Norane’s story

A big reason why I joined Forrester was because I wanted a change and had this feeling about Forrester; even though they had been around for a long time, they truly cared about their employees. That’s been true of my experience, and the longer I’ve been here, the better it got. There’s no reason to leave, and twelve years on, I’m here today as a Senior Account Manager.

I work with high tech companies. My primary goal is to help my clients grow by understanding what they’re trying to achieve with their business, whether it’s growth, whether it’s acquisition, or going public. By building rapport with them and helping them utilize Forrester as a resource, I can help them create a business plan and overall strategy. We help impactful businesses make decisions. It’s exciting to be part of such an influential organization.

At Forrester, I’m amongst intelligent, smart people which means you get to learn from them and hear the most fascinating things. Our analysts are ahead in terms of what’s happening in the market, what’s happening in the world, how technology is affecting consumer behaviour, how technology is affecting the enterprise. When I see their work, it makes me think differently and question more. I’m constantly in awe. Not only am I in the room with the smartest people, I’m also surrounded by genuine people who care about each other.

I feel Forrester is very supportive of our personal endeavors. Whether you have children, trying to adopt, going through IVF or beyond, you’ll very much be supported. I’ve had two children since being here, and during COVID, childcare was really hard. There were times my daughter would be on video calls with me, and other times I needed my manager to step in and take on a client call on my behalf. We’re all people, right? Whether I have my work hat on, or my mom hat, it can be difficult to change who you are for each of those parts of your life, and at Forrester it’s as if you don’t need to.

I’m part of the Core Champions Program where we act as internal advisors to our colleagues and peers. Whether you’re new to the organization or you just need to work through an issue you’re having with one of your clients, we are here to support each other. We have a group of people who host office hours, take one on one meetings with colleagues, and host lunch and learns. We’re not managers, but we’re doing this to help our colleagues and peers be more successful.

Here, we’re unafraid to bring to attention issues that matter to employees. For example, when the Black Lives Matter movement was starting, we had open conversations about how people were feeling. Or when COVID started, Forrester provided forums where we discussed the psychological impact on our mental health.

For our Asian American & Pacific Islander month celebration, I was interviewed to talk about my heritage and my upbringing amongst other colleagues. I felt like we were really getting to know each other. All of these things; caring colleagues, treating people like humans and being brave enough to have those conversations, while understanding how the world is changing that’s being bold, together.