Vanguard Magazine

game ChaNGer 50 APRIL/MAY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com See the full interview online Q How did you start out in this industry, and how has it brought you to where you are today? I started in the industry over 20 years ago as a contractor with the Depart- ment of National Defence (DND). I of- ficially started on a Wednesday, and by the Friday of that same week, I was on a plane to Aviano, Italy. I knew virtually nothing about the Royal Canadian Air Force, CF-18s, or the Canadian Armed Forces – so I asked questions. A lot of questions. From there, I worked for a government agency and then became a public servant. I left government in 2015 and joined General Dynamics. I still ask a lot of questions. Q What was your most challenging moment? In 2007, I was in Afghanistan. It was Easter weekend, and I was back briefly at Kandahar Air Field (KAF). I actually don't recall where I was coming from, but I was scheduled to visit the Provin- cial Reconstruction Team (PRT). KAF was in lockdown, and I remember being handed a piece of paper. It was a news release. Six soldiers had been killed. I folded it up and put the news release in my pocket. I had a decision to make: stay for the ramp ceremony or go to the PRT. There was no one I could call. No one I could ask. I went to the PRT. I felt it was important to tell the stories of the good work that continued. A few years ago, when I was packing my desk to move to General Dynamics, I found the still-folded news release. It was tucked in a file folder. To this day, it still feels like a surreal moment. Q What is the one thing that has you most fired up today? I'm still all about connection, but to- day I'm fired up about seeing more women working in defence and secu- rity. At General Dynamics, we recently launched our Women's Leadership Se- ries bringing together both men and women to have candid conversations around barriers – real and perceived. We're also the first patron sponsors of Women in Defence and Security (WiDS), an organization that champi- ons women across our community. I know I've been lucky. I've had opportu- nities that brought me to Afghanistan, the Golan Heights, Moldova and India. I've taught on NATO courses and on Partnership for Peace exercises. I've been the only woman in the room. I al- ways felt heard. And that's my wish for women considering a career in defence and security: that they feel heard, ac- cepted and empowered. I never started out thinking I'd work in this industry, but I can't imagine working anywhere else. It's only through diversity and in- clusion that our field will continue to flourish. Q What is a habit that contributes to your success? I get up early. My husband, a Chief War- rant Officer in the Army, will disagree, but for the rest of the population, I do get up early. It gives me the time to collect my thoughts, voraciously read Twitter, and prepare for the day. I hate being rushed in the morning, and that "me" time is really important. I've also become accustomed to working across time zones, so getting up early helps me tackle emails that might have come in overnight. This is a habit I developed while working on the Afghani- stan Task Force. I want to begin my day having a sense of what's going on in the world and what might await me once I ar- rive at the office. Q What are some of the biggest impediments to innovation in your industry sector? From a marketing and communications perspective, it's often the "what" of what we do. Sometimes there are simply things we can't talk about, and that's not going to change. As a result, we need strategies that allow us to continue to tell our story, without giving away the "secret sauce." This is where a communications strategy becomes so important, as well as the sup- port of the senior leadership team. We are supported – and trusted – to tell the Gen- eral Dynamics story authentically. Q What is your parting piece of advice? Network, network, and network some more. Talk about leadership, talk about your success, talk about your failures, learn about your industry, learn about an- other industry. Cultivating relationships can sustain you in the good times and the bad. And having an active network allows you to pick up the phone and ask: "What would you do?" I wish that my younger self had done more networking. KristinA DAvis director of MarketinG and coMMunications GEnErAl DynAmiCs mission systEms – CAnADA

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