Women in tech: In conversation with Geraldine Fusciardi

It's the 3rd edition of our 'Women in tech' series

We wanted to do this series to highlight some amazing women working in the SaaS industry, speaking to them about what it means to them to be a woman in tech, as well as their experiences in a space that’s long been more male-dominated.

All of these interviews were conducted by Dan Watson, who we welcomed into the team as a researcher over the summer whilst he was on break from university.

A huge thanks to every single woman who was happy to talk to us as part of this series, and to Dan for expertly coordinating the interviews and writing of these pieces.

For this third edition, we chose to contact a prestigious figure in the UK SaaS space. As an experienced and widely regarded director in the UK, Geraldine Fusciardi was a perfect fit for this series.

Her story to date

From a young age, Geraldine always showed an interest in computer enablement, choosing to pursue a degree in this subject. Starting her career within the chemical industry, implementing technology solutions, she rapidly transitioned into the tech space when she was headhunted for a commercial role within a Canadian-based company that was rapidly expanding across Europe. She's worked for private and public tech companies around the globe throughout her career to date, consistently growing profits, acquiring companies, and being a major part of some great teams.

Geraldine always felt that a strong belief in the product you sell is key in order to be successful, and she's had the good fortune to work with some great products (although she does always research the product before joining a company.) She attributes her growth in the industry to a combination of sheer hard work, high energy, team skills, industry smarts, and a fundamental understanding of how to make technology work successfully in a business.

She also recalls some mentors who were important in her early years. Veerle Battiau, a passionate, high-energy, entrepreneurial businesswoman, and Piet Buyck, tech visionary and salesperson extraordinaire, are two whose skills influenced the way Geraldine works still to this day. They guided Geraldine on how to sell software, grow international businesses, work with senior executives, and build long-lasting customer relationships. Geraldine was particularly influenced by Veerle and how she always knew the best way to work and deal with male colleagues in what was - and in many ways still is - a heavily male-dominated industry.

Equity at work

The conversation moved towards gender balance in the workplace; Geraldine indicated that there has been progress in the more entry-level ends of the industry, but oftentimes she has found herself to be the only female seat at the senior executive table. Providing senior female role models and mentorship to younger women in the industry is crucial to the success of any company, and she feels her current company is an example of doing this right.

Geraldine believes the issues around gender balance in this industry start before even entering the industry. Less than 30% of STEM graduates are female, which she believes could be due to a 'bro culture' that appears to be rearing its head once more. Many leading companies in the space are not helping with these either, whether it's lower numbers of women in leading positions or more regressive approaches taken to DEI programmes, with the likes of Meta abandoning them altogether.

The final discussion point centred around the barriers in place for taking career breaks, and the insight she provided could prove valuable for those interested in one. She proposes a "lean in" approach for anyone taking extended parental leave, which can include part-time work, mentoring, and even consultancy. The importance of taking on these methods where possible can help keep your business network active for when you wish to return to full-time work.

As an example, Geraldine avoided senior positions with consistent travel expectations when her children were young, but she carried on working locally to hone her skills. She also found ways to keep in touch with her extended network, which proved to be fundamental when her children finished primary school and she reconnected with an old mentor, Piet Buyck, and managed to secure a senior role with e2open.

A final thanks to Geraldine

Our conversation with Geraldine gave really great insight into the reality of being a strong female leader in the SaaS industry, as well as some great options to keep your options open whilst on a career break. Her working journey can be a great example of how strong mentorship and an endless drive to succeed can help open doors that, for many in the industry, have been previously closed.

We’d like to thank Geraldine Fusciardi again for her time. We hope her words and story can be a source of inspiration to those looking to build a career in the ever-evolving SaaS space, regardless of gender. 

Look out for the next in the series

Our conversation with Geraldine was the third of five conversations we’ve carried out, so keep an eye out for two more stories from women who have pushed the boundaries in their industries.