SAPinsider Technology Executive Forum Issue 1 2021

W ith a background in data pro- cessing, analytics, and finance, Sharon Kaiser started her career in the oil industry and spent nearly 20 years working her way from her beginnings in programming to eventually leading the IT department. After trying out different industries, such as finance and retail, she has com- fortably settled into the life sciences industry in her current role leading IT at New England Biolabs. Over her esteemed career, Kaiser received recognition for her accomplishments with a CIO of the Year Award for Healthcare/Life Sciences by the Boston Business Journal (in 2014) and as a finalist for CIO of the Year for the Boston Orbie Awards (in 2017). In this Q&A, Kaiser opens up to the SAPinsider Community, sharing her experiences that led to her current role, answering questions on diversity, and offering advice for women to succeed as tech leaders. Q: What initially drew you to technology, and what do you love most about your career? When I started at the University of Arkansas — in the engineering department where I began learn- ing scientific programming languages — I found I enjoyed using logical thinking and a set of rules to write programs as well as the sense of accomplish- ment I felt when the programs actually worked. During my second year, I heard about the infor- mation technology program being offered in the business college and decided that was the right fit for me. There I learned about business, programming, data modeling, relational databases — all the logical things that made sense to me. An Executive Q&A with CIO and Director of IT, New England Biolabs Sharon Kaiser, CIO, Director of IT, New England Biolabs Sharon Kaiser on Women in Leadership SAPinsiderOnline.com 20