The 2022 Women Leaders In Technology: Erica Mann

Erica Mann is a product management leader for Slalom Build, where she works with clients to build the future products of tomorrow. Her work spans a variety of industries covering Fortune 500 companies that total a market cap over $115 billion. She is responsible for markets across the Midwest and Southeast and leads the Women Who Build initiative in Chicago.

What do you consider your greatest personal or professional achievement?

I consider the career path I have built to be my greatest accomplishment. I finished college with a science degree and was working in a research lab. At the time, I felt completely lost about what the next step of my career should be since I realized my passion was no longer in the science field. I quit my job and moved to Chicago taking a position as a temporary receptionist. I was very lucky because the company I took the job for was an Options trading firm that built their software in-house. Three weeks after starting, I took a full-time role in their software team and the rest is the history of how I found my career passion in the Technology space.

What advice would you give a professional just beginning a career in consulting?

I would tell new consultants to embrace the learner mindset and never stop asking questions. This industry expects confidence and I believe real confidence comes when a person isn't afraid to keep learning and asking thoughtful questions.

What have you loved most about your consulting career?

I've always enjoyed solving problems, and the consulting industry will present a person with some of the most complex ones. There is not a one size fits all solution to custom application development and I love that each client has its unique challenges. Being able to partner with them, create a solution together, and be side by side during the delivery process is very rewarding.

What's the best advice you've ever received?

A mentor was working with me on my path to becoming a people leader. I reflected on the skillsets I had grown over the years and they pointed out most were around being a strong individual contributor. They said, "you need to be a leader that others want to follow." It pivoted my mindset from how do I fix this to how can I be a better coach to others and delegate. What does being honored as a Women Leader in Technology mean to you? I'm very honored to be a part of this group of talented, inspiring women. As a child, all of my role models were women who created a career path authentic to them regardless of what external opinions were present. This recognition confirms that I have made a career path that's authentically my own, and I will keep working to ensure future women leaders have the empowerment to do the same.