Tamar Sharir Beiser is the Vice President, Head of Cloud at NICE.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your current role
I joined NICE almost ten years ago. It was initially meant to be a temporary position for six months as an analyst, but it’s been such a challenging and rewarding experience that I’m still here. I started off in corporate development, then moved to different product leadership positions. Fast forward to today, I now lead our suite of solutions in the cloud as Vice President of NICE’s Cloud line of business.
Did you ever sit down and plan your career?
Absolutely. Since I was young I have had an interest in technology and knew that I wanted to work in the technology arena. Therefore, it was natural for me to study Computer Science at university and later join a leading global software company where I could grow professionally with the eventual aim of leading a team focused on bringing innovative offerings to market.
I always knew where I was heading and that my direction was to manage large teams that drive innovation, but I was also open to opportunities along the way. I made sure to seek out opportunities in which to grow and develop in any new role I took and that it aligns with my overall objective. Luckily for me, NICE encourages and provides space for employees to grow and try new areas of the business they wish to gain experience in.
Have you faced any challenges along the way and if so, how did you deal with them?
One of the biggest challenges I have faced in my career is working across a global cross-functional team. When you’re working across a group of people with different expertise and roles at varied levels, it can be challenging. Successfully bringing together different individuals who (at times) have different goals can seem like an uphill battle.
To overcome this challenge required a lot of work, especially a significant investment in team communication. This meant creating opportunities for team members to connect and a space that allows everyone a chance to contribute. As a result, we built stronger relationships throughout the team, but also has allowed them to form relationships with one another, boosting team collaboration and engagement and fostering trust and dialogue which ultimately drove more innovation and which I believe has driven stronger overall results.
If you could change one thing for women in the workplace, what would it be?
I don’t think there are enough woman in tech and I would encourage others to look for the opportunities as they can be exciting, fulfilling and impactful. There are simply not enough women in technology and especially in senior roles. Successful organisations recognise that diversity when hiring is an advantage and the time is now.
I understand that it can be easy to surround ourselves with people that look and think like us, but many studies have revealed the benefits of having diverse teams. From increasing innovation to improving performance, diversity in the workplace is not just a ‘nice to have’. I have seen it first-hand here at NICE and believe that a diverse workforce, delivers many business benefits that would otherwise not be available.
How would you encourage more young women and girls into a career in STEM?
For me I knew from an early age where I want to be. I could see it and would encourage young women to do the same. Picture yourself in STEM roles! The truth is that we as businesses can help them achieve this. It is as easy as exposure. Access to positive role models, mentors and internships, going into schools and pre-schools, giving young women access to speak directly with women in STEM, having relevant work placements or internships will all make it easier for them to have something to relate and we can reap the benefits of a more diversified workforce.
What has been your biggest achievement to date?
Mentorship has always been important for me. I believe as leaders we have a responsibility to help young professionals as they begin their careers. It has been a career honour to recruit, mentor and develop talent who have joined NICE over the years. And it doesn’t have to be in the workplace only, I also volunteer in a NPO that helps students to develop their business skills through consulting work to NPOs. It has been great watching my mentees rise through the ranks over the years and being part of their stories.
Another equally important achievement for me was serving as agent for change having led the product development of NICE’s applications into the cloud. This meant bringing a new solution into the market for the first time and helping to establish ourselves as the most innovative cloud player in our industry.
What is your next challenge and what are you hoping to achieve in the future?
As the market is booming, and with NICE having solidified its position as a leading cloud player, I would like to help more companies in their transition to the cloud. This involves bringing more analytics capabilities and AI so they can be smarter about their customers, and simplifying deployment models so they can meet their customers’ needs and changing market dynamics.
