GUEST BLOGGER
BITA MILANIAN
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL MARKETING FOR GENBAND
It’s so important for women to come together and help each other, succeed together, and inspire the next generation of girls and young women to aspire and achieve their full potential; so I thank Charmaine for inviting me to contribute to this blog and to share an obstacle I have overcome in my life thus far, so I’ll start there. I am a refugee from Iran. My family left due to the social conditions in the mid 1980’s, as well as nightly bombings of Tehran where we lived during the Iran-Iraq war. Couple of weeks shy of my 13th birthday, in 1986, we sought refuge in Germany. |
My journey to America began in February 1989 where my parents had to start life all over again in their late 40’s to provide us a better life and future. We were always supported by our relatives in Canada, one of whom is one of the most successful women in the global telecom industry – one of my great role models – Neda Moeini. Her mother, my mentor and teacher taught me how to reach for my dreams and to never be afraid – she taught children Persian language classes voluntarily the last 15 years of her life in Toronto and honored by the local department of education for her tremendous contributions – Mrs. Najibeh Nouri-Milani. You see a pattern by now – women lead by example, and mentor by nature!
Ata & Neda Moeini; Co-founders of | Today, I am the Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for GENBAND, a leading global communications provider of real time communications solutions in 80 countries. We work with the largest communications companies globally including AT&T, Verizon, British Telecom, SAP and IBM to name a few. My career in the communications industry began in the late 1990s. I have been back and forth between it, being an entrepreneur and leading non-profit organizations over the last 20 years. Prior to GENBAND, I was the Executive Director for Farhang Foundation, a prominent non-profit based in Southern California, celebrating Iranian art and culture. I also established a business advisory firm, BMG Consulting, alongside Butterfly Buzz, an entertainment marketing company. Today, I have the privilege to be serving on the board of Women in the Channel, a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of female leaders in technology, while supporting the Iranian-American Women Foundation. |
I continue to remain focused in building the industry’s greatest marketing team to support our company’s global growth, working with a group of talented and dedicated individuals. The best part about it; we all work for an unbelievable leadership committed to delivering best-in-class solutions for our customers, while serving as great corporate citizens. | With some of my teammates at GENBAND |