Cloud Girls is honored to have amazingly accomplished, professional women in tech as our members. We take every opportunity to showcase their expertise and accomplishments – promotions, speaking engagements, publications and more. Now, we are excited to shine a spotlight on one of our members each month.
Sandra Glaser Cheek has spent 20 years in partner sales and marketing roles working for technology companies like Ciena, VMWare, Brocade and Adobe. She is a global channel chief who is well-known for staying ahead of emerging trends with expertise in channel and partner sales, enablement and marketing. Whether it’s hardware infrastructure or software solutions, she knows how to blend traditional approaches with innovative strategies to help partners differentiate, drive demand and fuel sales growth.
When did you join Cloud Girls and why?
I was introduced to Cloud Girls by Luanne Tierney and Kedra Simm in 2017. Aside from their enthusiasm about the group, I was attracted to the diversity of backgrounds and accomplishments of the women and felt that it was an opportunity to not only learn a lot, but also give back in equal measure.
What do you value about being a Cloud Girl?
I value the continuous learning about current and future trends and the support we provide each other – and the annual retreat where we are able to connect with each in a deeper, personal way!
What is the biggest risk that you’ve taken?
One year out of college, I quit my job and moved to New York city without a job, place to live, etc. I intended on pursuing a career in advertising, but ended accepting a technology sales role (it paid more than advertising and rent was expensive!). It was a risk that paved the way for the phenomenal career in tech that I’ve had.
What woman inspires you and why?
Ellen DeGeneres has always stood up for what she believes in and goes out of her way to make the world a better place. She has built a non-political platform that inspires the best in us – to be kind, courageous and accepting humans while making us laugh along the way.
What are the most exciting opportunities for women in tech?
I think it’s really more about ALL opportunities in tech needing women. The future has most everything connected, smart and responsive. With new technologies we are able to delegate mundane work and processes to machines. We need more women in tech because it’s important that we have a voice in what our future looks like. We recognize that women think differently than men (whether it’s nature or nurture) and our fundamental differences bring different thinking. As technology evolves, there is no shortage of problems to solve and there is also no shortage of research that shows that a diversity in perspectives facilitates better problem solving.