July 29, 2024

The Vital Role of Women at XAPT 

The heavy equipment landscape has traditionally been male-dominated. Thankfully, the industry is undergoing a transformation where women are moving the needle and assuming more prominent roles. XAPT talked to five female leaders about their career development in technology, as well as their perspectives on gender-related issues, and how women are adding value to customer experience and multicultural communications.

After years of working for XAPT, each of these women has taken the time to share their insights on how they offer a balanced approach to projects, complementing the way men tend to tackle challenges in the ever-evolving ecosystem of heavy equipment.

These leaders have different journeys, roles, and impacts within XAPT’s company culture. Some of them are customer-facing while others have a more behind-the-scenes role. However, they agree on certain principles: Namely, that women often bring out-of-the-box thinking to the table, have excellent communication skills, particularly with global teams, and embrace feedback with an open mind.

Each of these women contributes to making NAXT365 the industry-leading ERP solution for Caterpillar® and heavy equipment dealers in collaboration with Microsoft Dynamics 365. 

Let’s take a closer look to see how that happens:

Fruzsina Szabo – Product Manager

Fruzsina Szabó started working for XAPT in 2009 as a tester and document writer. She transitioned to the consulting area, working on diverse projects across Hungary and Romania. 

In 2011, an exciting opportunity led her to Massachusetts, U.S.A, where she successfully implemented the Milton CAT NAXT 2012 project. In 2015, she embarked on a new challenge as a Team Lead for the Service Support team. Alongside some excellent colleagues, they established the US Support Center in Miami, Florida.

By 2017, she began transitioning into her current role as Product Manager for the Service Functional area, a role that focuses on product development for the Dynamics 365 CE Field Service and the Service product line within Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations.

What’s special about working for XAPT is that I don’t feel prejudices, she explains. “Even though we work in a very male-heavy industry, especially in recent years, I’ve felt included, and I think everyone, regardless of their gender, feels valued and heard. 

-Fruzsina Szabó, Product Manager 

Leda Goulette – Senior Project Manager

Leda Goulette has worked in Project Management for 26 years, giving her considerable expertise. She joined XAPT in 2021, sharing her vision with the company: technology can change the world for the better. 

She was particularly interested in an organization that had the drive to lead the adoption of innovative technologies. Her previous background as a senior project manager fits perfectly with her current role at XAPT.

A huge fan of communication and collaboration, Leda loves managing the full end-to-end delivery of projects and leading internal project teams. “Challenges, hard work, and dedication” is her motto. She’s been integral to the implementation of various projects including SURMAC Cat, Massy Cat, Barloworld, and Kelly Tractor.

Women’s point of view is unique because we have a problem-solving approach to things. We’re very detail-oriented, so if something happens with a customer, we sit down and analyze it from a different perspective.

I believe that working in technology gives us the chance to cover a lot of blind spots and be innovative. I also think that, at XAPT, we listen to women and show them that whatever they’re going through, we’ve been through as well. Breaking that glass ceiling is still up to us and we do so by speaking our minds and advocating for ourselves.”

-Leda Goulette, Senior Project Manager

Réka Koltai – Senior Support Consultant

Réka Koltai joined XAPT in 2013 as a Dynamics AX Interface Consultant. She has supported CAT projects from the back office as well as on-site. After five months, she became a Technical Team Functional Area Lead, where she managed +5 consultants and worked closely with developers. 

In 2016, she embraced a new position as a Senior Solution Consultant in the Delivery team where she supported the TERRA (JCB) Microsoft Dynamics AX implementation at all stages. In 2018, she became the EMEA Delivery Team Leader and after five years, she pivoted to Senior Support Consultant.

I think that as a woman it’s crucial to be listened to. So, at XAPT meetings, I always ask female colleagues for their opinions to make sure all voices are heard before the final decision is made

-Réka Koltai, Senior Support Consultant 

Gabriella Kovács – Developer

Gabriella Kovács is a senior developer for the Integration team, the same field where she started working for XAPT in 2015. Between 2016 and 2020, she also worked in Services, Sales, Parts, and Marketing.

Throughout her XAPT career path, she has become familiar with different platforms, such as D365 and AX2009. In November 2020, she went on maternity leave, and in 2023 she rejoined the company in the Integration team.

Working for XAPT is easy because everybody is flexible and patient. I’m having a great experience working in a traditionally male-dominated area such as software. As women, we should consider that sometimes we can be more emotional than men, so it’s key to listen to each other and be there for support. Women face the double challenge of being mothers and leaders, and this company allows us to integrate both.

-Gabriella Kovács, Developer

Ivana Savkovic – Software Development Team Lead

Ivana Savkovic started her journey with XAPT in 2017 as a trainee, through the AIESEC international internship.

Over the years, she’s worked as a test analyst, business analyst, and project manager, and as of March 2021, she’s become the Team Lead of the NSO Equipment and Finance team.

Working in a male-dominated area like software and being able to advance her career this way makes Ivana a trailblazer.

I’ve never felt I had less of an opportunity because I’m a woman. From my experience, I think at XAPT, women can offer a different point of view and an empathetic approach. That’s particularly useful when overcoming multicultural challenges since every problem requires a unique strategy.

-Ivana Savkovic, Software Development Team Lead

XAPT’s success in building solid partnerships and customized solutions for the heavy equipment industry is made possible with the talent of all these inspiring women who elevate the company culture to new heights by pushing their boundaries.

Embracing diversity with employees from Budapest, Cyprus, Greece, Canada, the US, Australia, the Philippines, and Latin America has made XAPT able to leverage the power of Microsoft Dynamics 365 by creating NAXT365, the leading ERP solution tailored for equipment dealers.

Merging crucial business functionalities like HR, Supply Chain, Finance, Parts, and Rental Services, among others, NAXT365 integrates over 700 customer processes to guide customers effortlessly through digital transformation.

Your heavy equipment dealership can benefit profoundly from working with the many women on the team at XAPT. Reach out today and schedule a demo to see what XAPT can do for you.