July 2026
In this article, Rachael Elliot shares the varied career journey that has taken her from being the only woman in a desktop engineering team in 2001, to returning to CGI as a confident leader in IT service management.
Her path shows how careers in technology are rarely linear. Each step she took, inside and outside of CGI, helped her build resilience, broaden her expertise and strengthen her purpose. Today she is focused on creating inclusive spaces where others can grow.
Rachael’s story is one of evolution; it demonstrates how being bold, seeking new challenges and directions can enhance both the lived experience and skill set of the individual, and equally bring value back to a company through deeper insight only gained through experience.
Starting out in a fast-changing tech world
When I joined CGI in 2001, technology was shifting at a pace none of us had seen before. New tools, new ways of working and an evolving understanding of IT service management meant that much of what we did was being shaped in real time.
I stepped into a team where I was the only woman, surrounded by people who were learning, experimenting and adapting every day. Rather than feel out of place, I found it energising. It pushed me to speak up, contribute ideas, and take ownership of work that often had no blueprint.
Those early experiences taught me confidence, resilience, and the importance of building supportive teams.
Growing into leadership while balancing life challenges
As my career progressed, I moved into senior management, leading the southern desktop team and the service desk, taking on wider service management responsibilities. This period was one of real growth, where I learned to lead larger teams and influence how we delivered services across the business.
At the same time, my personal life was shifting. I went through a divorce, bought my first home on my own, and adapted to joint parenting. CGI supported me through all of it, offering flexible working long before it became the norm. That support helped me to stay steady during a challenging time and shaped the kind of leader I aimed to become.
Stepping away to grow in new environments
After more than a decade at CGI, my role was made redundant following organisational changes. CGI explored other options for me, but I felt a pull to test myself in new environments. I wanted to see what else was out there and challenge myself to build and lead teams in new ways.
I spent the next several years working across very different organisations. I helped bring IT operations in-house, designed and built service management functions from the ground up and later led a 24/7 service desk. I then moved into a senior operations role in a large national organisation, responsible for keeping critical services running every day of the year while delivering new technology to replace legacy systems.
During this time, I learned about scale, risk and navigating unfamiliar cultures – and learned a lot about people. Those experiences made me more resourceful, more reflective and gave me a much broader perspective on what effective leadership looks like.
Returning to CGI with clarity and renewed purpose
When the opportunity came to return to CGI, I did not need to think about it. The role sat in Business Consulting and Advisory, a growing part of the business led by someone I had worked with before. It felt like the right moment to bring back everything I had learned to CGI. I have always felt a strong connection to CGI, and returning gave me a chance to contribute with a stronger voice and clearer sense of purpose.
Now I focus on combining CGI’s supportive culture with the leadership experience I gained elsewhere. I am more confident driving change, developing talent and creating inclusive spaces where people feel able to grow. Supporting a small team of consultants and seeing them build their careers has become one of the most rewarding parts of my role.
Looking ahead: evolving, returning and leading with purpose
As I look ahead, I want to keep using my experience to support others who are navigating their own careers in technology. Being the only woman in the room early on shaped me more than I realised at the time. The varied paths my professional career has taken have each taught me something different.
Returning to CGI was never about going back, but about bringing everything I had learned to a place where I could make a difference. My journey shows that careers rarely follow a single path, and often it’s the turns that help you grow the most.
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