Helia Burgunder

C-Level Executive and Board Member

Dear Helia, since you completed the EMBA at the iimt, your career has unfolded in multiple directions. It is very impressive to see female leaders and our alumna being rewarded for their hard work and perseverance. It makes us really proud to know that you have chosen us to be part of your journey! We would like to ask you some questions and some advice that you would like to share with the next generations.

Why an EMBA at the iimt?

I chose the EMBA at the iimt due to a multitude of factors. First, it offered the best combination of academia and market, professors with an excellent academic background who were also former executives. Their extensive field experience complemented the theory with practical aspects. Second, the richness of the programme and the innovation topics linked to ICT appealed to me. Throughout those three intensive years, we were inspired, challenged and gained profound knowledge through 30 diversified disciplines. The exchanges with participants from different backgrounds were fantastic, and the fact that we would stay off-site during the whole duration of the modules created a strong network. We have maintained close contact within the alumni network since then. It was an incredible journey, from a human, development and business perspective!

How did the EMBA contribute to your success?

The EMBA was a major milestone in my professional success. It broadened my horizons from a technical perspective to a business perspective, providing me the necessary insights to build an impactful career thereafter.

I believe you have a small anecdote to tell us from those EMBA times?

[laughs] Yes, one that I’m very proud of. Those three years were very intensive, I was still working full-time, in parallel to my EMBA. And as if it was not enough, I got pregnant to my first two boys during that period: I even breast-fed my eldest in class! I always say that my son was definitely the youngest EMBA student, at only four months old! I keep those moments close to my heart, with lots of gratitude to Prof. Dr. Teufel and all the iimt staff, who did everything that they could to make it possible beyond my expectations. I’m forever grateful.

You have now three boys and never stopped working. How do you balance work and life responsibilities?

In short, with lots of drive, lots of organisation, and lots of passion.

What was the biggest sacrifice that you had to make in advancing your career?

I took every career decision fully aware of the consequences, and those decisions were not sacrifices: they were choices… choosing to have a family and a career, choosing to change countries for my career and moving the family along. I started over three times in different countries and decided to discover other industries after a long and successful career in telecoms and ICT. Looking back today, I should have done it much earlier, and it’s not over yet.

As a female leader, given the sector’s gender gap, have you had to invest in any extra steps or efforts to get to the same place as your male colleagues?

Yes, let’s not lie to ourselves, it has been harder for women to get to leadership positions. When you have companies serving the whole population with consumer goods, yet with only 14% females in senior leadership positions, this is symptomatic of the difficulty in building a career. The most significant barrier to achieve gender parity is the unconscious biases that we all – men and women – still have in our minds, which condition our daily actions as leaders. In general, women still have to prove that they are capable of doing the job before they ever get it, whereas men are given a chance because they have “potential”. Women are tagged as “too ambitious” with a negative twist, whereas men are tagged as “career-oriented”. We need to raise awareness of these discrepancies and biases, because we have many women with the right competencies and capabilities who are ready to take the next step and excel as leaders and professionals.

You recently came back to the iimt, this time as a guest lecturer…

Indeed, I had the honour and privilege of holding a master class on the topic of the “Smart City”, as well as a Strategic Management lecture for the MBA and CAS students on “The Power of Disruption”. It’s a pleasure being on the other side and contributing with my relevant expertise and experience gathered over these years. Thank you for having me back!

What is the biggest lesson that you have learned throughout your career?

Take risks and don’t fear the unexpected. Don’t get side-tracked by the unknown or circumstances, but rather focus on reaching your objectives. Leave self-doubt behind, and transform your particularities into strengths. Above all: stay true to yourself. Don’t compromise your values.

What advice do you want to leave to the next generation of leaders?

Don’t wait until you are seen. Make yourself visible.
Don’t wait until you get recognition. Acknowledge your value and move on.
Don’t wait until it’s the right moment. Dare and take the risk now.