Women in STEM: Meet Libby Roy

In time for International Women’s Day, we caught up with Libby Roy to talk about her road to becoming Managing Director of SMB at Optus and how her background in science, technology and mathematics has helped her get there.

From small business owner to Head of SMB at Optus, Libby Roy has used her affinity for numbers, head for strategic thinking and resilience to build a career she would never have imagined. But without some all-important moments of honesty, this may never have come to pass.

Early days

In her young years, Libby had a set of interests that spanned as wide as her potential. She took mathematics, chemistry and learnt to code. Meanwhile, she had a special interest in social causes and knew she wanted a career where she could help others. She was “never particularly gifted from an athletic perspective”, but that didn’t stop her from getting into fitness and health and loving it! When it came time to pick a direction, Occupational Therapy was the path that combined her love of human science with her altruistic goals.

But if we fast forward a few years, we’ll find that Libby hadn’t taken the a tried-and-tested Occupational Therapy path. A part-time fitness instructor and a small business owner, a 22-year-old Libby had set up her own business as an Occupational Therapist, taking on workers compensation and occupational health and safety work. After some time, things became taxing and Libby’s love for the work dwindled and it was time for a change.

From Occupation Therapy to the world of business

A job offer took her to an insurance company, as an Occupational Therapist in their Rehabilitation Department. It was here that Libby was able to get a window into the world of business.

“My boss was great,” explains Libby.

“He involved me more and more in the business – beyond rehab of injured workers and helped me to develop my business acumen.”

Libby instantly took to building analytical models and looking at ways to increase profitability, and decided business was something she wanted to pursue.

Moments of honesty

“The most impactful moments in my career have been moments of real conversation,” says Libby.

When Libby sought her bosses’ advice on the move, he had some words of honesty that would change Libby’s direction.

“He told me I needed some formal business training, especially as a female entering business from the healthcare profession. The impact was profound because he was being so honest with me.”

Libby proceeded to get her MBA which enabled her to take her career to the next level.

Now, Libby provides honest advice to SMBs to help them reach the next level. A challenge that Libby sees with many of her clients is the difficulty of moving away from legacy systems at a time when upgrades, scalability and speed are key to growth. This creates a barrier for implementing new business systems.

“Investing in technology and building flexible systems architecture is key to meeting ever increasing customer expectations in today’s world.”

Advice for the future women of STEM

To Libby, math is more than just numbers.

“It helps you to develop skills for solving problems. Math is a foundation for STEM.”

A strong advocate for the value of sound mathematical skills, Libby was part of an advisory committee with AMSI (Applied Maths and Science Institute) which aims to champion the mathematical sciences for Australia’s advancement.

“Many students shy away from maths believing it too difficult and not understanding the breadth of career opportunities it opens up.”

 “As part of the advisory council, members created internships for second year math students in businesses from resources, banking and fintech that gave them great opportunities to apply their mathematical skill that they had never conceived of.”

You couldn’t find a more shining example of this truth than Libby.