Wendy Harris has spent 25 years building and scaling international businesses.
She started her career as a trader and spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs before moving into tech. She went on to lead European expansion for Dropbox, CarGurus, Gong, and now Rippling. Named UK’s #1 Female Sales Influencer, she’s been featured in Fortune and on Demandbase’s list of the 100 most powerful women in sales. Wendy has just completed her first book, “The Flamingo Factor: How to Go From Undervalued to Unstoppable in the Workplace” which will launch later in 2026.
How did you land your current tech role? Was it planned?
Definitely not planned. I was writing a book “The Flamingo Factor: How to Go From Undervalued to Unstoppable in the Workplace” and had just launched my own speaking and consultancy business. I went to a wedding in California and sat opposite an old colleague from Gong who had recently moved to Rippling. He said “I need you to come run EMEA.” I was like, no way buddy. It felt like a test from the universe. But then I agreed to do just one follow-up call where he could “show me the numbers.” I was absolutely blown away by what I saw and realised this was a pretty uniquely special role. I also realised I actually missed leading a team. Complete serendipity, but I’m thrilled it all worked out.
Did you (or do you) have a role model in tech or business in general?
Yamini Rangan, CEO of HubSpot, is a mentor and friend to me. I was lucky enough to work with her at Dropbox and her mentorship blossomed into true friendship. She is authentic, humble, fun, fierce, fascinating and an incredible CEO. I am so lucky to have her in my life.
What are you most proud of in your career, so far?
That so many people I have managed have gone on to lead global teams or become Heads of EMEA. I love seeing people who started out not believing in themselves go on to succeed beyond their wildest dreams. I’m also really proud that there are people who have worked for me up to three times. The greatest compliment I could ever give is to hire someone again, and the greatest compliment I can receive is that they would work for me again!
What does an average work day look like for you?
Far too many meetings. It is entirely my own fault of course, but I sometimes have up to 18 meetings a day. I refuse to do meetings past 7pm because I need to switch my brain off and try to have a life. Sleep is really important to me and I wouldn’t be able to do this job without keeping my decompress hours and bedtime is sacred.
In your experience, is the tech sector supportive to women entering the field?
Yes, but honestly we can always do better. As a female VP of Sales I am acutely aware that I am so regularly the only woman in the room, or one of a handful. We need to keep hiring and promoting female leaders beneath us. We also need to be supportive of women coming back to work after having children.
Have you ever faced challenges during your career, and how did you overcome them?
Plenty. Goldman Sachs in the 2000s wasn’t exactly the most nurturing environment for women. I’ve been underestimated, talked over, and had my ideas credited to others. I overcame it by being undeniably good at my job, finding sponsors who backed me, and refusing to shrink and beige myself down for the workplace. I also believe it’s really important to be brave, to back yourself, and never shrink to fit an environment. If you find yourself doing that, you must change the environment.
I would also say that women are often their own biggest critics. I have definitely struggled with my mental health over the years. In sales we always have a target, so the moments where I missed mine I took it really personally and felt like a total failure. Ultimately I believe strongly that we are all responsible for our own success in life, but I have always felt way more pain at missing targets than joy at hitting them. Self-awareness is the first step, and I am learning to speak more kindly to myself. I am a work in progress!
Entering the world of tech can be daunting. Do you have any words of advice for anyone just starting out and feeling overwhelmed?
I was a VP at Goldman Sachs with an 11-year tenure and no tech recruiter cared. I had every door slammed in my face and was rejected over and over, even for account executive or account management roles. My advice is to be dogged and keep meeting as many people in as many different firms as possible. Ask people who work there who the hiring manager is for a role and ask them to put your CV in front of the hiring manager. I actually did a digital marketing course to prove I was serious about changing industries. Ultimately I took a job at Facebook earning 10% of what I used to, on a contract in marketing, just to get my foot in the door. From there I worked my way back to VP in the tech industry. It took me five years. Back yourself and don’t get hung up on titles.
Also, SDR is a really tough role but a great way to get your start in sales in tech. It rewards resilience and work ethic, and I love that.
What advice would you give other women wanting to reach their career goals in technology?
Stop telling recruiters what you are earning. Keep that to yourself and ask what the role is benchmarked at. That way it’s possible for you to make a big leap in earnings. Once in the role, do not undersell yourself on performance reviews. Give yourself a higher score, it really matters when it comes to getting promoted, paid and getting more equity. Stop making it easy for you to be overlooked. Ask for regular career conversations with your boss and have a clearly defined timeline for your next promotion. Also keep taking calls with recruiters because your dream job could be one call away. At a minimum, keep asking them what roles are benchmarked at so you truly understand your market value. And most importantly of all, continue to be brave. Never, ever beige yourself down to fit into an environment. You are far too fabulous for that.
