Talking heads: Joanna Burgess

Position: Marketing manager, Business Solutions

Company: Hewlett-Packard (NZ)

Staff: 7 (marketing department)


What makes your day at work?


I really enjoy the high energy of the people I work with and the pace of the industry we are in. I like to work with people who believe they can change things. When I come out of a meeting with an action plan that the team really believes will work, that energises my day.

What is it like to be a woman in the technology field?


Pretty much like being a man but the conversations at lunchtime are different. At Hewlett-Packard in NZ, nearly 50 per cent of the staff are women. It's got nothing to do with gender, it's all about how well you do your job and in this industry, how well you cope with constant change.

What was the most important lesson you learned on your way up?


Do the right thing. Sometimes doing the right thing costs you more money or takes longer, but you should do it anyway.

What has been your best moment in business?


When HP hit the number one spot in PC sales in NZ. We've done it twice, first quarter of 1998 and again in the first quarter of 2000. Being part of that drive to the top was fantastic and achieving the goal of being No 1 was absolutely brilliant. I started at HP in 1995 as the PC market development manager when we weren't even among the top 10 PC vendors in NZ.

How have you dealt with the pitfalls in your career?


I move on, and try not to take it personally. At the end of the day I go home to my family who think I'm fabulous. Children bring everything into perspective. You don't have time to dwell on the negatives when you're at home playing with cars and trucks on the floor.

What annoys you most?


Bad grammar and poor spelling drive me crazy.

If you were starting over again, what would you be?


I think I'd make movies, maybe as a producer. Movies look like a very sexy business.

There must be an enormous feeling of a job well done when a movie is finally released.

What management wisdom is most overrated?


That people who are good at their job will be good at managing a team of similar people.

I have seen some fantastic individuals flounder as managers.

What will be the big business issue of the next decade?


The internet has changed everything.

Everything can, and will be, connected to the ubiquitous internet. What is astonishing is how quickly this is happening.

The business landscape is being changed radically by the net and the possibilities are limitless.

It's abundantly clear that the rewards for the companies which understand this era are just enormous.

Are we thinking broadly enough? Radically enough?

What new opportunities does this world present?

How do you combine family and work?


I have a 2-year-old son, James, who is gorgeous and very funny. My husband, Ken, also works in the computer industry, so he understands very well what I do and why I may need to go away or work odd hours. We all share the tasks of running our family. Both of us work fulltime so we need a good support network. We're very lucky to have my helpful parents close by. We have a nanny who is flexible. Ken has a great sense of humour and we all laugh a lot, that helps because sometimes things get quite crazy.

* Joanna Burgess spoke to Dita De Boni