A quarter-life crisis led Camille Chandra to pivot from her science background to business, which landed her the opportunity of a lifetime at — a role she didn’t even apply for.
Today, Chandra is a technology sales leader at IBM, supporting IBM’s clients in the financial services industry. But her original plan was to become a dentist.
After graduating with a health sciences degree from Mount Allison University, British Columbia-born Camille Chandra (MBA’17) took a gap year with plans to reapply to dental school. She ended up also applying to Dal’s MBA program.
In the end, the decision was made for her when she was accepted into the MBA program, but not dental school. “You know what they say,” she says with a smile, “rejection is actually redirection.”
You know what they say, rejection is actually redirection
Within months of beginning her MBA, Chandra knew she was exactly where she needed to be.
“I learned pretty quickly that I didn't need to keep justifying my educational background because I was drawing upon those skills so often,” she says.
Chandra, second from right, attends an International Women's Day executive breakfast event.
Perhaps it’s no surprise, then, that she ended up in an industry that combines scientific skill and business acumen: big tech. As someone working for a global technology company, Chandra has a front-row seat to the ways AI is democratizing every industry.
“It's developing quicker than it can be properly vetted, so that’s challenging from a societal perspective, but I do think we need to embrace it, no matter your occupation” she says. “The average person doesn’t need a PhD in AI, but should do their best to follow the bouncing ball, because it’s going to be in everything.”
Unicorn training
Chandra’s career progression at IBM is impressive. It began two years after graduating, when Chandra landed a sales gig at IBM, selling enterprise technology solutions. Three years later she was the chief of staff to the general manager of IBM Canada. She has since become a technology sales leader.
The key to success in all those roles, she says, is adaptability.
Being a chameleon in business and technology is so important
“Being a chameleon in business and technology is so important,” she observes. “There are moments when you realize, ‘I need to quickly read the personalities in this room and adjust accordingly.’ I’m still myself, but which strength am I leaning into?”
As chief of staff, Chandra observed many high-stakes conversations between senior leaders. Her mentors encouraged her to use this 18-month assignment to take stock of the traits she should aspire to embody and the behaviours to avoid.
“You have some people who are laser focused on executing against business objectives, and they are just as important as those who focus on development by giving their reports the confidence and independence to thrive,” she says. “It's so rare to find a unicorn who can do both.”
Chandra says whenever she comes across a leader like this, she tries to maximize their time together to learn as much as she possibly can. The goal is to one day become one of these rare leaders herself.
The AI of it all
But even a unicorn is not immune to the changes wrought by artificial intelligence.
And perhaps that’s what it all comes back to: adaptability and having the confidence to try new things.
When Chandra was first searching for a career in tech, she didn’t have a computer science background. When she applied to business school, she doubted her suitability due to her education in the sciences.
Shown right: Chandra with Pepper the Robot at IBM.
But what she did have was training to identify gaps and look for creative solutions. She had strong communication and interpersonal abilities that she was able to lean on to grow in her various roles.
Using the skills she’s gleaned from various points in her life, Chandra is focused on becoming the unicorn she’s long admired.