Cracking the Code with TextNow’s Trust & Safety Senior Product Manager

Recently, TextNow took part in a panel hosted by the Communications Fraud Control Association, a group of concerned communications security professionals from several different long-distance carriers, intent upon finding a more effective way to combat the growing problem of communications fraud.

In recognition of International Women’s Day, the CFCA held an open session panel featuring leading women from the telecoms fraud management industry including our very own Laura de la Fe, Senior Product Manager on our Trust & Safety team.

Called Cracking the Code, the panel dealt with the barriers to inclusivity and equality with digital technologies. The panel took questions from the audience, and here are some of Laura’s answers. You can also watch the panel here.

Question: What does equity in the workplace mean for you and what are the movements you see to promote gender equity?

Equity goes beyond equality in my opinion. It’s not about giving everyone the same opportunities but rather about meeting them where they’re at. It’s like a race and we’re not all starting at the same point, some folks are further ahead, and some are a little behind, but by providing the opportunities and resources each individual needs we’re all more likely to make it to the end.

Question: I’m very passionate about organizational culture and a true believer that a strong culture is the foundation to creating an inclusive workplace environment. In your experience - what are some things that companies can do to promote people to bring their authentic self to work?

Being your authentic self is so important to me and I feel blessed that I can do that at TextNow. We have many programs and Employee Resource Groups that allow folks to bring their whole selves to work and provide resources for us all. Emphasizing equity and inclusion ensures that folks can be themselves and not worry that they’ll be punished for it. It’s important that we all be ourselves, especially those in positions of power and leadership to show there is safety in doing so.

Question: You’re all very passionate about mentoring and supporting women to thrive in their careers - did you have mentors and sponsors that positively impacted your career growth? Or were you part of programs that promoted women in telecom or women in fraud detection and mitigation?

I have had quite a few mentors throughout my careers and they’ve not all been women, but one thing they’ve had in common is that they’ve supported me for who I am and did not try to change me or tell me to minimize myself to succeed. At TextNow, my VP of Product has been such a great leader and supportive person. He’s given me guidance and has also recommended me to a professional coaching program so that I can continue to grow in my career.

Question: Based on a story written in 2021 by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, they promoted that barriers should be removed though policies and strategies to promote women’s leadership. What are your thoughts on that?

I think this is great. Again, it's about visibility and equity. Women and other minorities like BIPOC need to see themselves in the leadership around them and making sure there are better opportunities that take equity into consideration to ensure that they are focusing not only on the person and what they bring to the role, but their potential and helping them reach that will only help us all continue to grow.

You can read more about our Trust & Safety team and the work they do to keep our users safe here.

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