Jenny Latimer: ‘What kept me in tech was the fact that I came to love the industry’

Latimer recalls how she first started out in the tech space, why she stayed, and gives advice to those on the fence about making their first foray into the sector

Jenny Latimer heads up the operations business of tech reseller Highgate IT Solutions but fell into the IT world totally by accident.

Latimer landed in tech completely by accident after a recruiter found her CV online and suggested she apply for a role at Total Computers.

After four and a half years at Total, Latimer moved onto AMC IT for another year and a half, until arriving at Highgate in 2021.

While what attracted Latimer to the tech industry wasn’t the industry itself, she grew to love the space and chose to stay and chase the opportunities IT can present.

“I went into a vendor coordinator role, and the company seemed to be ticking a lot of boxes. It seemed like a really nice place to work. So that's what attracted me to the company, to tech.

“However, what kept me in tech was the fact that I have come to love the industry. It was very clear that there were possibilities within Total but also within the industry.

“From working in a vendor-facing role already, I could see that there were potential avenues down that way if I wished to go.

“Also, as an industry, the championing of women and diversity was something that resonated with me and also with it being an ever evolving industry, it did seem like quite a good bet, one to stick with and be part of.”

‘Be a sponge’

Celebrating her tenth year in IT, Latimer attributes her keenness for always learning to her career success so far.

“Someone once said to me, ‘be a sponge, just absorb everything’. And that stuck in my head, even to this day.

“Learning as much as possible and listening is all part of learning as well as gaining different perspectives.

“You don't have to agree with them, but just be open and listen.”

Latimer highlights the importance of mentorship and how people acting as mentors have helped her within her own career.

“I wouldn't say I've had an official mentor, but there have definitely been people within my career that have acted as unofficial mentors.

“If I look back now, we probably could have put a label on it, but at the time, it was having people that were open to answering my questions. I felt because I was asking the questions to the right people, I was getting insights that potentially others weren't.

“But it was more so just because I was putting myself out there, which then has ultimately led to my progression and up to this day.”

Growing roles and people

When Latimer first started out at Highgate she was the “first official person in operations”.

Since then, her role has been to grow out the ops team, define roles and responsibilities and how the entire operations side of the business works.

“I've grown the team to 14, and I'm always growing so obviously continuing to support them, continuing to look at Highate’s internal strategy, and overall supporting of the business and our sales team.

“But in addition to that, Highgate’s ESG strategy falls to me, and that's something I'm passionate about.

“We've just announced our focus charity partner for the year and I’m looking forward to doing some fundraisers for them, and obviously picking up some sustainability initiatives too.

“And also around some employee initiatives, we've recently become a living wage foundation employer, and that’s a commitment that we will always pay living wage and above rather than minimum.

“We are also a Disability Confident employer. That's something we've just begun the journey on as well.

“So those, and then on top of them, I call them my extracurricular activities, giving back where I believe I can, and helping people on their career paths, as people have helped me.”

‘Don’t be put off if you think you don’t have knowledge’

Having started out in IT without a technical background herself, Latimer encourages those who may be cautious of pursuing a tech career owing to its intimidated, complex nature.

“Skills are transferable,” she says.

“We have a finance team. We have an operations team, just like so many other industries do. Therefore, like with every job, you need to go in and learn certain aspects of a role.

“However, there isn’t anything in the tech industry until you get into the much more technical roles that actually require knowing a significant amount about IT.

“So don’t be put off if you think you don’t have knowledge around the ins and outs of computers.

“Just strip it away and realise it’s the same job as any industry. It just can feel a bit more technical, but don’t overcomplicate it.”