Woman. Leader.Empowered
Wh e n a woma n is in co n s t a nt communication with her heart and soul, she is able to identify her highest purpose in life. She never stops learning and expanding her horizons, which makes her mind a powerful tool to pursue her dreams with self- determination. She finds joy in helping others discover their full potential, which enables her to positively affect their lives. She values her passion and she appreciates each and every individual’s gift and beauty.
IT executive Susan Kuanken San Agustin values her passion, which is to know the latest and greatest technology “because it’s exciting how technology continuously evolves.” Armed with her passion for technology, she does not only excel in her technical work but she is also keen on helping people to discover their own talents and skills.
With this, she was given an A- List Malikhain Award for her outstanding contributions in her company (one of the leading IT companies in the country). Her contributions include innovating a tool that helped save cost for her company; helping improve the workforce through cross-skill trainings; and developing people to step up and be the next generation of leaders.
“As a senior manager for IT operations, I lead three projects that are more of infrastructure support. I lead several teams in different offices around Metro Manila. We are the ones who make sure that the company’s servers are up and running. I lead mostly men but now, I am happy that more women are joining us in this field,” shares Susan, who acknowledges that the naturally competitive environment of the male- dominated industry that she is in is one of the things that motivates her to excel in her job.
Susan has been with her company for 14 years. She started as a support engineer, became a team leader, then an associate manager and now, a senior manager. Her experiences allow her to mold her team members to be at their best. “I believe that as a manager in our industry, I need to have genuine care for people because what they do is very difficult. When you care for them and support them in their career, they will stay,” says Susan, a Computer Management graduate of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.
Since she was young, Susan has shown determination and perseverance in life. These characteristics, which she learned from her parents Jesusa and Rogelio Kuanken, she treasures and applies to her life today. The value of hard work was ingrained in her at a young age when she became a working student to help her parents with her college expenses.
“My parents constantly reminded me the importance of education. I was a working student in college because I really wanted to finish school. I worked as a retail sales clerk in a clothing store. I also was a contractual at a telco, and earned P400 a week, enough to cover miscellaneous expenses,” relates Susan, who grew up with her family renting a house and promised her parents she would buy them a house in the future. Before she got married several years ago, Susan fulfilled this promise and continues to support her parents, her way of giving back to them.
A mother to three boys, Susan describes herself as a hands-on mom. “Going on dates with each one of my sons helps them open up to me, especially when they know that I listen. My husband and I are now focused on rearing them well because our three boys will be fathers in the future. It’s a big responsibility to raise these children to grow up as responsible adults,” she says.
Susan, married to a military officer, her college sweetheart, shares that teamwork and understanding each other’s job keep their relationship intact. “He is my best friend. We believe that being husband and wife, we need teamwork. In any decision, there should be a discussion. He’s also very supportive of my career. He knows what a ‘Priority 1’ call from my office is. So, even when we’re watching a movie, if I receive a Priority 1 call, I have to take it. He supports me and I assure him that he is my ‘Priority Zero’,” she enthuses.
With the demands of her job, Susan says she is able to balance her professional and personal life by doing her tasks one at a time. She calls it “work-life integration.”
To shake off the stresses from work, Susan and her family travel out of town. They have visited many par ts of the Philippines. They hike, run and do other outdoor activities. “We love the outdoors. Nature makes your relationship stronger. It will also clear your mind.”
Aside from finding happiness in her family, Susan also finds joy in knowing that she is able to contribute something for the career growth of her team members. “At work, it is rewarding to see people stepping up and moving up as the next leaders (through my coaching and mentoring). For some people, they just need a little push from their superiors to release their confidence and perform their best.”
As women continuously breach the glass ceiling in their respective fields, Susan is one of the many empowered women who thrive in seeing other women find their passion and do well in their careers. “It’s an inner power within you that will tell you that being a woman is not a disadvantage because you have emotion, you have the heart, you have the skills. Take time to know yourself and learn a lot of skills. Set your goals to achieve something. Own your passion and your dreams,” she ends.