Five-minute interview: Emily Fallon, RingCentral

Hello Emily, tell us what you do for a living.

I’m Emily Fallon, regional vice-president of international channel marketing and partner programmes at RingCentral. My job is to lead an all-star team of international channel marketing individuals across the UK, France, Germany and Australia as we act as an extended part of our partner teams to help them generate leads and pipeline.  

Why are you the right person for this job? 

I’m a full-on channel first person. I love working with partners and building relationships but also taking a step back and helping to create a culture and team to build successes for the future.  

What gets you up in the morning?

Every day is different at RingCentral, especially when you work in the channel. It motivates me to get up and to start each day with new ideas and initiatives. Beyond that, I’ve also got two barking sausage dogs to jumpstart my day.  

Who helped you get to where you are today? 

This is always a tough one as this is down to so many individuals. I would firstly have to say my family and friends. They always provide a real boost if I’m lacking confidence, making sure that I always push myself (but in the same breath making sure I don’t push myself too far).  

Second, it has to be the people who I have worked with at RingCentral and in previous roles either as colleagues or my management team. I have been lucky enough to have been challenged in my roles, which has helped me navigate my way through to get to where I am now – although, there is still so much I would like to do! 

Last, and most important, it has to be the team of people I work with every day. My team is supportive and passionate about what they do, and that makes it easy for us all to grow and progress as individuals but more so as a team. 

What is the best or worst business advice you have received and from whom?

The worst advice I ever received was given by an old manager, which was to make sure I reply to every email within an hour.  
 
Being a slight workaholic and struggling sometimes to switch off, this was probably the worst advice I could have been given as I still feel I need to reply straight away to someone, whereas in reality it’s okay to wait a bit longer. 
 
The best advice I received from a recent manager was to learn to say ‘No’, but then follow it up with ‘but…I can help you next week’. This was a challenge for me, but it’s something I have taken on board and try to instil daily.  

What advice would you give to someone starting out today in IT? 

Embrace it and enjoy it! IT opens up so many doors to different opportunities, so make sure you are curious, ask questions and look for things that interest you. The best thing about a career in IT is that it’s always going to be here, so you can shape your future as you see fit.  

Is it possible to get through an industry conversation without mentioning ‘digital transformation’? 

Surely this is just another marketing buzzword? (It’s OK for me to say that as I work in marketing!)

In all seriousness, digital transformation is worth keeping in the conversation. Businesses need to remain privy to how digital transformation has the potential to heighten the way businesses deliver value to customers.

“Businesses need to remain privy to how digital transformation has the potential to heighten the way businesses deliver value to customers

Emily Fallon, RingCentral

This is especially true during ongoing macroeconomic pressures (such as the cost-of-living crisis, for example) in which customer retention is going to be vital.

More businesses are embarking on digital transformation processes of their own to boost efficiency, streamline operations, and remain competitive in an oversaturated and competitive market.

What does the next five years hold for the channel? 

Over the next five years, many will continually review their expenditure and customers will also look at what infrastructure they have already invested in. SaaS technology allows customers to reduce or eliminate on-premises hardware, which increases the possibility of a reduced environmental impact.

As customers are now becoming increasingly aware of what sustainability should look like from a corporate perspective, they will re-evaluate what internal and external factors are contributing to building a sustainable practice, and at what cost. As a result, we’ll see more customers pivot their strategy and invest in SaaS technology to move their sustainability journey forward.   

Tell us something most people do not know about you 

During one of my first roles, I was lucky enough to help set up a careers website - icould.com. The purpose of this website was to inspire young people to help make the right career choices. As part of this we went out and filmed people from all different jobs, backgrounds and outlined their career journey. This was a fascinating project and something I am proud to have been a part of, even filming with a few celebrities along the way.

What temptation can you not resist? 

Sweets, especially Haribo or Tropical Jelly Tots. Even better if you keep them in the fridge.

If you could be any animal for a day, what would you be and why? 

I think I would like to be a butterfly. I’ve always found the evolution from caterpillars to butterflies interesting, and beautiful. Plus, you get to fly, of course.