2023 Women Leaders in Technology: Mary Manzo

Mary is the CEO at Pathways. Her central purpose is leading delivery and overseeing HR, but she also plays a significant role in driving strategy for the organization, an area she excels at. She loves getting people excited about the things she's excited about. Not only known for her impressive accomplishments at Pathways, but Mary is also a pioneer for women in business and acts as a mentor for female entrepreneurs everywhere. Mary is excited about the new opportunities the company will go to market with and the future growth of the organization.

Mary reflects on all the highs and lows throughout her entrepreneurial career and every day learns from them to become a better leader. In her free time, Mary enjoys spending time with her family. She treasures the time with her grandchildren, who bring so much joy to her life.

What has been the biggest factor in your success so far?

A prominent factor in my success, I believe, is the ability to take a goal and finesse it to make it work for me. What does that look like? I develop, implement, and execute the techniques necessary to reach it. With this ability, I've excelled in the most basic tasks to the most significant and challenging projects. Leading a team that also has this ability is incredibly rewarding, and as we watch our methods work throughout the delivery process, we create new experiences and new points of assessing how we can improve, make processes more efficient, and overall, do better. We always celebrate the wins but, at the same time, stay grounded as we consistently grow and evolve. That takes discipline, and that is where I really see myself and the team flourish in our successes.

What do you enjoy most about your career in the consulting industry?

The culture, goal setting, and growth are essential elements of Pathways, and we take that and create a powerful and efficient team. Because of that and our core values, "Be collaborative. Be Exceptional." we provide a consulting faction that feels like a partner and friend to our clients. We deliver the best of the consulting industry while also being an integral part of the day-to-day operations of our clients of various sizes and across all enterprises.

What is your proudest achievement to date?

When I think of my proudest achievement, I always go back to the turning point in my career, which happened in my 40s. So many people do not think about resetting and realigning their goals, especially later in life, but I knew I could be so much more. I knew I hadn't reached my potential yet, and my impact wasn't felt the way I wanted it to be; I had to do more, be more, and set an example to take others there with me. Technology drew me in, but the courage to push myself further, the hard work and discipline to regroup and achieve higher, and the vision that ultimately drove me to the position of CEO are what make me proud. It wasn't easy and still isn't, but I am proud of my journey here, where I need to be right now, and also the impact I can have because of these experiences going forward.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?

Recently, I laid out four points of advice for an article in Forbes. The piece focused on women in business leadership, but I feel it applies to everyone. You have to know when there are opportunities available and be ready to dive in. Things can change in a moment, and you never want to miss a chance because you hesitated or you didn't have clarity or confidence. These four points of advice I laid out were:

• Answer when opportunity knocks
• Don't be afraid to branch out
• Seek out meaningful partnerships – and dream big
• Leverage your success to empower other women

The article is on Forbes.com and is titled: 4 Lessons For Women In Business Leadership

What does this recognition mean to you?

It's an honor that my team has nominated me for this recognition. I am humbled by the opportunity to represent my team and women everywhere in technology. It hasn't always been easy for women to have such opportunities in technology, and as a self-proclaimed leader and innovator, I jump at the chance to celebrate our efforts and our purpose within this field. Recognition is simply the steppingstone for what's to come from myself and my team at Pathways; I'm excited to continue motivating, energizing and driving women everywhere.