Community, Empowerment, and Expression: Giovanna Montoro from Singular #BreakTheBias
In this article, we interview Giovanna Montoro, Head of Sales at Singular (LATAM), where she talks about her learnings, breaking the norms, and everything women should consider to uplift, encourage, and inspire one another at the workplace and in their personal lives.
What’s the best work-related advice you’ve ever received?
On my first job when I was around 17 as an art assistant at a children’s school near my house I was so scared that I asked my aunt, my role model for my whole life also involved in the tech industry: “what if I fail?”. She calmly answered me: “You´ll show up and always do the best you can do, with an open heart and a hungry mind”. I´ve been following this advice ever since and it has never failed me.
What do you wish you had known before entering the mobile industry?
Not only mobile but also mobile sales, although it’s a male-dominated area there’s a great group of women who support each other and are always there to help when needed. As women, we create communities and really engage in welcoming new members in the field. It took me some time to find this community but I have to say that it really empowers me to move forward.
Name another woman in the digital marketing space that women should look out for and why
Bia Granja is an amazing Brazilian LinkedIn influencer and a great reference for disruptive forms of communication. She talks about how Brazilians use the internet to express themselves and create new forms of communication and cultural movements.
Do you have a specific book, podcast, publication, quote, or else you could recommend that we women in mobile & tech could learn from?
I´ll always recommend Brené Brown´s Power of Vulnerability Ted talk whenever I have the chance. It’s not tech-specific content, but it can be applied to any field and it shows how we can empower skills that we didn’t even know we could. It talks about how coming from a place of authenticity we can embrace our imperfections and be better at accepting ourselves.
Conclusion
Inspiration comes from motivation, and motivation comes from surrounding yourself with the right people. Like Giovanna, there are many women who are doing wonders out there in the tech space. Now is the time to stand up, encourage, and applaud their contributions to the world. Just talking about bias does not let the bias go, standing up against it does!