Muna Khurshid ─ Bringing cross-functional teams together to deliver dynamic results…
December 7, 2021 • 3 Minute Read
Muna Khurshid
Vice President,
Worldwide Networking & Security Solution Engineering
VMware
Are you looking for a highly motivated leader with a talent for bringing cross-functional teams together to deliver dynamic results? We know the person – Muna Khurshid!
Muna is the Vice President for Worldwide Networking and Security Solution Engineering for VMware. She is recognized for her creative thinking, out-of-the-box bold initiatives, and for bringing cross-functional teams together to deliver results. She works to drive change, and is adept at building strategic relationships with her clients, partners, and teams. She has been featured on CRN’s Women of the Channel consecutively since 2018, and has a proven record of building and developing strong, diverse, and high performing teams. When she is not working, she enjoys spending time with her two young children.
Please meet this IT Wondrous Woman™, Muna Khurshid!
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?
I’m a sailor’s daughter and have spent a good amount of my childhood sailing all over the world with my dad on large container vessels.
2. Before the pandemic, how many air miles/KMs did you flying annually?
60K+ a year.
3. What is the most adventurous food you have eaten and what city/location did you eat it?
Kangaroo Pizza in Sydney, Australia with my husband after climbing the Sydney bridge, and we loved it.
Your Career
4. What are the top two experiences, achievements or failures that shaped your journey as a successful leader?
- I have been through many experiences that shaped my leadership style. Very early in my career someone took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to lead a team with full P&L responsibility. As a result, I am always willing to mentor and offer team members a platform to showcase their talents to build an inclusive and diverse team.
- The other experience that shaped me as a leader was that I was overlooked for opportunities early in my career because “I didn’t have enough experience”. Instead of stopping me, those events fueled more of my passion.
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?
Fortunately, throughout my career I had extremely supportive mentors and sponsors who made me think differently. One of my mentors was ex-CFO of Cisco and she broadened my thinking from an engineering perspective to a finance viewpoint. One of the biggest lessons I learned from her was “always know your numbers and know how you and your team are performing against your targets”.
Walking In Your Shoes
6. What is one piece of business or career advice you would give to your younger self?
Get a sponsor as early as you can in your career and don’t limit yourself. A sponsor is someone who advocates on your behalf when you are not present – anyone can say great things about you when you are in the room but true sponsorship shines when your sponsor is advocating on your behalf.
7. As a leader, how do you remain a resource for people early in their careers?
It’s all about listening, engaging your team at a personal level, and making yourself available to your team. I take great pride when my team members continue to grow their careers and fulfill both their professional and personal growth. In my view, personal and professional growth are intertwined, and overall growth requires attention to both.
Today’s Business Environment
8. What is the most interesting project you have worked on in the last few years?
Mergers and acquisitions projects are always fun and exciting because it’s all about bringing teams together to build a cohesive business. In my previous role I worked on a project where we brought many different teams together to build an inclusive and diverse multinational business focused on client transformation.
9. What skills are you currently developing or refining (in yourself) that will make you a more successful leader in the digital economy?
One of the skills I learned and practiced last year was patience and acceptance that certain things are out of my control. I also learned how to deal with unexpected changes like my children doing remote learning while I was on zoom calls with my clients. I have realized it’s all about flexibility to enable success in today business climate.
10. What is your greatest business challenge today?
Re-imagining the employee and customer experience in a post COVID world. COVID has literally changed the world forever and we need to re-think how we provide a platform to our employees to grow professionally and how we connect with our clients in a virtual environment.
