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Margaret Scovern got into technology by accident. After college, she says he got an internship
in southern France and when that
wrapped up, she had a hard time
finding a job that enabled her to
pay back her student loans. She
headed back to the U.S. and got
a sales job at a tech company. “I
realized at that point I really liked
figuring out the mechanics of how
things work and technology was
going to be my career path for-
ward,” Scovern says. “What makes
consulting so attractive is the na-
ture of problem solving; we are
challenged with the complex sys-
tems of our clients’ value chain.”
Today she is Seattle Office Man-
aging Vice President for Pariveda
where she brings strategic leader-
ship and practical problem solving
and leverages her technology back-
ground to solve her clients’ most
complex problems. In today’s ever-
changing technology world, Mar-
garet helps her clients navigate the
complexity and ensures they have
an eye on resiliency.
She says what she enjoys most
about the work she does is twofold:
One, the creativity of developing
a solution, and two, collaborat-
ing with co-workers and clients. “I
am completely energized by creat-
ing an innovative new framework,
model or path forward in collabora-
tion with others,” she says. “I soak
up the diversity of ideas and per-
spectives and adapt to the situation
in order to collectively create some-
thing new, with what can be seen as
an abundance of enthusiasm.”
As a female in the tech world,
Scovern says she has gotten a lot
of bad advice that she had to un-
learn and reconcile. “The best ad-
vice I have gotten over the years
is the importance of understanding
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in
one’s personal development. When
coaching or mentoring someone, I
often try to get to the root versus
addressing the symptoms evident at
the surface level,” she says, “Inter-
acting with the whole person, both
personal and professional, has pro-
vided me with great insight and has
also helped me grow as a person.”
Has she ever experienced unique
challenges being a woman consult-
ant in the technology field?
“I have been a woman in tech-
nology for 30 years, so yes, indeed,
there have been unique challenges
over the years,” she says. “I cur-
rently lead Pariveda Solutions Di-
versity and Inclusion initiative to
be a part of the solution, so that
not only women but other minor-
ity groups within technology and
consulting do not experience what
I experienced and had to work
through on my own.”
Before the coronavirus sur-
faced, she says she was looking
forward to the empowered growth
of her consulting team in Seattle,
the resiliency of her clients, and
the impact of Pariveda’s Diversity
& Inclusion initiative on our em-
ployees and communities. “Today,
every aspect of our lives is being
impacted by the virus,” Scovern
says. “Therefore, 12 months from
now, I hope to be looking back
and marveling at how all of us
came together, worked together,
and supported each other for the
greater good and for our overall,
global resiliency.”
MARGARETSCOVERN
PARIVEDAEXCELLENCE ININNOVATION
What does winning a Women Leaders in Technology award mean to you?
SCOVERN: “It is hard to express the honor and validation I feel winning
Consulting’s Women Leaders in Technology award. When I think of my fe-
male peers, I am grateful for their leadership and tenacity. Together, we
are role models for our daughters, friends, co-workers and communities.
A