Mums in Tech ft. Lisa Treasure
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Lisa Treasure, Head of Marketing at Chorus.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ interview series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech teams for women.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
I’m Lisa, Head of Marketing at Chorus, a Portishead-based MSP and MSSP near Bristol. As a Microsoft partner, we support organisations with their IT, cyber security and business applications. Alongside my role in marketing, I sit on the executive team and play an active part in shaping our culture and supporting our ED&I initiatives.
I’m also a mum of two - my son is nearly four, and my daughter is one.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
Living a very full and rewarding life – but with a lot of juggling, to-do lists and reminding myself to slow down a bit.
“Living a very full and rewarding life – but with a lot of juggling, to-do lists and reminding myself to slow down a bit.”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
Challenging! Balance suggests an even distribution, but I find that the reality is more like a swing where your priorities continually shift. I don’t think you can do it all, all the time – so picking the things to focus on is important. Throw in your child getting sick and then any careful planning goes out the window!
What’s helped me most is being more open about it. Asking for help or being clear on boundaries. Becoming a mum has made me much better at being present in whatever I’m doing – when I’m at work, I’m at work. When I’m with the kids, I’m with the kids. That separation of work and home is much more distinct now.
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
The hardest thing for me has been adjusting to the change in pace. Work is fast, busy, and always evolving, and that’s what I genuinely love about working in tech. But then you leave work to be home with the kids and then you’re on a twenty-minute walk that covers about fifty metres because toddlers want to stop and look at every single thing on the ground!
At first, I still felt this rush of things to do, onto the next thing and wanting to tick things off, when all my children really want and need is my attention. I had a mantra of “this is not an emergency” as I’d find myself rushing through everything. It has taken me a while to learn how to be better at switching off from that ‘always on’ feeling and to be present and patient in those slow, important moments.
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Being organised and able to prioritise my day has always been a strength, but since becoming a mum these skills are on a whole new level. When your time is genuinely limited, you get a lot more intentional about how you use it.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
Having a manager who was also a working mum in tech was huge for me. She’d lived it, so she got it. Hearing her say “just go, it’s fine” when nursery called or plans needed to change took a big weight off my mind. That external voice giving me permission is genuinely powerful when I’m internally feeling guilty.
I’d also add that doing shared parental leave with my husband made a real difference. I took nine months and he took three, and we did it with both kids. He got quality time to bond, and I found returning to work much easier knowing they were together. It also meant I was able to get stuck back into work, instead of the added stress of every week bringing a new illness home from starting nursery. It’s something I’d encourage anyone to look into as many are eligible for it but it’s not very common.
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
Listen first. Flexibility matters, but what flexibility looks like is different for everyone. I’d also say that supporting dads and partners is just as important. When it becomes genuinely normal for anyone to have flexibility around pick-up or a sick child, it stops it being a ‘mum thing’ and that makes a real difference.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
Don’t let yourself slide to the bottom of the list. It’s easy to do and easy to justify, but it catches up with you. Also, talking to others who are in the same boat is genuinely one of the most helpful things I’ve found.
“Don’t let yourself slide to the bottom of the list. It’s easy to do and easy to justify, but it catches up with you. Also, talking to others who are in the same boat is genuinely one of the most helpful things I’ve found”
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