Gender norms are changing, and women are making history as they become the primary breadwinners for their families. However, despite the changing circumstances, many women entrepreneurs continue to face challenges such as limited access to resources, counsel, and information. In fact, almost 50% of female founders cite that a lack of available advisors and mentors limits their professional growth. Mary Manzo, CEO of Pathways Consulting Group, is looking to change that. She’s ready to share her story as a woman in a male-dominated field and act as a mentor for women entrepreneurs everywhere.
Eventually, Mary found herself in a leadership role at a small tech firm looking for growth opportunities. That was music to her ears, so she got to work and began creating the processes necessary to carry the organization forward through this growth spurt. Unbeknownst to her, this time would be instrumental in leading to her future role as CEO of Pathways Consulting Group – a leading partner for the ServiceNow platform.
“I realized … technology wasn’t just about hands on the keyboard and coding—it was so much more. To drive technology, you need processes, and the inclusion of so many roles, like project management and business analysts, to get the technology to function appropriately and as designed,” says Mary.
In 2008, she had the opportunity to become part of an important project at one of the world’s largest clearing houses, where she saw the need for a more holistic view of technology. To streamline and automate its employee services, the institution needed more diversity in the roles involved. With so much opportunity and so many different roles included in the project, Mary realized just how much women could do here. Yet, there were so few of them involved. Mary was one woman out of 25 people in a room who worked on this project, and it was at this point that she realized she needed to change that.
Mary partnered with longtime friend, Jeff Giovinazzo, and joined his pure-play technology consulting company in 2007. Fast forward to 2010, while still working at the clearing house, Mary and Jeff started using the ServiceNow platform. They quickly discovered this to be one of the most robust platforms they had ever had the opportunity to work with. This led to an adjustment, led by Mary, as they transitioned their pure-play technology firm into Pathways Consulting Group – a ServiceNow partner.
When asked how her work at Pathways is meaningful, Mary says, “Being a part of Pathways allowed me to change my past experience into a great experience; taking all the lessons I’d learned and turning them into something positive. Culture, goal setting, and growth are key elements of the company. Every individual at Pathways has a growth path, and we all hold each accountable to our core values.”
Pathways, as a women-owned business, is an established Certified ServiceNow Elite Partner, placing it in the top 7% of ServiceNow partners nationally. Mary loves what she and the team do for their customers; they help solve business challenges by providing guidance and solutions. She is incredibly proud of her team and has cultivated a diverse set of skills and talents for them to draw from.
Mary is passionate about growing the impact women have on the tech industry, and hopes to act as a role model for women in business. She says, “I knew I could be so much more than I was years ago. I had so much to offer and seemed to have a great grasp on what it would take. I realized you should never look at yourself as the only woman in the room. Just be a great leader in the room and lead by example. Diversity is now all around us, and women need to leverage and embrace the possibilities of what they can do and set the bar high.”
