Women of Xylem Series
For our industry to thrive and evolve, we need strong, diverse teams leading it. We need to represent the diverse communities we serve and encourage great people from all backgrounds to get excited about joining our team. This series features women across Xylem in various stages of their careers. By sharing their journeys, we hope to pull the curtain back on who does what at our organization and inspire the next generation of female leaders.
In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we are excited to share the fourth post of the Women of Xylem series!
The women featured in this post were nominated by their colleagues for fostering an inclusive environment free of gender bias and seeking out opportunities to celebrate other women and their contributions.
- Jihane Kalloul, Vertical Marketing Manager, Metrology Africa, Middle East, Turkey, India
- LaShawn Miller, Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis
- Lisa Riles, Sr. Director of Sales, Commercial Building Services
- Jane Simms, Sr. Project Manager in Smart Metering Engineering and Test
In support of this year’s theme, we asked Jihane, LaShawn, Lisa and Jane to share what #BreakTheBias means to them! We hope their words inspire you to join us in challenging the bias, and spark change everywhere!
Jihane Kalloul, Vertical Marketing Manager, Metrology Africa, Middle East, Turkey, India
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve worked at Xylem for five years. I manage Vertical Marketing activities for my respective regions in Emerging Markets, focusing on Metrology markets, challenges and solutions.
Q: How have you evolved your career in the traditionally male-led water/energy industry?
A: I always considered succeeding in a male-led industry an exciting challenge. Some male colleagues around me witnessed my passion and dedication, so they helped me and pushed me forward, some unfortunately didn’t… But the real change and evolution in my career started when other female colleagues believed in me and encouraged me to embrace new challenges and defend my ideas.
Q: How can male colleagues be better allies to women in the workplace?
A: By encouraging women to reach further and not making decisions on their behalf. Don’t make assumptions related to women’s capabilities or limited bandwidth to take leadership roles due to family responsibilities. I also encourage men to trust and value their female colleagues without “testing” their capabilities each time in order to deserve their trust or consideration.
LaShawn Miller, Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve been with Xylem for almost 15 years. In my current role, I manage the Measurement & Control Solutions (M&CS) financial planning and analysis function.
Q: How have you evolved your career in the traditionally male-led water/energy industry?
A: Being open-minded and not afraid to learn new things. I’ve grown exponentially more by taking on projects or positions that were outside of my comfort zone.
Q: How can male colleagues be better allies to women in the workplace?
A: I would say not making assumptions about women and their goals, both professionally and personally. Acknowledging individualism is a good first step to breaking the bias.
Lisa Riles, Sr. Director of Sales, Commercial Building Services
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve been with Xylem for 32 years. In my current role, I lead the sales team for the Commercial Building Services segment, and am focusing on growth, exploring future opportunities and managing the channel while always finding ways to continuously improve.
Q: How have you evolved your career in the traditionally male-led water/energy industry?
A: Throughout my career, I have always tried to focus more on what my contribution is as an individual, recognizing that I often bring a different perspective, based on my experiences.
Q: How can male colleagues be better allies to women in the workplace?
A: Listen and allow everyone to have a voice in a conversation. Be open to different opinions and needs. We are all unique and deserve to be heard.
Jane Simms, Sr. Project Manager in Smart Metering Engineering and Test
Q: How long have you worked at Xylem and what is your current role?
A: I’ve been with Xylem for a little over 10 years. I am a Delivery Team Scrum Master, Project Management Tools Admin (i.e., Jira, Confluence), Agile Coach, Xylem Agile Transformation Team member.
Q: How have you evolved your career in the traditionally male-led water/energy industry?
A: I began my career as a software developer. Most of the positions I’ve held were in the telecommunications industry, from solution architect to product and people managers. Early in my career, I would phrase my opinions and ideas in the form of a question. I found that men were often more receptive to my ideas if they felt it was collaborative. Over time, the men I worked with started to expect my voice to appear and seek my opinion, without it being positioned as a question.
Q: How can male colleagues be better allies to women in the workplace?
A: Treat us as equals, that is all we are asking for.
The RTP Chapter of the Xylem Women’s Network fosters an environment of belonging, education, and support by building a culture of growth and opportunity for women in the organization and beyond, through diversity of thought and experience that will create continued opportunities in leadership and enhance Xylem’s competitive advantage.
Learn more about the Xylem Women’s Network and our commitment to creating an open dialogue to raise awareness and identify ways to advance diversity and inclusion here.
In addition to the women featured in this post, we are highlighting even more women and allies at Xylem who work towards a more equitable future, free of gender bias every day. Check out our Facebook page throughout March to see more videos on how we help forge women’s equality and #BreakTheBias against stereotypes and discrimination!
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