Spotlight Series: Katie Lam

Tell us about your role at Digiterre and how you work with the team.

As an Engagement Manager at Digiterre, we look after everything to do with our engagements. We ensure that the client is happy, our delivery team is happy and therefore productive. We also ensure that everything in the background is running smoothly; from taking care of the full staff lifecycle, managing project renewals, to handling any issues or queries raised by clients or consultants. 

What was it about the role and or Digiterre that persuaded you to join?

Some will know that this is my 2nd time around at Digiterre. Re-joining Digiterre was like coming home for me, the people make it feel like you are part of a family. I was not sure what the role of an Engagement Manager was, but during the process of re-joining Digiterre I spoke to Ian, Theresa and the team about this. It sounded like my perfect role! Not only did the role involve looking after clients, but I would also look after our consultants. I felt the role played to all my strengths, I could use my knowledge and experience to really add value and make a difference. After nearly 2 years back, I have no regrets, I love my work and the people I work with. I’m proud and honoured to be part of such a fantastic organisation!

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is different, in my role you quickly learn to expect the unexpected! However, usually, the day starts with the Engagement Management stand-up where we discuss and plan our work. I would have a few consultant (current and Alumni), and client catch-ups during the day, as well as internal calls with other Digiterre teams. E.g. to work on internal initiatives or synch up on client projects. We might do some interviews for new consultants, and conduct on/offboardings of staff to and between projects. There would always be ad-hoc queries to deal with from various sources, including clients, consultants, and colleagues.

Is there anything you’re working on at the moment that inspires or excites you?

I’m inspired by the people I work with most days. Rarely a day goes by without me thinking “oh that’s a good idea” or “I like what they have done there” or similar. Also, it’s exciting times with the acquisition of Digiterre by Collabera, I’m looking forward to working more closely with Collabera and leveraging each of our strengths to offer our clients a wider variety of services and the ability to scale their projects using global resources (on, near and offshore).

What has been a highlight of working with Digiterre?

In the 20-odd years I have had the pleasure of being part of Digiterre, I think the highlight has been that Digiterre has managed to maintain the same high standards, morals, and culture. I think we have managed this because of the people that we have in the organisation, we only want the best of the best! Not only in terms of experience and knowledge but also attitude, work ethic, and principles.

How would you describe the culture at Digiterre?

The culture at Digiterre is unique and very special. Digiterre has the right morals, values, and ambitious standards, and everyone at Digiterre strives to help each other succeed. Most of all, we care about each other, and our clients and we are passionate about the work we do for them. We have a very flat hierarchy, so your voice is always heard, and ideas are encouraged. Certainly, in my experience, Digiterre wants to see its staff grow and develop their knowledge and skills and do everything possible to support this through training and on-the-job experience.

Has anything surprised you about working here?

Everything that has surprised me has been positive. I’m surprised that Digiterre has continued to stick so closely to its values of Care, Quality, and Leadership. Digiterre has not diluted this in any way whatsoever even with all the market pressures of late. I’m also surprised that after 20 years of being with the organisation, there are still opportunities for me to grow and develop. This shows the commitment Digiterre has to its staff.

What do you believe our clients gain from working with us?

Our clients gain a lot from working with Digiterre. We would put in delivery teams of expert technologists with rich domain knowledge, who will deliver a solution to their complex problems in an agile way. The delivery teams are supported by internal Digiterre staff and our fabulous CTO Raj, and they can also draw knowledge from our other consultants even if they are on a different project. Clients also have access to an Engagement Manager who is there to smooth the path for our delivery teams so they can focus on the successful delivery of projects.

Which other teams do you work with at Digiterre?

I pretty much work with all the other teams, there is a lot of cross-team collaboration at Digiterre. I work with PMO/Operations on contractuals, on/offboardings, and tracking financials for projects. Talent Acquisition and HR on resourcing. For renewals and new opportunities I work closely with the Sales team, with Marketing on our Employer Brand and obviously the Delivery team on projects.

Thank you for your time, Katie. We have now reached the end of the interview.

Thank you!