July 20, 2023

Ashley Moore: Insights on her career in technology

Our Women in Technology (WIT) group which is part of our Women in Leadership (WIL) employee led Business Resource Council, focuses on the promotion and development of women in technology, creating awareness for careers in technology for all partners, and assisting the firm with educating all partners on new technologies with the goal of driving technology adoption within the firm. 

The WIT team recently spoke with Ashley Moore about her career journey in technology here at Northern Trust. Ashley is currently a Senior Product Manager in our Global Technology Services group. In her role on the Digital Workplace Product team, Ashley oversees the communications & collaboration product portfolio and focuses on product adoption and governance to create a user-centered experience.

Here’s her story…

FAST FACTS

Time at Northern Trust: 2 years

Work location: 333 S. Wabash Ave. in Chicago

Home location: Urbana, IL

Favorite sports team: University of Houston Men’s Basketball

What or who inspired you to pursue a career in technology?

My grandmother's never-ending quest for knowledge inspired me to pursue a career in psychology understanding people's thoughts and behaviors. Fortunately, my degree in Industrial/Organizational (I/O) psychology crossed paths with technology adoption, change, and the user experience.

What do you most enjoy about working in technology?

I enjoy the innovation. Technology evolves so rapidly to meet human desires and needs. Though technology can be overwhelming at times, such as software updates, it's thrilling if you view tech as attempting to anticipate what the human mind wants.

One of the greatest parts about working in tech is learning every day and facing new challenges. Even if you aren't actively solving a problem, there are so many new technologies to explore. You are consistently mentally stimulated.

I’d like to learn more about cloud architecture at the organization level, as a better understanding would benefit cloud-tools adoption strategies.

Can you share one challenge you’ve had to overcome?

Most people have imposter syndrome-like feelings and I am no exception. It can be a daily challenge. I felt it the most throughout the pandemic when the sudden loss of control coupled with self-doubt had me questioning everything about my career. Reading and studying Brené Brown's work on vulnerability, changing my internal thoughts, and diving deeper into thought-work shifted my perspective and made me more comfortable in being my authentic self during challenging times.

Can you share one to two tips on how you did/would overcome bias in the workplace?

Select a sponsor to be your advocate. This person will know you, your work, and the value you cultivate. They will be the one to speak highly of you when you’re not in the room.

Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself—it can be scary, but you are always your best advocate. Understand the value you create, what makes you different, and the problems that you solve to calculate your value add. Use objective, contextual information to define and communicate your value.

What advice would you give yourself when you were just starting on this career path?

Always operate under the assumption that everyone is trying their best. Change is inevitable and not everything will go as planned. If you assume that everyone is doing their part, things will work out.

When you’re not working in technology, what do you enjoy doing?

Traveling the world with my husband, taking long walks with our dog Carter, dancing, working out with loud music, watching Bob's Burgers, catching up on Instagram news with my sister, reviewing my family's history with my grandmother, and eating really good food with my best friends.

How do you maintain work-life balance?

My calendar is my secret best friend. I have to schedule time throughout the day for myself and I take it, just like any other meeting.

Cyber, the cloud, machine learning, artificial intelligence. What piques your interest most?

I’m interested in artificial intelligence. It's innovative and exciting! I am curious to see it evolve over time.

How can we encourage younger generations to go into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)?

Encourage curiosity early in the developmental stages of growth. During that time, children's minds are pliable and powerful. STEM fields are a great way to satisfy curiosity.

What roles in technology excite you? What role do you aspire to be in, in three to five years?

Definitely an elevated version of my current role in advancing technology adoption and education. I hope to lead a strategic team where we thoughtfully curate the next phase of the digital workplace.

Women in Technology (WIT), part of the Women in Leadership (WIL) Business Resource Council (BRC), focuses on the promotion and development of women in technology, creating awareness for careers in technology for all partners, and assisting the firm with educating all partners on new technologies with the goal of driving technology adoption within the firm.

Careers at Northern Trust

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