WITI
Women
President and CEO of RightPoint
Gayle Crowell is the president and CEO of RightPoint. Crowell actively
directs all aspects of business at RightPoint, the leading supplier of
real-time eMarketing solutions. With extensive talents in sales and
organizational management, and a vision for how companies can develop
lucrative and successful customer relationships, Crowell has helped build
RightPoint into an industry leader and trusted partner to it's
customers.
Prior to joining RightPoint, Crowell spent more than a decade as a senior
executive in the enterprise software and call center software
industries. As a senior vice president and general manager of ViewStar Corporation, she led the successful pre- and post-merger integration activities between ViewStar Corporation and DSI, later renamed Mosaix Corporation. She created Oracle Corporation's first highly acclaimed indirect channel program and during her tenure as vice president of Worldwide Sales at Recognition International, she drove the adoption of Recognition International's Plexus imaging and workflow software as a corporate standard in more than twenty Fortune 500 companies. Crowell began her career as an educator for the State of Nevada and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree from the University of Nevada at Reno.
1. What was your first job in technology?
I worked for the CEO of a Unix manufacturer. He asked me to work for
his company without a title or specific job description. Essentially I was a special projects assistant to the president. It was very risky to accept this
position since so much was unknown but it turned out to be the best move
of my career.
2. Who has been your most significant mentor? Why?
Don Lehr, CEO of Cubix, has been my most influential mentor. He taught me everything about running a technology company and provided me with many opportunities to continually test myself and grow.
3. What has been your greatest challenge and what strategies did you use to overcome
obstacles?
My greatest challenge was taking a company with excellent technology and
rebuilding it from the ground up. I worked with a very talented team
of people to reinvent RightPoint and turn it into the leading real
time eMarketing company. I made sure that everyone had a very clear
vision of where we were going, along with an excellent understanding of
what each individual had to do to get us there.
4. Who has been the most influential person in your life? Why?
My mother has been the most influential person in my life. She is a wonderful human being and has an incredibly positive outlook on life. She has taught me how to grow with each life experience no matter how difficult it may seem at the time and that ultimately we control and determine our own happiness.
5. What lessons have you learned that would be valuable to women beginning their
careers in technology?
It is critical for young women to go out and acquire the skills
necessary to succeed in the high tech world. Learn how to take risks,
understand the world of finance as it relates to your field, gain
experience in line management, sharpen your communication skills, and
understand what it means to be a rainmaker.
6. What strategies do you use to maintain balance in your life?
I am very focused and organized. While my career is important to me, I
understand that life, family and relationships are more important and I
try to make sure that I make choices that support those priorities. I've had to rely on my own inner strength and determination to be successful at it all. However, I also had an incredibly strong network of family and friends to help me along the way.
7. What new technology do you believe will have the most positive impact on the
world in the next 20 years? The most negative impact?
I believe the Internet will have the most positive impact. It will level the playing field by providing equal access to information.
On a lighter note:
1. If you could have dinner with any 2 people (living or not), who would they be?
Galileo and Leonardo da Vinci
2. Define success in 10 words or less.
Success is leaving your mark on
the world, making a difference.
3. If you could only subscribe to 3 magazines, what would they be?
Forbes, Business Week and Upside.
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