Natasha Martin Wright is a senior consultant and service delivery manager in the UK who specializes in incident management. In her career journey at CGI, Natasha has steadily grown her expertise to take on new roles, support her colleagues and map her career journey with intention.
Thanks for meeting with us, Natasha! How did you get started at CGI?
In 2010, I had just finished my master’s in information systems when I discovered CGI at a university job fair in Aberdeen. I spoke with several CGI employees who had been part of the company’s graduate training program. I was impressed by the way they talked about their experiences. The program sounded flexible and diverse, offering a range of opportunities to try out different roles within the company. It was clear CGI offered a lot of support and career development to graduates, which was very attractive to me. And so, my decision was made.
After being hired at CGI, how did you end up in your current role? Tell us about your career path.
Working in a company of this size, I’ve found that I have the unique opportunity to learn new skills, which has helped tremendously in growing my career. Everything I’ve learned in each of my roles has helped get me to where I am today.
I started as an application support analyst, providing first and second-line support for a portfolio of software applications used by geologists and geophysicists for a large oil and gas client. These applications included critical systems supporting operations and high-end modeling tools.
My role was expanded to include incident management and software testing ahead of new releases or infrastructure upgrades. The variety of responsibilities set me up nicely for a promotion to my next role as regional team lead. I spent several months in Malaysia helping set up a team in Asia. After my return to the UK, I took on a regional team lead role in Europe before being promoted to global service delivery manager, responsible for tasks such as client relationship management and leading a team.
After some time, I wanted to work with different clients. I completed a COBIT Foundation certification (an IT management and governance framework) , which helped me provide more consultative and strategic support for another oil and gas client. I then switched to working for a public sector client providing software testing governance and support.
All in all, I love what I do, and I enjoy juggling my software testing and strategic IT management and governance skills.
This is very impressive. You’ve mentioned learning new skills along the way. How would you describe your learning journey at CGI?
I’ve consciously shaped my career by gaining new skills in every project I’ve worked on. I’ve learned tremendously by working with clients across different industries, from oil and gas to central and local government to utilities. And, of course, I acquired different technical skills along the way, which helped me land more strategic roles. Developing service delivery and project management expertise was key to expanding my career path. Upskilling in test management and developing my leadership skills, through self-learning and our internal learning platform, CGI Academia, helped tie everything together. I also have a mentor at CGI who has been instrumental in helping chart my career.
I am working toward obtaining my ITIL4 certification. I am already ITIL3 Foundation certified, but the ITIL framework has come a long way in focusing more on value creation, which is something that really motivates me.
In addition to these valuable skills you developed, what keeps you at CGI?
I can’t emphasize enough the wide range of career opportunities one can choose from at CGI. There’s something for everyone, and if you are open to exploring and learning, you can really enrich your career path. I’m also very grateful for my leadership team and colleagues. Everyone is very supportive. The culture I have experienced at CGI is one where we want each other to succeed and grow. We mentor each other and make sure our colleagues reach their full potential. I feel like I’m in charge of my career path; there are plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, and my colleagues have provided the support and mentorship I need to navigate it all.
The work we do can be challenging at times, but it is also tremendously rewarding to know that what we do positively impacts our communities. Our efforts also benefit our clients, shareholders, and our own professionals, which, for me, makes CGI a fun and rewarding place to work.
It’s been fantastic to learn about your journey. Thanks, Natasha, for sharing your career story at CGI!
