Witad Awards 2020: Support Professional of the Year (vendor)—Mardís Heimisdóttir, SS&C Advent

Mardís Heimisdóttir is a busy woman. In addition to being director of organizational development and program management at SS&C Advent, she has a new baby at home and is also the winner of the support professional of the year (vendor) category in this year’s Women in Technology and Data Awards. Not bad for someone who claims she fell into the financial services industry by accident.

Heimisdóttir started with Advent in Sweden right after she graduated from university with a degree in business administration. She moved to an executive assistant role where she worked with many members of the company’s leadership team. From there, she was offered the opportunity to move to New York as an operations manager before being promoted last year. “It’s very telling that I’ve really striven for improvement,” Heimisdóttir says. “I know that all of us can continually improve and this applies to organizations, too. I think that attitudes or mindsets have really shaped my career journey and I look for instances where we can do better. I’ve never been afraid of going to my boss and telling him that I think we can do better or that there is an opportunity to do something. It’s me stepping up and identifying those opportunities that have shaped me today.”

It isn’t just her work that Heimisdóttir sought to improve. Once she moved to New York, she decided to pursue a graduate degree in business administration to broaden her skills.

She says her role at the firm focuses on three things: devising programs to improve efficiency within the company, helping craft organizational strategies, and internal communication to employees. She works closely with the general managers within the company to figure out what internal challenges exist and how to overcome them.

Despite entering the industry by coincidence, Heimisdóttir says she has a deep love for her work.

“Being a woman in technology, it’s important to have role models, but not just at the highest levels,” she says. “We need to highlight women and show that they can grow and improve. We need to advocate for more diversified teams.”

—ED