'I'm always up for a challenge' - GBM Digital boss on how she rose through the ranks

Michelle Atkinson tells CRN how she went from teenage office junior to heading the firm and how the gender divide has changed over her 30 years in the channel

Not many can claim they have worked their way up from an entry-level position with a company to head the firm, but that is the route GBM Digital's co-director Michelle Atkinson took.

Atkinson (pictured above) joined the Manchester-based Apple reseller as an office junior when she was 17 at the behest of her father, admitting that she initially had no interest in the job.

"I didn't know what I wanted to do or where I wanted to go, so my dad pushed me to take it and I never looked back," she explained.

"In my early days, I was mentored by quite a lot of people who helped me make the right decisions to move into different departments as I grew up.

"In those days as a youngster, you didn't know what you wanted to do or what direction you wanted to go in; educational opportunities make it more streamlined for children now.

"You do need people around you to help you get where you are. I had a lot of mentoring in the early years, but as time has gone on, I've found my own destiny."

She has now been with the education specialist for 33 years and was appointed a director in 1999. She heads the company with fellow directors Chris Costello and Alan Betts.

Her 30 years in the channel have allowed Atkinson to observe how the gender divide has shifted in that period.

She said she is seeing an increase in the number of women coming forward for roles they would probably not have applied for in the past.

Though there are still far fewer women in channel roles compared with their male counterparts, Atkinson said that today's education has built up girls' confidence and made STEM careers an attractive prospect for them.

"Education opportunities over the years have changed for children," she said.

"There is now more of a push for them to stay in education longer than when I was their age, and they have an understanding of what they want to do and where they want to go - it's much more streamlined.

"Years ago, science and engineering, in particular, were seen as just for men, and girls tended to shy away - but not now.

"There's more to IT and tech and it's not just coding, it has a broad range of skills that anybody can utilise."

GBM currently has 10 women among its headcount of 53, and Atkinson acknowledged that none are in technical roles.

However, she added that she will be interviewing a mixture of male and female candidates for an upcoming technical administrator role and this signifies how much the industry has changed since she first joined as a teenager.

"More women are coming forward for these types of roles," she stated. "Girls have grown more confident over the years and aren't shying away from opportunities."

Being with one company for over three decades puts Atkinson in the unique position of remembering what has worked and what hasn't in the past.

Last year it moved into the consumer space with the opening of Sync, a shopfront in Manchester city centre that also offers services to customers.

Atkinson said the company attempted a similar move 10 years ago that ultimately failed, but that her experience of that experiment makes her confident that the same mistakes won't be repeated.

This failure adds to experience and Atkinson's advice to young women starting out in the channel is to embrace any challenge that presents itself, regardless of the outcome.

"It's all about learning, having a voice and putting yourself forward to take on any challenge," she said.

"Don't be afraid; have the confidence to do it. I've always done that - it's got me where I am."