City of Chicago CIO Brenna Berman Addresses Enova Women’s Networking Group

By: Monica Sharma, UX engineer

Since its inception last year, the Enova Women’s Networking Group has hosted a number of impressive Chicago luminaries. With talents and backgrounds in a variety of fields, these guest speakers have addressed an array of topics, all with the goal of educating those in attendance on new and better ways to succeed.

Our most recent speaker was Brenna Berman, Chief Information Officer for the City of Chicago. Though she is an economist by trade, with a master’s in sociology and public policy, Brenna has built a remarkable career within the technology sector. In discussing years spent working at IBM, she noted the impact of creating and maintaining a cohesive culture — one that stresses the importance of mentoring employees and offering everyone an outlet for support, should they need it.

A key message in the discussion is the idea that when people don’t feel as though they belong within the culture of a company or don’t have someone to turn to when dealing with pivotal moments in their career, it can create a disharmony that will scare them away. Putting time and effort into cultivating your top talent is key, and playing the role of mentor to those who need it is an incredibly important factor in not just the success of individuals but the success of a company as well.

The Enova Women’s Networking Group looks forward to hosting more talented and insightful guest speakers. If you’d like more information or want a schedule of events, email Ramona Stefan at rstefan@enova.com.