When Sara Braund was ten years old, a large transport plane crashed into the houses opposite her home, instilling in her a lifelong fear of flying.
She was, however, determined to overcome this fear:
“After progressing in my career, I accepted an invitation to present at a conference in Melbourne, an experience that would force me to face both my fears of flying and public speaking. I’m shy and introverted by nature, so I was deathly afraid of giving speeches. In fact, this fear was so great that I called in sick for my final thesis presentation at university. I was 27 when I gave my first work presentation! I overcame my nerves, and the trip was a success. It was also my first time visiting Australia, and I discovered how much I loved it here.”
This experience pushed her well outside her comfort zone and prompted her to seek a position with a company in Perth. She then moved to Australia temporarily for two years without knowing a single soul.
“I figured one million people couldn’t be wrong. Twenty-two years later, I’m still here!”
Now, as VP of Digital Technology for global mining and metals company South32, Sara shares her advice for overcoming challenges, her rewarding career in tech, and how she’s supporting other women to pursue their career goals in this dynamic field.
Rising in tech
Sara was the first person in her family to graduate from university, where she discovered her aptitude for computer science and achieved a joint honors degree.
“I built my early career in all areas of the software development lifecycle, from programmer to analyst and project manager. I eventually progressed into line management and grew my technical and leadership capabilities and commercial acumen by diversifying into different areas of IT.”
Her greatest career highlights from this time include leading a team of over sixty people to develop a complex oil and gas transportation and storage system, selling into markets in Asia and Australia, and working on the first Movements and Personnel system following the Piper Alpha disaster in the North Sea.
After working in the UK for twelve years, delivering services to many European countries, Sara pursued the opportunity to work in Australia to gain experience on a global scale.
Finding her feet and leaving an impressive mark.
Settling in Australia, Sara’s family grew. She became a new parent and discovered new challenges to overcome.
“I managed to juggle being present with my family and work through discipline and routine, exercising in the morning, bringing my best to work, walking our dogs in the evening before family dinner, then tackling any work overflow in the evenings.”
Sara initially worked with Woodside, where her determination and commitment paid off. She became Woodside’s first female Chief Information Officer and VP of Technology, taking on the technology fit-out of the company’s new headquarters in Perth. But after eleven years with Woodside, Sara knew it was time for a change.
When an opportunity at South32 caught her attention, she knew exactly where she wanted to be. She joined the company because of its strong reputation as a global mining leader and progressive use of technology, and her decision proved to be one of her best yet.
Little things make a big difference
Sara she knew she’d made the right decision to join South32 before her first day had even started.
“It was the little things that made a difference, particularly pre-commencement – the personal welcome message I received from the CEO; get-togethers with my future line manager, the CTO, to make joint decisions on changes; meetings with my direct reports.”
While technology challenges needed to be addressed, she appreciated that South32’s culture and senior leaders focused on improvement over blame. This was a welcome change for Sara, who has experienced her fair share of cultures that pressure technology teams to fix issues quickly but not necessarily sustainably before moving on to other work.
“It’s a welcoming environment where the culture of care really shines through. When I arrived, there were services that needed improving. I was given the time and resources to fix these, stabilize services, and add preventative measures for the future. We have a great team and are trusted in making decisions to achieve the right outcome. There is mutual respect.”
South32 supports gender diversity with strong representation for women in teams, senior leadership, its board, and beyond.
Supporting women in tech to grow
As might be expected, working in technology and non-traditional industries for women has presented some challenges for Sara.
“Being in the minority for most of my career, you can feel marginalized. But I’ve learned to overcome this by being my authentic self. People say I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I have a reputation for honesty – I tell it like it is!”
It’s an approach that has served her well and fostered her passion for developing diverse teams:
“I’m a great believer that technology (and all) teams perform better with diversity of gender, experience, and cultures. Given there are still more male STEM graduates, it’s great that we have mixed teams in virtually every office and operation where we work.”
Now in a position where she can help other women in IT grow and develop through mentoring. Sara recently won the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of WA’s (CME) Women In Resources Award for Outstanding Woman in Resources! It’s these things that motivate Sara most in her role:
“I love coaching and mentoring, especially seeing people build their non-technical skills, manage stakeholders more effectively, and grow their confidence. My most recent mentee lacked confidence as she grew her knowledge and capabilities. But by supporting her throughout our sessions, it’s been incredible seeing her confidence grow – a powerful change her line manager has noticed, too. The positive feedback she gave was very rewarding. Working in IT, there’s always something new to learn. I enjoy the ever-changing world of technology and the fact I continue to learn every single day.”
Future-focused
Despite all she’s achieved, Sara knows there’s still more to be done, and she’s more than ready to contribute to shaping the industry so that more women can thrive in tech careers.
Sara looks forward to achieving a greater proportion of women in the technology team and continuing to mentor upcoming women’s talent. Her teenage daughter has even decided to follow in her footsteps, pursuing a degree in IT. When asked what her top piece of advice to others would be, she shares:
“When an opportunity is presented, don’t dismiss it. Even if you think you are not good enough or don’t know what to do, you are much better than you think. Others see great potential in you, accept it and do your best. If you fail, at least you tried!”
