Meet Mariam Tariq, Senior Vice President of Digital Experience Products at Progress

Today, we shine a spotlight on Mariam Tariq, who has been recognized for “Dare to Innovate,” one of the ProgressPROUD core values we strive to embody every day.

Technology moves fast. Keeping up with constant change is a major part of working in the tech field, and Mariam Tariq has been keeping up since before she was a teenager.

After introducing herself to the world of tech at just 11 years old, Mariam went on to work in a variety of environments and a variety of areas. The one thing that stayed the same was Mariam’s passion for digital transformation and innovation.

At Progress, Mariam and her team are always trying to improve products, processes and operations. Innovation remains at the core of what she does—both in and out of the office. Learn more about Mariam and her experience at Progress in the interview below.

How did you get into the tech field?

I started to build electronic circuits when I was 11 and write software when I was 13. I was always interested in technology. That interest led me to pursue an engineering degree and work as a hardware and software developer for 10 years. I soon realized I also enjoyed marketing and strategy and pivoted to product management and product marketing while pursuing an MBA.

I have been fortunate to work at a variety of private and public companies, from a 10-person startup to a large enterprise like Oracle, spanning many areas from satellite tracking systems, mobile device management, content management, digital experience and analytics.

How do creativity and innovation factor into your day-to-day at Progress?

I see creativity and innovation in both our products and processes. We have an incredibly smart team that’s building cutting edge technology and working on ways to deliver value to our customers. We are helping organizations by driving efficiency and productivity and creating modern platforms to solve challenges. We’re helping businesses realize their strategic vision for their digital presence.  

Innovation and creativity are also present in our operations. We don’t waste time; we look for ways that we can leverage automation, tools, systems and processes to speed our delivery. This ranges from how we build software to the processes that drive our go-to-market, support and sales strategies.

What is your favorite part about working in the tech sector?

The rate of technological change and advancement. There is tremendous innovation that is accelerating year over year. It’s exciting to read about the latest technology advances that enable us to go beyond simply delivering functional software and drive truly transformational experiences. The products my team works on are evolving through innovation in cloud technology, AI, automation, data processing and more.

As the SVP of Digital Experience Products at Progress, what qualities do you think make a good leader?

In my opinion, there are four things that every good leader must do:

• Set clear objectives and measurements to ensure success.
• Mentor and empower teams, including assessing and aligning strengths to support desired outcomes.
• Develop systems and processes to work efficiently.
• Build partnerships across the organization to support teamwork and collaboration.

When you’re not working, what do you like to do?

I lead a Girl Scout troop where we work on community service projects, entrepreneurship and activities to build confidence and leadership skills in young girls. Recently, we did an overnight camping trip where we built campfires to cook dinner, developed archery skills and roughed the outdoors for a few days, waking up at the crack of dawn. I also have some personal projects that I’m working on, including a book focused on leadership for introverts and a mobile application to help support high school and college students’ executive functioning skills.

During your time at Progress, who has been your favorite coworker?

It is impossible to identify only one! I am so impressed and inspired by the collaboration and the caliber of people across all the departments at Progress. This is a company where people come to work inspired each day to collaborate and make a difference.

What are you most excited about for the future of Progress?

We have exciting opportunities ahead of us to grow our footprint in the technology space, including supporting digital transformation initiatives. We have a highly differentiated portfolio that we’ll continue to build out. We have acquired some great companies in addition to working on innovation inside Progress. We have many dedicated customers and partners whom we continue to work with to support their goals.

I look forward to working with our teams at Progress to further develop our offerings and support new initiatives and growth.

To get to know other Progressers like Mariam, read more of our employee interviews here.

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