Breaking Into Tech
My Advice for Girls
Being a transformative leader means having a unique perspective. That’s how Minette Norman—a liberal arts major with no engineering background—became a high-powered female executive in the male-dominated tech industry. As the former VP of Engineering at Autodesk, Norman led a team of 3,500 software professionals and transformed the company culture from the inside out. Today, she draws on her experience to demonstrate the power of radical empathy and diverse teams to demolish silos, unlock creativity, and inspire a culture of collaboration.
As the former VP of Engineering Practice, Minette Norman directed collaboration at Autodesk, helping world-renowned engineers overcome silos and work together on common solutions. Norman—who holds degrees in Drama and French, not Engineering—was also serving in a position traditionally held by men. For some, this may have been an insurmountable challenge, but for Norman, having a different perspective was an essential part of her success. While influencing more than 3,500 software professionals, she spearheaded what she calls ‘radical collaboration’—initiatives that reward engineers who contribute to each other’s designs and tests. Today, she draws on deep personal experience to describe what makes a rewarding workplace; how greater diversity in all industries means innovative solutions; and how the liberal arts and emotional intelligence can transform technical, male-dominated fields.
Previously, she gained international attention by transforming Autodesk’s localization team through best-in-class automation and machine translation. And before joining Autodesk, she held a variety of technical communication and management positions at companies including Symantec and Adobe. Named one of the ‘Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business’ by the San Francisco Business Times, Business Role Model of the Year’ by the Women in IT Awards Silicon Valley, Norman is a recognized industry expert with a unique perspective. She often speaks at international conferences where she is asked to share her thoughts on engineering practices, culture, and behavior.
Norman has a broad approach to community service, working with local, national and international charities. She serves on the Board of Directors of D-Rev, a non-profit devoted to developing medical technologies for impoverished and vulnerable populations worldwide. She also works with GirlsWhoCode and YesWeCode, national organizations that help women and under-represented populations succeed in the technology sector. Norman holds degrees in both drama and French from Tufts University, and studied at the Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris.