BY, MONIKA SAMTANI, CO-FOUNDER, AND EMILY MONTAGUE, MANAGING EDITOR, THE FEM WORD

Angeline Barrozo is the Global Head of Business Development at Wipro Ventures. She’s an executive at a Fortune India 500 multinational company, yet “mom” is her favorite title. While she works to drive engagement with Wipro Ventures portfolio companies globally everyday, Angeline finds time to dance hip-hop and salsa, jog five miles daily, and celebrate her heritage by practicing Eskabo Daan, a Filipino martial art.

The Fem Word’s Co-Founder Monika Samtani, and Managing Editor, Emily Montague had the privilege to sit down with Angeline, and learn what it means to her to be a practical but compassionate leader at a global information technology company.

“I know it’s simple, but I really believe in the golden rule of treating people the way you wish to be treated. Practicing honesty, integrity, respect, etc., are values we have all been taught and just need to be conscientious of in our daily lives”

~Angeline Barrozo

Monika and Emily: To start, tell us a bit about who you are outside of work. Where did you grow up? What was your childhood like––your hobbies and school experiences?

Angeline practicing Eskabo Daan, Filipino martial arts

Angeline Barrozo: Work is what we all do, but I don’t believe it defines us. At the end of the day, Amadea and Axl Orion (my children) are my finest accomplishments, so “Mom” is my favorite title. I was born in Manila, Philippines but came to the Bay Area as a child and was raised here. My parents raised us with traditional values: family bonds, honesty, respect, strong work ethics, etc. I did well academically but was passionate about music. I played the flute and piano in the school classical band and jazz band respectively. I also joined clubs like Model UN and the Debate Team. These days, I dance hip-hop and salsa, jog five miles daily and celebrate my heritage by practicing Eskabo Daan, a Filipino martial art.

To do the work you do, I imagine you need to have a pretty deep connection to the “entrepreneurial spirit,” as we call it. Have you always had a business-oriented mindset, or did that develop gradually over time?

I have always liked solving problems or unraveling a good mystery in an effort to help people. It was just logical that a lot of these fixes didn’t just help people but were tied to a financial impact, so business was a natural career path for me.

Who were your role models during college and your early career? What were the main things you learned from them?

My main role model was definitely my mother. She didn’t discuss a glass ceiling but just grinded to be successful. She was a smart business woman who ran various finance and operations departments at San Francisco General Hospital and in the City of San Francisco. She also dabbled in real estate and smaller side businesses. However, she managed to prepare a home cooked meal every night and nurture her kids. She set a really high bar for me to achieve this family-work life balance and I strive for it every day. The main lesson she taught me was to not compare myself to anyone else but push to be my best self. That’s what I teach my kids as well.

As a woman occupying the traditionally male-oriented world of “big business,” what were the main hurdles you faced as you took up a leadership role at Wipro and with its extensive portfolio of client companies?

I was fortunate to have worked with Wipro for five years as a business development leader at Oracle. Then in 2013, I joined Wipro to head the Oracle Alliance and was welcomed with open arms. I became Partner [of] GTM & Business Development for Wipro Ventures in 2018. Throughout my career, I’ve found that getting in front of the right stakeholders and thinking out of the box has helped me convince very senior leaders to do what I believed was the right thing for the company (i.e. strategy, event participation, resources, etc). This approach, combined with passion and tenacity, has served me well.

Give us a day in the life of Angeline Barrozo. What does your job entail?

Wipro Ventures differentiates themselves as a Venture Capitalist through my leadership role and team. Not only do we believe in a start-up company’s potential, but we have a dedicated team to do all we can to realize that success with the company. I’m responsible for a team that works with an extensive network across our entire organization to plan the GTM strategy and demand generations activities. Our start-up company gets validation in the marketplace, our customers get an innovative solution, and Wipro continues to exceed our customers’ expectations. To this end, my team and I spend a lot of time triggering initiatives and plans with others and push[ing] to ensure things stay on track and resolve any challenges whether they are campaigns or customer demonstrations, etc.

When you do face resistance on the path toward development, how do you handle it? What’s the best way to get a company or leadership team on board with your vision so that they can improve their outcomes in areas like company innovation, technology, or customer service.

I like to listen first and ensure I understand what is causing the resistance. It helps me to share my thoughts with others and hear other perspectives, as we all have blind spots. Luckily, I have the best team at Wipro Ventures and the most supportive bosses. They are great sounding boards and provide good insights and suggestions. Our Wipro Ventures team is lean but ready to get all hands on deck to help each other. That camaraderie has helped me navigate a lot of challenging situations.

Angeline with her kids, Amadea and Axl Orion

As companies grow from small businesses through all the stages of development, eventually becoming enormous corporate entities like Wipro or Amazon, how do leaders and employees effectively hold onto their deeper values?

COVID really gave the world a reset button. Companies must be profitable at the end but now there is definitely an element of humanity involved in decision making. The concept of “we reserve the right to refuse your service” is impossible to fathom now. It seemed much easier to take customers, and people, for granted. Today, businesses strive not to just get customer mindshare, but to capture their hearts and connect at another level for customer satisfaction and loyalty. I know it’s simple, but I really believe in the golden rule of treating people the way you wish to be treated. Practicing honesty, integrity, respect, etc., are values we have all been taught and just need to be conscientious of in our daily lives - whether on a personal level or in business.

How can we hold ourselves, our colleagues, and our organizations accountable to moral values and the responsibility to do good in the wider world?

Angeline with Biplab Adhya and Anindya Chaudhuri, reunion with former Wipro Oracle Leaders, Wipro Leadership Conference 2019, Boca Raton, Florida

One of the reasons I joined Wipro eight years ago is because the company’s core values were closest to my personal values. I wanted to work in an environment where I could be myself. The spirit of philanthropy starts at the top, with Mr. Azim Premji, and flows throughout the organization. I admire how he signed the Giving Pledge in 2013, a commitment by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to giving back. Also, at Wipro, we have extensive reminders on our corporate values and the daily habits, such as Demonstrating Stewardship and Building Trust, that help us stay aligned with those values. These reminders are regularly communicated to all employees and are designed for leaders to lead by example. It helps build esprit de corps.

This interview is made possible by our partner Akytech Consulting - a minority woman-owned company who embraces the importance of showcasing the voices and stories of women leaders through The Fem Word platform, because our stories intersect, no matter what profession or industry. When we talk about women in leadership, empathy, openness, and humility are all so important in today’s corporate landscape, and women tend to excel at these value metrics.

What would you share with the female leadership at Akytech about if and how being a woman influences your own leadership style as an executive? How has your gender impacted your work experiences, if at all?

I notice more of an appreciation for the softer skills we women possess and believe these skills have been an asset. Throughout my career, I’ve always tried to see the whole person and not just an employee on my team. The rapport and relationship is better and people will go above and beyond. I’m [a] practical but compassionate leader as I can’t separate that part of my personality. I like enabling my team members to excel and stand in their glory. Of course, this means I also take responsibility as a leader and stand in front to take the arrows on occasion. I live by two mantras: The universe never gives me something I can’t handle. Act as if the authority of God/Universe is backing you up.

You may know this already, but we always ask our women guests the same thing at the end of a conversation. Angeline, could you tell us about a time when you felt truly powerful?

My superpower is the ability to influence, whether that be in my career or personal life. Every day, I hear progress from my team and colleagues about great things we are achieving together and knowing my influence in that made a difference is a great feeling. I mentor many friends and relatives too. I love when they tell me how they are mentoring others and sharing my wisdom. It feels like my superpower gets amplified and helps others.

This interview is made possible by our partner Akytech Consulting, a minority, woman-owned consulting company in the DC area which allows The Fem Word to highlight women leaders.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the interviewee, and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Fem Word organization. Any content provided by our interviewees are based on their opinions and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual or anyone or anything.

Angeline Barrozo: Wipro Venture’s Global Head of Business Development On Leading With Compassion and Staying True To Yourself