Joan Monina Tolentino is the successful founder of InfoTeam International, a producer of niche, high-quality B2B events within the CIO/CISO environment. She launched in 2019 and has now expanded to a dozen countries, including most of mainland Europe and Philippines.
Joan, give us a little information on your background and your career to date:
I was immersed in a business environment from a young age, with my parents running a college in the Philippines, and I learned a lot about the value of money from them – dinnertime often meant business chat over our food!
As a young businesswoman, at just 20 years old, I was working for trade ambassadors, utilising my skills for their country-to-country marketing and advising them as to how to achieve bilateral trade success – it made me realise I could have a real impact and influence global trade. This in turn drove me to take up my International Studies Masters programme and gave me confidence in my future potential.
Away from work I love music, enjoy playing the piano and spend as much time as possible with my family, who are the most important thing in my life.
What are your favourite memories from your career so far?
Launching InfoTeam International in 2019 was obviously one – the moment I felt confident enough to go it alone and build something from scratch. To then be faced with a global event which decimated the very industry we set up to be a part of was scary and devastating – but we acted, and the immense pride felt in being nominated for two awards in 2020, for creativity and the way in which we pivoted were great signs that we were doing right things. I think my next favourite memory will definitely be that first face-to-face event we can all attend sometime this year! I look forward to shaking hands and sitting around a table together eating a great meal!
What do you see as key values to be successful in business?
Integrity is my major one and I’d also say transparency. We are all in business trying to grow and climb the ladder, there’s no need to cheat others to get there or pull the wool over anyone’s eyes. Be honest, be fair.
Do you still experience assumptions and stereotypes around being a female in the business world, if so, how does that manifest?
Maybe I’m fortunate but I have experienced very little discrimination with InfoTeam. I feel an entrepreneur sees an entrepreneur, not a male or a female.
When you’re in the corporate world and you’re an employee, boardrooms are still often dominated by men, and I often felt like I wasn’t as valued as other men. I had some specific issues and this eventually led me to create InfoTeam!
The CIO/CISO director level I operate within is still very male dominated but is changing, and I think because of how I hold myself and demonstrate clearly what InfoTeam can offer – people see a businessperson, not a woman. People are very respectful.
I think there’s a space in this environment for women-only events though and we’re looking to launch something just for women very soon…this type of session is important to encourage women to stand up and be heard, which not everyone is still comfortable doing.
What are the most effective ways of handling stereotyping when it happens?
You have to fight for your rights. I believe if you drive to be successful and demonstrate it people will respect you, and that most of the battle won.
What are the biggest issues facing women in the workplace in 2021?
There is an ongoing battle for some – women on maternity leave have a particular issue and often feel like I did, that you’ve been left behind. Being away for a year, you come back and have to start from scratch – the work teams have moved on, strategies have developed, and you’ve missed that opportunity to develop your career.
I hope the new digital way of doing things, brought on by COVID, and the likes of Zoom and Teams and other Tech advances might help women to stay in touch more. You can perhaps find ways of staying more visible and not feel as left behind if you’re able to stay in touch more easily. The worrying flipside might be that you’re expected to tune in for meetings whilst working at home and looking after your children.
How important are events like International Women’s Day to you and to women in business?
I look forward to it. I’m a big advocate of women leaders. I follow them and I get inspiration from them. IWD is an important profile-raising opportunity and helps to tell the stories and explain the challenges that women still face, but each year you see more and more inspirational stories and women being more successful than ever. Take the story of Melanie Perkins, the CEO for Canva. I take a particular interest in here because she’s half Filipino, and she’s taken her passion for design and turned it into a multi-billion-pound business. She’s now the third-richest woman in Australia and I love her story!
In life we all need role-models – IWD is a great opportunity to see stories you wouldn’t otherwise see and you can learn from them and grow from them.
And finally, what is the most important piece of advice you would give to female students aspiring to be successful in business?
I invested in myself. My Masters was a financial and time commitment, and it doesn’t have to be that, but commit to what you need to – no-one can take that skill development or experience away from you and you’ll be the stronger for it.
