The 2020 Women Leaders in Technology: Nora Pykkonen

She began consulting in 1993 by founding Slalom Consulting with $10,000 in capital, which quickly grew into one of the largest privately held technology consulting firms in the world with $1.5 billion in revenue and over 7,000 employees. She sold her 51 percent interest in the company in 2012 and purchased Echo Mountain, a small ski area on the front range of Colorado. 

"Financially, my greatest achievement would be founding Slalom Consulting, however, success to me is not monetary," she says. "Periods of financial hardship have forced me to revaluate and build from the ground up, yet I don't view these instances as evidence of failure. Rather, I view such periods as evidence that I have stuck to my values and always put my family first, no matter the cost."

She sold the ski area in 2016 and moved on to other pursuits. For the next three years, she was involved in Smart City Initiatives in which she developed an NLP Search tool that has human-level understanding and a vocabulary of over a million words. This tool was used last year by one of the largest law firms in the U.S. to find key documents needed to reverse the decision of a previously lost lawsuit, leading to a $250 million settlement. She joined Myrtle Consulting Group in 2019 and takes on the challenge of leading and coordinating Myrtle's digital efforts and having technology adopted in the Operations Consulting world.

"Today, technology provides so many ways to improve people's lives, regardless of the demographic or situation," she says. "I believe technology will improve equality and diversity throughout the world. I love being a part of this process."

Technology presents a perpetually expanding range of opportunities, she says. "I'm excited to utilize new advancements and optimize current operations for our clients. Furthermore, amid a global pandemic, we will have to adjust to the altered economic climate," Pykkonen says. "While this is daunting, it also provides time to prioritize innovation and work together to move towards a brighter future."

As far as being recognized as one of the Women Leaders in Technology, she says she is honored to receive this award, however, it is not the impact on an individual scale that excites her; it is the opportunity to inspire others. 

"Throughout my career, I have encountered so many people that told me my vision was impossible or unlikely," Pykkonen says. "I learned to tune out the noise, follow my heart, and employ creativity to maximize my unique potential. In time, I proved them wrong. Everyone has something valuable to offer and I hope that they will use their voice. It is time for those in power to listen."

Have you experienced challenges being a woman consultant in the technology field? 

Pykkonen: "In my personal experience, I have never felt that gender has played a significant role in my professional life. The decisions I made were never influenced by this factor, they simply came from the heart. However, I have considered that this may have been because I was an employer rather than an employee. So, when I wanted to breastfeed my girls and interview candidates at the same time, I literally did, and no one ever said you cannot. I hope that this will soon be the same for all working women, regardless of their position."