AN INTERVIEW WITH JULIA ARNOTT-NEENEE FROM HP

by Arianne Ritz October 08, 2019

We were lucky enough to meet Julia a few years back at a friends drinks. Since then we have been connected on social media and just absolutely love all the things Julia posts and stands for. We knew she'd have some real pearls of wisdom to share, and we are NOT disappointed!

Julia is currently the Global Social Strategy Lead at HP in the USA.

Why did you take the role that you're in now?

So, my current role as Global Social Strategy Lead at HP was really a merge between Insights & Strategy with Data. It allows me to merge my creative problem solving and storytelling with digital intelligence. More than anything, it gives me the freedom to stretch my curiousity and solve business challenges at the same time. I have always loved asking 'why' behind what I see - I am someone who likes to scratch the surface and look beyond what first appears. This has been a major driver in how my career path has taken shape. I have pursued avenues that encourage curiousity, poking and prodding of findings, looking at problems from different angles, lateral thinking - I love all that stuff!

What inspires you and gets you out of bed in the mornings?

To continue to seek to create a positive impact in the world.

JULIA ARNOTT-NEENEE Global Social Lead at HP

What's been the best lesson you've learned in business or your career and why?

When you round your edges you lose your edge - this is something I feel deeply. If you work hard to 'blend in' you become like wallpaper. Instead, enter a room knowing there is no one else that can be you, think like you, has your journey - leaning into that truth and living boldly, as yourself, is vital.

What does the future look like for you?

Oooo - I have just started in adding a new dimension to my life which is pursuing working to close the Digital Divide in New Zealand. I am currently collaborating with different individuals and organisations to contribute in facilitating Digital Inclusion and ensuring that New Zealand and its people are safe-guarded in the face of ever-changing and advancing Technology. I am not entirely sure where this will lead, but it is filling a gap in my sense of meaning that I had been missing for years now. So I am very grateful for that!

A quote rom Julia Arnott-neenee's LinkedIn page

What's one piece of advice you'd give other women in business or in their careers?

The first person that needs to have your back, is you. No external validation will ever replace knowing your worth, knowing the value that you bring, knowing that there is space for you to fill. That the world needs your gifts. Without having that internal foundation and narrative - you can be far more vulnerable to being pushed around, to other people projecting their insecurities or fears onto you. Don't let that be the case. Have your own back, have the backs of others that you believe in and lean on one another. We will all rise when we are building together.

Connect with Julia on LinkedIn

Check out more from HP where Julia works

More about HP:

Our vision is to create technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere — every person, every organisation, and every community around the globe. This motivates us — inspires us — to do what we do. To make what we make. To invent, and to reinvent. To engineer experiences that amaze. We won’t stop pushing ahead, because you won’t stop pushing ahead. You’re reinventing how you work. How you play. How you live. With our technology, you’ll reinvent your world.

This is our calling. This is a new HP.

Keep reinventing.