Meet 2020 LEAD Award Winner Maureen O’Connell

Feb 22, 2021

Maureen O’Connell, Director of Partner Sales, Northeast Division at Comcast Business, was one of four women to receive the 2020 Alliance of Channel Women LEAD Award recognizing exceptional female leaders in the tech channel. The fourth annual LEAD Award winners were honored at a ceremony during the ACWConnect Live! virtual event on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020.

O’Connell began her career at Comcast Business as a Sales Supervisor in 2011, where she was responsible for training and developing a team of inside sales representatives to achieve organizational and sales goals. Since then, her talent for sales and management has elevated her up the leadership ladder, where she currently resides today as Director of Partner Sales. In her nearly 10 years at Comcast, O’Connell has been recognized for her excellence, receiving the Comcast Business Presidents Club Award in 2013 and 2017.

ACW interviewed O’Connell about her journey as a female leader in tech and the future of women in leadership.

Who is the woman who showed you how to lead the way (e.g., your role model)?

My mother. From childhood until this very day, my mother has always instilled in me that “I’m not inferior to the boys/men.” With this mindset, I’ve always made advocating for myself a priority in both my personal life and professional career.  Being a working mom herself, my mother also taught me the importance of having a strong work ethic and that as a woman, sometimes you have to work twice as hard to get ahead in your career.  Finally, my mother taught me the importance of building a network that I can turn to for guidance when the going gets tough.

What are you doing to lead the way for other women in the tech channel today?

I’ve hired two women into channel manager roles on my team and encourage them to get outside of their comfort zone to build their personal brand in this industry.  It’s very easy to hide behind the scenes, so I push them to continue their education so that when their time comes to be on the next event panel, they respond with a confident, “Yes!” I also recently joined the ACW Local Chapters Committee to get more ACW members engaged within my local community.

What is one thing we could accomplish that would most benefit women in the tech channel going forward?

I’m a firm believer that we need to continue to build up one another by sharing ideas and opportunities. I’ve seen far too many instances in my career where the opposite has taken place. While some of us may work in competing companies, we will get far more accomplished if we encourage one another to be our personal best.