Becoming Leaders: Emma Falson

As part of our ongoing partnership with Cisco, Innovation Central Brisbane (ICB) is proud to deliver, for a second year, the Women of Cisco Top Female Talent Program – a two-part leadership and innovation experience that empowers emerging female leaders across Australia and New Zealand to build confidence, connection, and digital capability.

Delivered in collaboration with Industry Fellow Nicole Hatherly and ICB’s Design Thinking Facilitator, Vibhor Pandey, the program combines leadership development with hands-on innovation through a hackathon and prototype build. The initiative reflects ICB’s commitment to accelerating digital skills and amplifying women’s voices across the technology ecosystem.

One of this year’s participants, Emma Falson, is a Distribution Account Manager based in Sydney. Her motivation for joining the program came from a desire to grow, connect, and learn from others across the Cisco network.

“There were numerous reasons I wanted to take part in the program, and I was influenced by the great feedback on the program from women in previous cohorts,” Emma shared. “[I wanted to] gain exposure to the leadership team, meet likeminded women from across the company and develop strong relationships, step out of my comfort zone and put myself in a new learning environment, and gain some guidance on my career. I was really interested in being paired with a mentor and sponsor, (I had never had a sponsor before). I am very grateful for the mentor and sponsor I have been paired with as well. I can see them both being invaluable for my career progression.”

The program began earlier this year with Nicole Hatherly’s Digital Skills for Impact and Influence Masterclass, delivered in partnership with ICB. This first phase focused on building self-awareness and digital influence, skills that Emma says have already made a meaningful impact on her leadership style.

“I think the content Nicole took us through really set the foundation for the two days in Brisbane and have given me a great set of tools to help regulate emotions and understand my personality more,” she said. “I think being able to recognise certain emotions and triggers is extremely helpful as a leader and regulating yourself.”

Now almost halfway through the second phase of the program -facilitated by Vibhor Pandey, ICB’s Design Thinking Facilitator – Emma and her team, the Queenovators, are continuing to develop their prototype idea following the two-day Hackathon in Brisbane.
“The two days in Brisbane at ICB at QUT has been the biggest highlight so far,” she said. “Meeting everyone in person and then the two-day immersive course on design thinking was fantastic. I have really enjoyed getting to know my group members (Queenovators) and I think we have a really solid problem and idea to solve.”

Her team’s innovation challenge focused on distribution long-tail quote conversion, addressing how Cisco could use automation to improve engagement with partners who have requested quotes and reduce missed revenue opportunities.

When asked what kind of leader she hopes to become, Emma’s answer reflects her strong sense of empathy and purpose.
“I want to be known as a leader who is empathetic, and will always strive to get the best out of my teams so they can excel,” she said. “I view good leaders are at service of their teams and helping them grow. I don’t believe in micromanagement, but I do believe in keeping teams on track and helping them prioritise their workload.”

Like many women in technology, Emma’s professional journey has included balancing the demands of career and family.

“Having two children in the last five years has been the biggest challenge for myself personally,” she shared. “I think the mothers’ guilt of working full time and kids in childcare four days a week has been hard to navigate. I want to continue my career, but I also want to be always there and available to my kids, which is a very hard balance.”

Her advice to other women beginning their careers in technology is both encouraging and realistic.
“Be curious and open to opportunities,” she said. “Don’t think that the type of work you start in will be your career – your career will evolve and change directions. If you want to be a mum, don’t let your career stop you from having a family when you want it.”

As her team moves deeper into the Build Phase, Emma is eager to expand her skills and explore how emerging technology can create new value for Cisco’s partners.

And in true spirit of balance, she’s also rediscovering joy outside of work.
“I recently started playing water polo again for the first time in 14 years… Never too late to start something (again)!”

Emma’s journey through the Women of Cisco Top Female Talent Program is one of courage, curiosity, and connection – a reminder of what’s possible when women lead with empathy and authenticity.