Meet Associate Director of Professional Development, Nicole Akenaga. Her six-year journey with Gartner Consulting has taken her around the world as she’s grown in her career and charted new territory to support our global Consulting business. Read on to see how Nicole has grown with Gartner.
Nicole’s career journey at Gartner
Nicole joined Gartner in 2019 as a Professional Development (PD) Specialist supporting the Learning and Development (L&D) side of PD for Consulting. Through this role and with the support of her manager, Nicole honed foundational skills and developed a deep understanding of Gartner’s values and best practices. She then sought to broaden her horizons by exploring opportunities to support the Consulting field associates, eventually accepting a role on the North America PD team working with Consulting associates on day-to-day staffing and global strategic initiatives such as onboarding, performance management and feedback collection.
Nicole’s career hasn’t only spanned multiple roles, but also another country! To support our growing business, we’re building out our Professional Development function to support associates around the globe. When Nicole’s manager offered her the opportunity to help build Gartner Consulting’s PD function in Japan, she happily accepted and embarked on the exciting new leg of her journey. Prior to permanently relocating to Japan for her new role, Nicole spent months in our Tokyo office getting to know our Japanese associates, understanding their needs, and laying the groundwork for PD to support their success. “My husband is Japanese and his family is in Japan, so we are elated to continue building our lives and careers there,” said Nicole.
Passion for people: supporting associates’ growth
The PD function is a key enabler supporting Gartner Consulting's strategy. Partnering with leaders across our Consulting business, PD's mission is to promote an associate-focused experience that places priority on skill enhancement and growth. In her role, Nicole has enjoyed guiding associates as they navigate their career paths and providing them with tools and resources to help them grow and succeed. “It’s an honor to work on the PD team and be part of what we’re building in Gartner Consulting,” said Nicole. “It makes me really happy to hear from the associates I support that they’re on projects they enjoy, working with people they like, and driving real impact for our clients and our business.”
Why Gartner?
We value and invest in great leaders who bring out the best in you and the company, enabling us to multiply our impact and results. The company’s global presence and hybrid work environment have enabled Nicole to transition seamlessly through different roles and life phases. Additionally, she attributes her success to Gartner’s exceptional leaders and her manager, who have nurtured her professional growth and opened doors to new opportunities. She also leveraged Gartner resources to support her move to Japan and navigate the process with ease. Nicole’s advice to those looking to grow their careers with Gartner is to prioritize networking, take advantage of learning and development programs, and remain open to change.