# 293: Women in Tech Leadership: Why You Don't Need a Perfect Career Plan to Reach the Top (With Sarah Walker, Cisco UKI CEO)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo.md
Podcast: [Leading Women in Tech Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160)
Published: 2026-03-24T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://tonicollis.com/leading-women-tech/293-women-in-tech-leadership-non-traditional-career-path/
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/leadingwomenintech/LWIT_293_Final.mp3?dest-id=2183168
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/episodes/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo
Duration seconds: 2139

## Resource

You don't need a perfect career plan to succeed in tech. In this episode of Leading Women in Tech, I sit down with Sarah Walker, Chief Executive of Cisco UK & Ireland , to talk about women in tech leadership, non-traditional career paths, AI in the workplace, and why backing yourself matters more than ticking every box. Sarah didn't follow a traditional route into tech. She didn't leave school with perfect results. She didn't move to London (despite being told she should). And she certainly didn't have a 20-year career plan mapped out. Yet today, she leads one of the most influential tech organisations in the UK and Ireland. In this conversation, we explore: ◾ Women in tech leadership and representation ◾ Career advancement for women in tech without a rigid plan ◾ How to become a leader in tech without ticking every box ◾ Leadership mindset and backing yourself before you feel ready ◾ AI in the workplace and how it unlocks human potential ◾ Why social mobility and regional leadership matter ◾ Sustainable leadership and authenticity at the top If you've ever questioned whether you "fit" the mould of a tech executive — this episode will change how you see your path. 🔗 Connect with Sarah Walker on LinkedIn 🔗 Learn more about Cisco UK & Ireland 👉 Ready to design your path to executive leadership? Book a Strategy Call: https://tonicollis.com/lets-chat This episode was sponsored by our guest, Sarah Walker at CISCO. Thank you Sarah for helping to bring Leading Women in Tech to this community!

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/episodes/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/leading-women-in-tech-podcast-381160/293-women-in-tech-leadership-why-you-don-t-need-a-perfect-career-plan-to-reach-the-top-with-sarah-walker-cisco-uki-ceo.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.