Originally from Ireland, Siobhan Garriga has spent half of her life abroad: first in Madrid, Spain and currently in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She joined Avature in 2018 as Processes Project Manager to work on developing efficient company-wide processes. After being thoroughly involved in enhancing many practices across the company, she became Process Improvement Director in 2019. She’s passionate about improvement, solving problems, and driving meaningful change through people and processes.
When not at work, Sio likes to spend as much time as possible with her family and friends, cook and develop new healthy recipes, exercise daily, and write whenever possible. She is also a passionate music lover—live Irish sessions, soul, and orchestral music are her favorites.
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What unique challenges have you faced in your career in a leadership position? How did you overcome them?
Probably the greatest challenge came from my decision to switch careers. I had been feeling stuck in my strategic sales and marketing roles, unheard and undervalued, and was conscious I was not truly leveraging my skill set. So I reached out to some incredible professionals I had worked with and admired and sought their guidance and insight. I dug deep and rediscovered my own unique talent and skill set. At that pivotal time, I uncovered a new professional passion and took a leap into operational excellence and continuous improvement. I haven’t looked back. I’m grateful for the journey because it helps me be a better mentor to other female leaders facing the same: struggling to identify their own unique value, place, and voice.
If you could go back in time and talk to the younger version of yourself when you were at the beginning of your journey, what advice would you give her?
I would tell her: don’t dim your light. Trust your gut not just sometimes, all the time. Take a seat wherever the action is at!
What do you imagine or expect as the next steps for you to continue growing professionally?
Keep learning! Both from professional studies and from the amazing talent I’m surrounded by. Continue to expand the Process Improvement team and company outreach to deliver value and continuous improvement to where it matters most.