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View from the Top: Shaa Wasmund, a successful woman in business.
A combination of a passion for business and a winning entrepreneurial streak has seen Shaa Wasmund catapult into a career as a successful businesswoman.
With a CV that boasts acareer as a journalist through to positions as diverse as boxing promoter, PR & marketing director, Internet entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Shaa has experienced most areas of business. However, it is the technology industry that she is most passionate about and believes offers the most opportunities to those with an ambitious and creative mind.
Her latest project, Smarta, a revolutionary social enterprise website is due to be launched in November. Shaa speaks with QS topgradschool.com on what it takes to be a successful woman in business.
QS: Please give us a brief overview of your educational background?
Shaa: I attended the London School of Economics studying a BSc in Economics.
QS: How did your previous education and training help your professional development?
Shaa: I believe the greatest training through my education has been the ability to network and work alongside others.
QS: How important do you believe further education is for a person’s future career prospects?
Shaa: I think that it is very dependent upon the industry and sector that you wish to go into. For some, it is crucial; for others, it bears little importance. From an employer’s perspective, it is important to me, but I am equally as interested in ways that people have demonstrated their skills outside of education.
QS: How important is further education in progressing one’s career in the IT sector?
Shaa: Again, it depends. If you are going to actually be technical, say a developer, it is very important, but if you are more on the creative side of the business as I am, it is less so.
QS: What was the attraction of the IT sector for you?
Shaa: I think the online world is fascinating. The opportunities are endless, the time to market is very short and in my opinion, the barriers to entry for women are very low. It is a real egalitarian industry.
QS:From personal experience are there added difficulties for a woman entering the technology industry?
Shaa: I genuinely haven’t found any. However, I think that there is a perception that you have to have a deep understanding of technology itself to work in the industry. You don’t, you just need to understand the opportunities and work with people who are technical.
QS: Do you believe that leadership is an innate quality or something that can be taught?
Shaa: Both, we are all born leaders but circumstances allow those qualities to either be developed and nurtured or forgotten. You can most certainly learn more effective leadership skills and of course there is nothing like experience.
QS: Do you believe it is more important to ‘stand-out’ or ‘fit-in’ within your professional career?
Shaa: Stand out. No question.
QS: Is it possible to be socially / morally minded and still be successful in business?
Shaa: Absolutely, I am just launching a socially conscious support service for entrepreneurs and small business owners (www.smarta.com) We have a strong moral conscious in everything we do, but we also intend to lead by example and be highly profitable.
QS: What other advice could you give someone looking at entering the IT industry?
Shaa: Think of Nike. Just do it.
Shaa Wasmund will be attending the QS Leadership Career Forums in London on 25 & 26 September 2008. These forums are unique recruitment and career development events from the hosts of the QS World Grad School Tour.
For free invitation register at http://www.qsforums.com
