Soledad excels in a male-dominated workplace

Rose Soledad, who oversees the CNMI operations of telecommunications company IT&E as its general manager, finds solace in working alongside rather than competing with men. (Bea Cabrera)

Rose Soledad, who oversees the CNMI operations of telecommunications company IT&E as its general manager, finds solace in working alongside rather than competing with men.

Soledad, who has been with the company since 1992, is not uncomfortable about being in a male-dominated workplace such as telecommunications. In fact, she is used to that because she started her career in the CNMI surrounded by dominant men. She was, in fact, brought to the island in 1989 by former DHL founder Larry Hillbloom and former House speaker Joe Lifoifoi because of her finance background.

“So I started my career here working with men,” she said. “My work is basically overseeing the day-to-day operations of the company. …There is never a dull day at work as something new happens.”

Working at IT&E where she manages male network engineers or employees “has been good because I am always looking for efficiencies and, instead of competing with them, working with them creates far better results,” she said.

As for working with strong women in the company, she believes that has only added growth to her career and personal life.

“We call this group the ‘empowered women group.’ People refer to our group that because here we are building our careers in a male-dominated industry and it is harmonious relationship,” she said.

Soledad said she has always been attuned to the needs of IT&E subscribers and the biggest testament of this was when Super Typhoon Yutu hit in October 2018.

“We are typhoon-stricken islands, that is why we buried out [wires] since the early ’90s and whenever there is a typhoon, your phones are up.”

“This company used to be a Verizon company and we basically adopted a lot of the emergency policies but localized it to tailor it to the needs of the islands. We have policies in place for every typhoon condition,” she said

That means that for every typhoon that comes to the islands, IT&E’s objective is to ensure that all lines are 100 percent up and running, she said.

According to Soledad, time management is key to having a good career and healthy family life. “My husband and I are on island right now as our son is attending university. …If I don’t have board meetings, lunch breaks are always with my husband and it has been like that for the past 27 years. To me, having personal time with my husband is my mid-break, so I go back to work feeling refreshed in the afternoon.

“We actually work in the same company but we have a rule that we will never talk about work.

“We also like to travel with our son when time permits,” she added

Over five years ago, Soledad found out she had cancer. She underwent chemotherapy treatment and the things that kept her going were her belief in God and the love of those around her.

“Actually, nobody knew I had cancer at first because I was always working. …I came out of it with a positive outlook because of my strong faith, love, and support of family and friends.

Citing her own experience, Soledad advises women over 40 to get themselves checked.

“Currently, I am well and taking good care of myself. I run in the morning and after work. I recently ran a half-marathon. …I don’t run fast but it is important to be active. …Aside from staying fit, running is my stress reliever,” she added.

As a wife, mother and leader, Soledad also has a passion for mentoring. “I really like teaching and I’ve been doing it for the past 30 years.”

“In our company, there a lot of high potential for highly productive men and women. I encourage the younger ones to go to school and finish their degree and, if your path is telecommunications or in whatever career, don’t just do what you’re asked to do but you also have to branch out and learn other things so you can maximize your full potential and, in the process, grow constantly,” she said