What do you do and what is it about your job that gets you out of bed in the morning?
I have the privilege of leading the Enterprise Innovation team at CIBC, shaping and transforming our bank’s stance on how we approach emerging trends and technologies. Our team is built of data scientists, designers, UX researchers, strategists and collectively we have created comprehensive projects, frameworks and a culture of innovation across our lines of business at CIBC. My role is to ensure we do not overinvest or underinvest in emerging technology and have built our innovation frameworks to tackle the banks most compelling opportunities and problems. I also have the privilege to elevate the people on my team to recognize their strong skills, provide opportunities for them to continue to grow and develop those skills, all while being able to set the vision and develop strong partnerships and sponsors from leaders in our organization.
I am constantly motivated by the various mindsets of the people around me, the depth of experience that everyone is able to bring to the table, and the great work that is the outcome of all of that combined! What gets me out of bed every morning is a strong cup of coffee, but also the curiosity of seeing what that day brings. The only standard on this team is that you can guarantee no two days will be the same. And that is what I love most about it.
How did you get to where you are today?
I follow a couple of key principles:
- Be open to new experiences. This career path was never in my plans but I happened upon it and took various roles and training to figure out what I was passionate about and where I wanted to apply myself.
- Align yourself with great people, leaders that are willing to share their experiences and give you advice, and colleagues and employees you will take along on the journey.
- Lastly, never turn away from a complex project – I have grown the most doing the work others found unattractive. There are always lessons to learn which I embrace. I think this is at least part of the reason why I received WXN Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women’s award this year.
What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?
It’s got to be the value and importance of advocating for yourself. I’ve been fortunate to have leaders who have supported and mentored me as I have developed throughout my own career, and I think that because of this I have seen the outcomes that are possible when you trust yourself. It can be easy to get caught up in imposter syndrome, but if I have learned anything, it is that if you can learn to believe that you have earned where you are today, that will transpire into better tangible outcomes.
The most important lesson I have learnt is the value and importance of advocating for yourself.
What’s your pitch to CEOs in the identity space?
Digital Identity is the single most important emerging tech that will allow us to provide end to end digital servicing for our clients in the most secure and transparent (to the client) way. We need to start ensuring we embed Digital ID into every flow where client’s data is moving – internally or externally. We need to stop creating siloed solutions and rather take an holistic approach. We need to continue to make the client the center of our solutions and services.
Why does diversity matter to you?
Diversity matters to me because it is the only way we create a future that is unique, that is better for all and is simply not like our history. Diversity is truly representations of all, that includes ethnicity, sexual orientations, belief systems, experience, skills, education and so on. When you have representation of all with a diverse group of people, the best outcomes are possible ~ that is where the magic lies.
What book/film/piece of art would you recommend to your fellow members?
I am an avid reader so its really hard to just recommend one – so I’ll go with one recently read called “From the Ashes” a memoir by Jesse Thistle. I think this book is a heart wrenching memoir and testament to inter-generational trauma that Indigenous people of Canada have experienced and are still battling. It is not the duty of the marginalized to drive the change that our society needs, rather the job of the privileged. So it is all of our duty to gain better understanding of what has happened, what the different experiences of the Indigenous communities and people are and advocate to do better. This book is a good start.
What advice would you give to the teenage ‘you’?
“There is no need to grow up so fast!” I jumped in the deep-end of adulthood really quickly, I was working full-time by the time I was 17 and got married when I was 19. Although I do not regret any decision I made, I would tell my younger self to be kinder to myself and enjoy that short time one has a teenager.
Where can we find you on social media?
Twitter: @Fatemzz
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/fatemapirone/