Sheila Austin (She/Her)
About Sheila Austin (She/Her)
Sheila Austin serves as the Vice President of Learning and Development at BlueCat, where she focuses on capability building and leads both sales enablement and learning teams. With a background in organizational development and extensive experience in various learning and development roles, she emphasizes the growth of employees from both leadership and individual contributor perspectives.
Current Role at BlueCat
Sheila Austin serves as the Vice President of Learning and Development at BlueCat, a position she has held since 2022. In this role, she leads both sales enablement and internal and customer learning teams. Sheila emphasizes a strategic approach to training, focusing on capability building rather than task and project levels. Her leadership aims to foster simultaneous growth among employees, enhancing both leadership and individual contributor skills to achieve success with customers.
Previous Experience at BlueCat
Prior to her current role, Sheila Austin worked at BlueCat in various capacities. She served as the Senior Director of Learning & Development for nine months in 2021 and as the Director of Learning and Development from 2018 to 2021, where she worked for three years in the Toronto, Canada area. Her tenure at BlueCat involved developing learning strategies that aligned with the company's goals.
Career Background
Sheila Austin has a diverse career background in learning and development. Before joining BlueCat, she worked at Purolator in multiple roles, including Learning and Development Consultant for Corporate & Leadership and Sales. Her experience also includes positions at Softchoice as an Account Manager, Telesales Development Coach, and Inside Sales Supervisor. Sheila's early career featured a role as an Account Executive at SHI.
Education and Certifications
Sheila Austin has a solid educational foundation. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Information Technology from Western University, studying from 2000 to 2005. Additionally, she obtained a Certificate in Organizational Development/Adult Education from Sheridan College, completing her studies from 2011 to 2012. Her academic background supports her expertise in learning and development.
Personal Interests
Sheila Austin has a personal goal of reading one business book and one personal book each month, with a preference for physical books over e-readers. This commitment reflects her dedication to continuous learning and personal growth, which aligns with her professional focus on employee development.