She Leads: Remy Lyle Is Senior Director of Technical Enablement at Ping Identity

For women, working in tech spaces has historically been far from inclusive, which is why learning that a company is getting it right is worthy of celebration—and exploration. 

Take Ping Identity, a leader in the security and investigations space. Not only are they top-rated on InHerSight for Employer Responsiveness, Paid Time Off, and Ability to Telecommute, but they also have visible representation of women in tech roles, women like Remy Lyle, their senior director of technical enablement. 

Lyle, who has been at the company for more than six years, told us her standards for tech employers are high. She considers paid time off, flexible work hours, ability to work remotely, being paid fairly, and opportunities to grow and learn to be the baseline. A company needs to “recognize what it takes to attract the highest levels of talent, and support their employees the best way possible, regardless of gender, race, age, etc.,” she says, in order for her to remain interested.

Ping does, according to Lyle. Here’s why she’s stayed with the organization for as long as she has, and why she thinks other women should make Ping Identity part of their job search. 

Remy Lyle 

First, tell us about you, your career, how you landed at Ping Identity, and what you do now.

I had always been interested in computers growing up. I remember taking programming classes in elementary school; I remember watching Hollywood movies about hackers and thinking about how cool they made it look. Luckily, an entire village of mentors supported my dreams—my family, my teachers, everyone encouraged a young Filipino girl to go after a career in tech.  

I graduated summa cum laude with my bachelor’s degree in computer engineering at the age of 20. I began working professionally at 20 years old—I didn’t waste a lot of time and pursued my master’s degree at the same time. 

Three weeks into my first job, my boss back then plopped a book about identity and access management on my desk, and said “learn!” And I did. I learned as much as I could in this space. I would go on to become a developer, a professional services consultant, an instructor, an architect, a support engineer, and many times a team lead, before landing at Ping almost seven years ago. Ping was a no-brainer to work for, given that they are a top vendor in the identity and access management space. 

I currently work as a senior director at Ping, where I head up technical enablement. I sincerely believe I have the most fun job at Ping; I get to play with all the latest technology in identity and access, and I get to build demos and labs for it, and I get to teach all the engineers in the field about it. I have an amazing team of developers and program managers and architects that work for me. I have traveled all over the world and spoken at many conferences, evangelizing audiences about identity and access management technologies. I love having fun at work!

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been in this business for almost 20 years now, and it keeps getting better. 

As a woman in tech and as a leader, what kinds of opportunities for support, mentorship, or sponsorship have you experienced at Ping Identity? 

We live in a strange time where there have been more opportunities for women in tech now than there ever were before, yet so much more work still needs to be done. 

As far as support, I think I have always been very lucky to have amazing bosses and leaders, especially at Ping, who have always recognized my hard work and have rewarded me with more opportunities, and more challenges to stretch my knowledge and skills and abilities each time. I have been promoted from an architect to a senior architect to a manager to a director and now to a senior director in the last almost seven years at Ping. I am so grateful for everything they teach me each and every day. They have been shining examples of what it means to be wonderful human beings, and wonderful leaders at the same time.

For mentorship, I have mentored several ladies at Ping, some who work for me currently, and I also try to pass on all the opportunities that I can for the next generation. One specific example, we had a female intern work for us, and I was not only her leader but also her mentor. We ended up hiring her as a full-time engineer and the day she stepped foot on stage to be recognized for an award at Ping, I was so proud of her! She deserved to be recognized for the rockstar work she did. 

In another example, I served as the female mentor representing Ping for many years for CBS Girls and Science, where younger children aged 6–11 can get inspired to pursue a career in STEM through activities and mentorship. This year, that baton was passed on to one of my managers on my team, an up-and-comer herself, and I am so proud of her for stepping in to inspire the next generation of ladies in tech. 

We need more women in the tech space, and we all need to be doing our part in our small spheres of influence!

Sponsored

Ping Identity Corporation

Schedule & Flexibility metrics such as Paid Time Off and Ability to Telecommute are strong at Ping Identity Corporation, a security and investigations company headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Their PTO is unlimited, and they also offer remote and hybrid work options. Plus, their highest metric is Employer Responsiveness, meaning you can expect an employer that listens and responds to your needs. Click to explore Ping Identity’s profile, ratings, and open jobs!

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You’ve worked at Ping Identity for over six years, and in that time, taken maternity leave twice. Describe your experience at Ping Identity as a pregnant employee, an employee on leave, and/or as a working mom. What aspects of the company’s culture make it possible for you to not only start and grow a family, but also continue to establish your career?

Ping has always been supportive of working families and, in my case, working moms. I have been lucky enough to witness how in my first pregnancy, Ping at the time only offered 12 weeks of paid maternity leave, but Ping recognized that more needed to be done. By the time I was pregnant with my second baby almost two years later, Ping had now offered 16 weeks of paid maternity leave. I think it’s a reflection of Ping’s ability to culturally grow and improve—change happens when we need it. 

I also had amazing teams and leaders supporting the work that still needed to be done in my absence, so I can enjoy the precious few weeks after my babies come into the world. And my team is the best. Both times, my coworkers organized special baby showers and picnics to show how much I am supported and loved by my team (even in a pandemic!). The culture at Ping is one of a “work family.”

As a working mom, the flexible work schedules and work locations make it possible for me to be there for my children when they need me. I am so appreciative that I am able to pick up my kids from daycare if the school shuts down for some reason, or that I am able to take my kids to doctors appointments that can only be scheduled during the work week, and that if my kids happen to be in the background camera or audio, that my coworkers and teams and leaders do not frown upon such events. Every working family needs a village around them, and I am happy that my Ping village is so accepting of family life and the needs that come with it.

We know from InHerSight data that seeing other women in role model positions (like yours) is important to helping women envision their own success. What do you hope women at your company—or women joining your company—take away from your career or your management or leadership style?

I hope that the other women seeing me in my role will take away that it is possible for someone like myself—a minority, Filipino/Asian, a female, a mom, a wife, an immigrant, young, fashion-loving, yoga-practicing, animal lover, backyard chicken owner—to have an engineering career and be a technology leader. You don’t have to pretend to be anyone but yourself. In fact, I truly believe that letting your true self shine radiates authenticity, and people want to be around people who are themselves. I’ve always said I want to show the next generation of techies that you don’t have to be the traditional “white dude in a basement with no fashion sense” to be an engineer or “an old white dude with no family life” to be a leader in tech. Come as you are, work hard, say yes to opportunities, and be a good person! 

What about beyond gender: Are there certain values you as a leader in tech aim to model that you think are integral to building an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive?

I like to follow one simple rule with my team: Treat my team members as I would want to be treated. It is indeed the golden rule. When we aim to be a good human being first, whether at work or in our personal lives, and imagine that everyone around you has that subsequent thinking in their mind, then everyone absolutely thrives, regardless of race, background, gender, age, nationality, etc. We have to be kind. We have to be good to one another. That is, first and foremost, the kind of work and personal environment I always strive to build.