# 285: How an Unconventional Career Path Can Become Your Greatest Strength in Tech Leadership with Lisa Ferrante-Walsh

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/285-how-an-unconventional-career-path-can-become-your-greatest-strength-in-tech-leadership-with-lisa-ferrante-walsh
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/285-how-an-unconventional-career-path-can-become-your-greatest-strength-in-tech-leadership-with-lisa-ferrante-walsh.md
Podcast: [Leading Women in Tech Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160)
Published: 2026-01-27T13:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://tonicollis.com/leading-women-tech/285-unconventional-career-path-tech-leadership
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/leadingwomenintech/LWIT_285_Final.mp3?dest-id=2183168
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/episodes/285-how-an-unconventional-career-path-can-become-your-greatest-strength-in-tech-leadership-with-lisa-ferrante-walsh
Duration seconds: 2185

## Resource

If you've ever worried that an unconventional career path in tech leadership might hold you back — that your background isn't "technical enough," linear enough, or traditional enough — this episode will fundamentally challenge that belief. In this conversation, Toni Collis is joined by Lisa Ferrante-Walsh, SVP of Engineering at Native Instruments, whose career journey spans music, computer science, engineering leadership, mergers and acquisitions, and even stepping into an acting CTO role. Lisa's story is a powerful example of how a nonlinear career path in tech can become a strategic advantage rather than a liability. Toni & Lisa discuss what it really takes to move from individual contributor to people leader, how to lead engineering teams through M&A without losing trust or momentum, and why executive confidence, decision-making, and visibility matter even more when your background doesn't fit the "expected" mould. This episode is essential listening if you're a woman in tech navigating a career transition into senior leadership, leading through organizational change, or questioning whether you truly belong at the executive table. Connect with today's guest and sponsor, Lisa Ferrante-Walsh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaferrantewalsh/ This episode was sponsored by our guest, Lisa Ferrante-Walsh. Thank you Lisa for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

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