It’s 2008 and Janet Lin is in a fancy ballroom in downtown Toronto meeting with a dozen male bank executives. She’s there to discuss the launch of an industry-breaking financial product. “I am this young, little woman in this room of power,” said Janet. She may have looked like an outlier, but she had power too – she was the project tech lead to launch the brand-new financial product.
“I felt excited and challenged to be part of the launch of such an innovative product. Once the excitement died down, I realized the responsibility of launching this, leading a cross-functional team and external vendors and partners. It was a lot of pressure but I quickly started to turn the plan into actions and steps.”
It took a lot of risk, sacrifice, perseverance, and hard work to earn that seat at the impressive table. It was a huge career milestone for a young woman in tech — but even more significant for a newcomer to this country, a woman of colour, and someone who insists she lacks confidence. Her hard work was paying off.
Women never forget these pivotal moments when they realize, ‘maybe I can do this. Maybe I can be a female leader in tech, embrace the challenges and navigate the systemic roadblocks. Maybe I’m a born disruptor who can inspire other immigrants and women of colour.’
The word disruptor now defines Janet’s career, even though it may not have been intentional. Now VP of Lending and Payments Technology at Equitable Bank, she has a long list of accolades: Recognized in 2022 by Forbes Global Top 100 Outstanding Chinese; chosen in 2021 as one of the Women’s Executive Network’s (WXN) 100 most powerful women in Canada; Oracle Global Innovation Award Winner for Digital Identity, and a finalist for Advocate of the Year at the Global IT Awards. Leading her consumer-facing technology teams, Janet has been the driving force behind many of Canada’s iconic products: PC Optimum, PC credit card, PC Insider, PC Health, etc.
Back in 2000, she wasn’t feeling like a disruptor when she nervously waited in the airport in Shanghai for her flight to Fredericton, New Brunswick to study computer science at UNB. All her belongings were in a backpack slung across her shoulder. She had disrupted life in China, where her parents had meticulously planned out her life. “I wanted to live my life my own way – be independent and forge my own path. I felt I needed a challenge and wanted to hold the key to my future in my own hands.” When she informed her parents she was going to Canada, they told her she was on her own financially.
In Fredericton, she redefined herself as a ‘starving student’ who didn’t speak English, understand the culture, or know anyone. “Shanghai has a population of over 30 million and I was now in a city with a population of under 60,000.” The experience was life changing.
During the pandemic, Janet decided to embrace another challenge by joining Equitable Bank, known as Canada’s Challenger bank, to transform lending and payments technology.
Giving back
Great things always start over lunch. I met Janet Lin a few years ago, when she was first interested in collaborating with Red Hat Canada. She was impressed by Red Hat Canada’s ‘community approach’ to closing the gender gap in the tech sector, and our rallying cry of Turning Conversation into Concrete Action. Janet and Red Hat Canada collaborated on a Women + Leadership workshop, and we attracted a full house of allies to discuss how to increase the pipeline of female talent in tech.
I didn’t realize it, but this was another moment in disrupting her career. She wanted to start building her external reputation, to give back, and share her story, expertise, and wisdom. She is happy to be in the spotlight if it helps other female newcomers to this country, and women of colour.
Last year, at the sixth annual Red Hat Canada Women + Leadership event, Janet joined a panel of other female tech executives to share their best practices for supporting women post-Covid. She is guided by the words of her hero – the first disruptor in her life and the wisest woman she’s ever known – her late grandmother. “She told me to go out in the world and make it a better place. Be kind to others. I want to create an easier path for women who are like me. Maybe I can make it easier so they don’t need to go through all the challenges. Maybe I can convince them that they can be a disruptor too.”
When Janet was a kid, she wanted to be a teacher like her mother, another disruptor, who was a university professor. “She was always there for her students, coaching them, and always ready to help. She cared and wanted to see them grow. I see myself as a teacher in tech. I want to help young women to grow and get out of their comfort zone.”
As a sought-after speaker, LinkedIn thought leader, and generous mentor, she is committed to pushing women out of their comfort zone to achieve their leadership goals. Here are some of the tips she shares with newcomers and women of colour who want to take the next step.
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- Becoming a leader may require changing your mindset. When Janet moved from an individual contributor to leader and then to executive, it required a change in mindset. “I didn’t go through those MBA programs, and it took me a long time to see myself as a leader. I threw myself into extensive leadership training and personal coaching. It was not easy. I was pushing up against cultural norms and practices, and dealing with a lack of confidence. I’ve had several leadership coaches. One pointed out that I wasn’t sharing a lot about myself. I didn’t realize this. It’s a bit of a cultural thing – the way I was raised. She helped me to practice feeling comfortable sharing my story.”
- Leaders ask for help. “I think a lot of women are like me. They want to prove they’re capable. In a way, we are a bit stubborn. We are not good at asking for help. We make it hard for ourselves. I learned people really want to see you succeed. They’re invested. People believed in me, took me under their wing, and checked in to see if I needed any help. They recommended opportunities.“They’d say: ‘You can do it.’ Now I’m in a senior role, I always reach out to young talent. I encourage them to take on a challenge, have courage, and maybe hold their hands a bit, but empower them. It’s one of the reasons I love Canada. People are very kind and very willing to help others. I’m building that solid foundation of being kind.”
- Leaders require strong communications skills. “Earlier in my career, I felt I was behind everyone else. I had to double or even triple the effort and persevere to achieve my success. People born here may have more advantages than me, but I still believe everyone can achieve their dreams. Learning has been my motivation. Every day, I’m learning. During my career, I never stopped learning the business: banking, payments, credit cards, retail, marketing, customer engagement, E-commerce, beauty, and health care. That challenge motivates me every day.”
- You don’t need one network, you need many. Janet never limits herself to only work networks, and joins diverse networks where she is surrounded by supportive people and those she wants to support. “I’ve seen how small things I do to help others in my networks and make big impacts on other people who are trying to move ahead. I share this on social media to inspire others.”
- Be a role model to others. “Newcomers especially, the ones that came in the last five to ten years, tend to be motivated by creating a rich educational environment for their children. They don’t invest in themselves; they don’t believe they can be successful. They tend to believe that ‘this is not my country and I’m going to do this job for the next 30 years to support my kids’.” Janet is invested in helping them see a different future. “If I can achieve what I have, anyone can too.”
- Be a mentor and sponsor. It’s important to offer your support and mentorship to others in your network. Share your experience, provide guidance, and help others navigate the challenges they may face. Consider sponsoring talented individuals and opening doors for them to access opportunities for growth and advancement.
- Support diversity and inclusion initiatives. Be an advocate for equal opportunities and create a supportive environment that values and embraces the contribution of individuals from all backgrounds. Change happens one step at a time. Sending an email to recommend a woman for a role in your organization is a small step that could change her life.
- Leverage your influence to share success stories. Use your platform and social media presence to share success stories of individuals who have overcome obstacles and achieved significant milestones. By amplifying their achievements, you can inspire others and challenge stereotypes and biases.
