new from them all the time. At different times in my career, I have had unofficial mentors, and I’ve also formed a great support network of senior women in technology through the 30% Club. I also have a business coach who has helped me gain real insight and awareness into who I am as a person and how I show up as a leader.  Having a strong and diverse support network is key to being a leader. No one has all the answers.

The biggest risk I have taken in my career so far is… to leave Dublin and move back home to Tipperary. I got a job offer in Limerick in 2015. My husband Eddie and I had just had our first child the year before. Some people thought I was crazy, that my career was pretty much over or limited if I left Dublin. Nearly eight years later and it was the best decision we made. My career has only accelerated, and we have an enviable lifestyle raising our children in a rural community. We now have two children, Tommy and Jojo and a big hairy dog. Being close to my parents has been fantastic also, for us and for them!

I wake at… 6:30am. Sleep is incredibly important; I try to get 8 hours at night.

The first thing I do every morning is… check my phone. It’s a terrible habit that I’m trying to break! I like to check the news, my emails and review my calendar. I mentally prepare for the workday, before the madness of getting the kids up and ready for school begins.

My morning routine is… my husband and I try to be as even as possible when it comes to sharing family tasks. It’s important for us not to have traditional male/female roles in the home. We take it in turns to get the kids up and fed while the other one gets themselves ready for the day. We take the dog out. We then swap around and get the kids dressed and ready to get out to school. On the days that I travel to our Dublin HQ or further afield, I hit the road early and my husband does all the heavy lifting with the kids. He is an incredible support to me and my career. When people say that you can do it all, I would caveat it and include you can do it all, as long as you have a strong supporting team! My mother has also been a fantastic support to our family since moving home.

I can’t go to work without… my phone. While my laptop is vital, so much of what I need to do can still be performed to some capacity with my phone. When I’m travelling, I can still take calls, check emails etc. All of our applications and tools require multi-factor authentication through the phone, so it’s now a need-to-have device to perform daily work.

I travel to work by… car when I’m in Dublin or Limerick, or not at all when in my home office and working from home,

On an average workday I… speak to lots of people. That could be other members of the senior leadership team, managers, employees, customers, partners etc. I’m the sponsor of many simultaneous projects so I need to maintain oversight; building strong and strategic relationships is a big part of my role.

I start my working day at… 9am. There are times I log in earlier if required, or if I’m on the road early I will take calls.

The first thing I do at work is… start Microsoft Teams. At least 70% of my work involves Teams calls and chats with people. All of our documentation and projects are also on Teams.

I usually spend the first portion of the day… on calls. If not on calls, I try to catch up on emails.

I break for lunch at… 1pm and usually have a sandwich. If working from home, I try to eat quickly to allow time to bring my dog out for a walk. It’s a great way to clear my head and re-energise for the afternoon. Some of my best ideas come when I’m out in the fresh air exercising. At Viatel we really value that work-life balance. We have introduced summer flexi-time where we offer employees the chance to do 100% of their work, in 90% of the time, for 100% of their pay. This translates into every second Friday off in the summer months. It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to spend extra time enjoying life and get more time with their loved ones. It’s one reason we were just named ‘Best Place to Work’ at the Tech Excellence Awards.

The most useful business tool I use every day is… Microsoft Teams. I would never be able to live in Tipperary and work for a Dublin HQ company without it.

I save time by… making decisions quickly (where I can) and clearing lower-priority tasks off my plate.

I rarely get through my working day without… three cups of coffee in the morning. I need to finish any caffeine consumption by 10:30am, however, as I won’t sleep if I drink coffee later in the morning!

The best part of my day is… when the kids come home and I feel satisfied that I have done all I can in the working day to disconnect until tomorrow.

The most challenging part of my day is… also the best part! Disconnecting after a busy day is very hard, especially when you have a device in your pocket that allows you to read emails, receive messages etc. It’s something I work hard at managing as it’s so important to disconnect and recharge to do your best work.

I know it’s been a good day if… what’s kept me busy all day aligns with our greater business goals. There’ll always be day-to-day activities, but I have a responsibility as a senior leader to spend more of my time on the business and not in the business.

I usually end my day at… 5:30pm. We’re at the point where bringing kids to their activities in the evenings and at weekends is like a second job! Between camogie, hurling, football, swimming and gymnastics, juggling the evening activities is a challenge in itself. I’ll often bring my laptop to swimming lessons to catch up on emails and make the most productive use of that time. I help out with the Under 6 Camogie team and enjoy catching up with other parents in the community at other activities.

I switch off from work by… being in my garden or watching a show with my husband (depending on the weather). I love being outdoors. I also try to get exercise in. I’ve been doing a great programme called ‘Strong for Life’ with Conor O’Shea Fitness for the past six months and it has helped with everything from aches and pains, to energy levels and mood. It’s true that a healthy mind needs a healthy body.

Before I go to bed, I’ll… check my schedule and discuss with my husband if I need to go to Dublin, start early etc. and plan how we’ll manage the kids the next day. Sometimes this also involves leaning on my mother for pickups etc.

I often prepare for tomorrow by… blocking off time to work on certain activities and strategic projects.

After a long work week, I de-stress by… having a glass of wine and watching a show once all the activities are over and the kids are in bed. Succession has been a real treat over the last few weeks!

The accomplishment I’m most proud of is… being a female CTO in a very male-dominated industry. I believe strongly in mentoring, sponsoring and encouraging women and girls into technology. Dropping the ladder down is so important for DEI. The highest impact I can have is by leading by example. If I inspire even one girl or woman to go into technology and thrive, that makes me proud. I’ve also sponsored Viatel’s recent membership to Connecting Women in Technology. I’m very proud of the family-friendly work practices and policies at Viatel.

If you want to get into my line of work, my advice is to… go for it. There are so many opportunities in the technology sector, most of them roles you may not have even thought about before. Get your foot in the door and learn as much as you can in every role you have. While having a technical degree will help open your first door into the industry, it is not always a requirement for that first step. Some of the best engineers I know have no formal training but have learned on the job. Professional certifications are usually more relevant than generic university degrees when you are in a job, and experience and attitude trump all. There are so many roles within the tech industry that don’t require you to be super technical either.

I’ve just finished working on… a new cyber security service launch with our Product Team and at the moment I’m working on integrating four recently acquired companies into the Viatel Group. There’s always a lot going on when you’re building a rocket ship! I heard a great quote this morning from Sheryl Sandberg “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat!”