Margaret Scovern
Pariveda
Excellence in Innovation
Margaret Scovern got into technology by accident. After college, she says she got an internship in southern France and when that wrapped up, she had a hard time finding a job that enabled her to pay back her student loans. She headed back to the U.S. and got a sales job at a tech company. "I realized at that point I really liked figuring out the mechanics of how things work and technology was going to be my career path forward," Scovern says. "What makes consulting so attractive is the nature of problem solving; we are challenged with the complex systems of our clients' value chain."
Today she is Seattle Office Managing Vice President for Pariveda where she brings strategic leadership and practical problem solving and leverages her technology background to solve her clients' most complex problems. In today's ever-changing technology world, Margaret helps her clients navigate the complexity and ensures they have an eye on resiliency.
She says what she enjoys most about the work she does is twofold: One, the creativity of developing a solution, and two, collaborating with co-workers and clients. "I am completely energized by creating an innovative new framework, model or path forward in collaboration with others," she says. "I soak up the diversity of ideas and perspectives and adapt to the situation in order to collectively create something new, with what can be seen as an abundance of enthusiasm."
As a female in the tech world, Scovern says she has gotten a lot of bad advice that she had to unlearn and reconcile. "The best advice I have gotten over the years is the importance of understanding Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in one's personal development. When coaching or mentoring someone, I often try to get to the root versus addressing the symptoms evident at the surface level," she says, "Interacting with the whole person, both personal and professional, has provided me with great insight and has also helped me grow as a person."
Has she ever experienced unique challenges being a woman consultant in the technology field?
"I have been a woman in technology for 30 years, so yes, indeed, there have been unique challenges over the years," she says. "I currently lead Pariveda Solutions Diversity and Inclusion initiative to be a part of the solution, so that not only women but other minority groups within technology and consulting do not experience what I experienced and had to work through on my own."
Before the coronavirus surfaced, she says she was looking forward to the empowered growth of her consulting team in Seattle, the resiliency of her clients, and the impact of Pariveda's Diversity & Inclusion initiative on our employees and communities. "Today, every aspect of our lives is being impacted by the virus," Scovern says. "Therefore, 12 months from now, I hope to be looking back and marveling at how all of us came together, worked together, and supported each other for the greater good and for our overall, global resiliency."
What does winning a Women Leaders in Technology award mean to you?
Scovern: "It is hard to express the honor and validation I feel winning Consulting's Women Leaders in Technology award. When I think of my female peers, I am grateful for their leadership and tenacity. Together, we are role models for our daughters, friends, co-workers and communities. It is a humbling honor."
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