Her Story
About Theresa
I work for a major conglomerate called Tata Consulting Engineers, which is very well known in India and one of the biggest companies there. I've been with them for a year and a half as their Business Development Manager. I've been in the industrial sales engineering industry for 10 years total, and I came from the ground up. I actually quit my job and became a fire watch, which is the lowest position, because you have to learn the industry from the bottom up. It took me 10 years to get where I am now, and I did it all without a college degree. I started going to college to become a nurse, but then I found out I was good in sales, so I just started selling. My main areas of expertise are mentoring, motivational speaking, opening doors, and building relationships. I'm a very strong relationship builder, and that's pretty much what I do. What I'm most proud of is moving up the ladder so fast. A plant manager gave me the nickname Tenacious Teresa because I don't stop until I get what I want. I'm also an Airbnb owner, and I have 53,000 followers on TikTok where I do restaurant reviews and travel reviews of hotels.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Theresa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being tenacious. That's actually my nickname - Tenacious Teresa. A plant manager gave me that name because he said I'm not a pain or a pest, but I don't stop until I get what I want. He told me I have this tenacious personality, and that's exactly what I am. I knew he was going to need my services, and I kept going until I got what I wanted. That determination and persistence is what has driven my success.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I've ever received is to never give up. Just keep going. Another piece of advice that really stuck with me is that for every no, there's a yes back there. There's one coming. For every no, there's a yes coming. That mindset has helped me push through challenges and keep moving forward in my career.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
The advice I give to young women every day is that they should never let anyone make them feel less than. That was one of the things that happened to me when I walked into the door the first time - I was treated like a stepchild. I vowed that I would never do that to anyone else, so every newcomer that comes in, I always try to take them under my wing and introduce them into the industry. I explain to them the hard knocks of the dog-eat-dog world that our industry is. Our industry is a very, very tough dog-eat-dog world, and I want to prepare them for that reality while making sure they feel supported and valued.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Carbon capture is the biggest challenge and opportunity in my field right now. It's something that I'm trying to learn more about because I've got to be more innovative in order to keep up with the market. It's a very big challenge to me, but I know I need to stay on top of it to remain competitive and relevant in the industry.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are trust, compassion, and the will to support and help others. Trust is absolutely essential in everything I do. Having compassion for the people I work with and mentor is critical. And my drive to support and help others guides both my professional work and my personal life. These values shape how I approach relationships, mentoring, and my business development work.
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