Laura Bailey ─ AWS Partner, NashTech, with a passion and talent for leveraging technology for customer success…
November 29, 2021 • 3 Minute Read
Laura Bailey
Strategic Account Director
NashTech
Are you looking for an AWS Partner with a commercial leader who has a passion and talent for growing businesses? We know the person—Laura Bailey!
Nominated to participate in IT Wondrous Women™ by the AWS Partner Field leadership, Laura Bailey begins the next chapter of her career today at NashTech, an AWS Partner. Prior to NashTech, Laura was the Commercial Director for Steamhaus, where she was responsible for overseeing sales and business development operations. With a passion for helping businesses grow and over 15 years of experience in IT hosting, consultancy, software, and ecommerce, she holds a wealth of knowledge of how technology can be leveraged to fuel customer success.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Laura Bailey!
Our 10 Questions for this IT Wondrous Woman.
Fun Facts
1. What’s the one thing about you that your business colleagues don’t know about you?
Either my love for rock climbing, or that I was a professional photographer for ten years.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
I didn't really travel for work.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
Birds nest Soup which I had in Singapore as part of a wedding breakfast.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
- One was the first two years of studying my MBA, which I put on hold before the pandemic. A combination of the course content, the challenge of assignments and the people I met through this made this a fantastic experience.
- Another was working at a fast growth startup cloud consultancy. The day to day challenges were always different and taught me so much about leadership and operations in practice.
5. Did you have a mentor in the early part of your career and, if so, what is the biggest lesson you learned from your mentor or influencer?
I've never had a formal mentor, but have been lucky to work for some really inspirational leaders that lead from the front and inspire their teams. The biggest lesson I've learnt is that leadership is a privilege, not an excuse.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Be fearless. If something doesn't work out, at least you tried it and can learn from the experience, but you'll never know if you never try. Also, get that pension started early!
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
Rather than teach 'this is what I did and why it is the right thing to do', I try to ask questions so people can look at the situation, assess the options and decide on the right solution in the right situation given the variables. Decision making is a skill in its own right, but you need to be able to correctly gather and assess the information to be able to make good decisions.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
I've worked with a number of challenger startups and found their journey to market really insightful and interesting, especially seeing how traditional industries such as banking and mortgage provision are becoming more socially responsible and ethically focused.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
I'm hoping to get a deeper understanding about the operations of an international IT consultancy and working across multiple international markets.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
The pandemic has massively affected the world of work, and I'm really interested in seeing how businesses adapt and move to a remote and hybrid working model.
