ForeFront is a rapidly growing, Certified Women Owned (WBENC), global Business and Technology Consulting company. Women lead 50% of the Executive Team at ForeFront, where we take pride in empowering and recognizing the capabilities of women in technology.
Our Founder, Anne Marie Berger, inspires us each day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. We sat down with Anne Marie to gain her perspective as a pioneer in the technology industry. She offered helpful insights on business, the future of consulting, and advice for women in tech. Here is our Q&A session with Anne Marie and why we consider her our Champion:
What was the biggest challenge you faced starting your own company?
Initially, I wanted ForeFront to be a one-woman shop. It quickly became evident that this approach wasn’t going to work. That model is better suited for a freelance shop. When I decided to focus the business on consulting and advanced technologies, I realized that I needed a lot of support and started reaching out to my network to build the foundation of ForeFront. The challenge was finding the right people and resources that were not only technical, but also business-savvy.
From your perspective, how will ForeFront evolve in the technology industry?
It’s been interesting watching what’s going on. While there are a lot of changes in our industry, our clients continue to work with ForeFront because we anticipate those trends and help to navigate them. For example, we were well ahead of the curve in adopting cloud technologies, including Salesforce. ForeFront has 20+ years of proven success in navigating the ongoing changes within the technology industry and providing value to our clients, while also preparing them for changes within their own industries. We remain committed to keeping ourselves and our clients at the forefront.
Tell us how you start your day.
I always review my priority list first. I like to have a game plan for the day. After I sort through my list of priorities, I spend about half an hour reading my notes from previous days and catching up on emails. Sometimes I come in very early in the morning to take a call with one of our international clients. I find it helpful to mentally prepare myself for the day ahead and go into each day with a plan to conquer.
What advice would you give to young women who want to pursue a career in tech?
There are definitely more and more opportunities for women today. I would say the best advice is to consider working for a more agile technology and consulting firm, because the types of projects these firms work on are exciting and challenging. By doing this, you will quickly be exposed to many different industries and varying technologies. It’s important to be versatile in this industry, and as a female, a vast set of capabilities will set you apart from the crowd. It’s also just not all about tech. When you’re looking for opportunities, make sure to keep company culture and values in mind. It’s vital to feel like you have the support you need to grow and to sustain your happiness within your company. I always encourage people to find the right opportunities that are a mixture of business and tech: that’s the key to finding success.
