We’re highlighting some of the talented women who work across departments helping 8x8 deliver on our eXperience communications vision.

We recently sat down to interview Lisa Del Real, Global Vice President of Channel Sales, who this year has been recognized as a Channel Futures Channel Influencer and CRN Channel Chief of the Year.

8x8: What brought you to a career in technology? Did you set out to work in the industry?

Lisa Del Real (LDR): I may work in technology but I’m a people person. That’s where the enjoyment comes from. I didn’t intend to be here (though I’m delighted I am), as I graduated from Stanford with a degree in electrical engineering. Ironically enough, after I graduated from Stanford, I realized electrical engineering wasn’t going to be a fulfilling career path for me, as I didn’t want to sit in front of a computer all the time. However, my engineering degree prepared me to think operationally and solve problems.

But I’m a learner, right? Through my professional journey, I learned what was and wasn’t for me. I realized that I enjoyed working with technology, but also with people. I learned about the cloud, saw the potential in cloud communications, and that led me to the channel.

I’ve always been a big believer in being open to opportunities. That only comes through talking to people and working with them. And it was being open-minded that led me to discovering about how the channel works and how, ultimately, that’s about helping others out. So I thought, I really enjoy working in this space; I can help others. This is where I belong. And here I am.

8x8: When you told people you were going to work in a channel-focused technology role, what was their reaction? Has it changed now?

LDR: When I joined the channel, people didn’t know exactly what to say because, honestly, most people don’t know what it is. People don’t go to college thinking, “Wow, I’m going to have a career in the channel.” There aren’t books or training programs out there saying, “This is what the tech channel is.”

And people not knowing about the channel? To me that’s an opportunity. I can tell them how it works, the lives it touches, the difference it makes, and that lets me tell people about what 8x8’s doing and how we work with so many amazing channel partners. I get to point out to people that we’re unique as we own our own technology and we continue to innovate. We just held a roadshow in the UK and we were incredibly transparent. Our partners were talking about issues and my colleagues were, more or less in real time, advising and solving those issues. You can only work that way with people if there’s trust and respect.

8x8: What has been a proud moment working at 8x8?

LDR: There are many to choose from, for example standing up our Elevate partner program as a team and seeing it be so successful. Personally, I was recognized with the CRN Channel Chief of the Year and as a Channel Futures Channel Influencer. But these things don’t happen in isolation. It’s really recognition for my team, and the hard work they've put into ensuring that our partners feel the love from our channel program, and that they feel they have everything they need to be successful.

8x8: In your opinion, do women have equality in technology careers?

LDR: This year’s International Women’s Day theme was equity, which is often paired and compared with equality. Equality is giving equal opportunities, and equity is shaping the opportunities to achieve an equal outcome. I think there’s work to be done on both. Oftentimes, I find myself the only woman on an executive call or in a meeting with partners. That tells me we certainly don’t have equity yet. It probably means there aren’t fully equal opportunities yet too, although it’s changed massively. You’ll often hear recruiters say, “There are just no women out there.” That’s wrong. Make the effort. Find the candidates, and give them an equal opportunity because women are out there and ready to make a success of those opportunities.

It’s why I still encourage so many women to try and mentor with senior leaders, but don’t just turn up and say ‘can you mentor me?’ That doesn’t work. Turn up with a plan, know how to engage and show them what you want, how they can help, and what you’ll do to achieve the goals.

8x8: Are there any issues or challenges that women still need to overcome within the sector? If so, what are they and what do you think could be done?

LDR: Achieving equality and equity are the biggest challenges. I feel it’s my responsibility to try to help other women. Because people have mentored and elevated me in my career, I try to do the same in turn. We should all take that responsibility and it’s a two-way thing. When you help people, you learn back. I’m still learning every day from my team, my peers and our partners.

8x8: Would you recommend a career in technology, and/or the channel, to young women?

LDR: Yes, I would. The channel appealed to me because of the dual tech and business sides of it. It’s a unique place and no formal training for the experience, but it’s an incredibly rewarding and supportive community. At 8x8, we’re always pushing for even more holistic support throughout the channel, for our partners, and members of our team. I love it here because we have great debates around making things better.

It’s all about building those connections between vendors and partners, and if you like building connections with people, the channel is a great place to be.

8x8: Do you think attitudes toward women in technology have changed over the years?

LDR: In some ways yes; in some ways no. As I mentioned, you still hear people say that it’s difficult to find women candidates. At the same time, my team has more women leaders than men. That’s not intentional; it’s just because they are the right people with the right skill set. There’s more work to be done across the sector, and we need to raise more women into leadership roles to give them the opportunity to advance in their careers. We can do it, and we’ll all be better off for it happening.

Read more in 8x8’s Women in Tech series