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Employee Spotlight: Emily Lather Improves Processes and Transforms Sales Systems at Ansys

1월 09, 2024

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Emily Lather | Lead Program Manager
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I have been with Ansys since 2008. I was hired as a sales order and operations specialist (SOOS) in the Lebanon, New Hampshire office. I’ve truly grown up at Ansys, and I’m fortunate to have had so many incredible opportunities and mentors over my tenure. As a SOOS, I loved partnering directly with the sales team to close deals and support our customers. I learned so much about our business and all that goes into engaging and supporting our customers. I also came to realize how much I loved learning about process, solving complex problems, and finding new ways to improve our employee and customer experience. 

Once I found the kind of work that both challenged and energized me, I jumped at any chance I was given to work on projects focused on process and system transformation at Ansys. I eventually transitioned full time to global sales operations and joined the commercial systems operations (CSO) team when it was formed five years ago.

Emily Lather

How I’d Explain My Job to a Kindergartener

I’d use the analogy of a race car driver and their race team to explain my job. Race car drivers are very skilled at what they do, but to perform their best and win races, they want to have the fastest car and need to be supported by a team of expert mechanics who make sure the car is running at peak performance. The track, weather conditions, and the competition may change over time, or from race to race. I’m like a member of the support team that helps the driver execute their racing strategy and make improvements to the car as needed so they can drive their best and win races.

Emily Lather

What I Actually Do

As a member of the CSO team, I collaborate with business stakeholders, process owners, and IT team members to help define, develop, and deliver digital and process transformation within the Go-To-Market (GTM) organization. My job is to understand our GTM strategy and business needs so I can recommend the best process improvements and help deliver the best solution that supports us in meeting our goals as an organization. 

Whether we are improving existing functionality or undertaking a large, complex project, I consider the wider implications across the integrated systems, people, process, and data to ensure we build a scalable platform that can continue to evolve and support organic and inorganic growth.

Emily Lather Ansys Employee Spotlight

Emily (second from the left) and the Ansys Commercial Systems Operations (CSO) team.

Why I Choose Ansys

I joined Ansys by a chance opportunity. I had just moved back to the area a few years after graduating college and learned about an open position from a friend. The work sounded interesting, and once I interviewed and met the teams I’d be working with, I was really excited to join the organization. I love the reactions I get when I explain to people what Ansys simulations can do when I’m asked where I work.

I stay because of the people. The work can be really challenging at times, but I love partnering with a cross-functional team of talented, passionate, and genuinely kind individuals. When you are working on long-term projects together, you really get to know each other and support one another. Accomplishing goals together as a team is really rewarding. Nothing is better than hearing from a business end user that a change we’ve implemented has made part of their work easier.

Fulfilling Our Mission

My team ensures the GTM organization can operationalize and scale to achieve their goals and reach as many innovators across industries as possible to arm them with the predictive power of simulation.

Emily Lather Ansys Employee Spotlight
Emily Lather Ansys Employee Spotlight

Emily in Tokyo, Japan (left) and Seoul, South Korea (right).

Our ONE Ansys Culture

I appreciate the cultural diversity here at Ansys. Working with individuals with backgrounds and perspectives different than my own enriches my work life. I love learning about my colleague’s different cultures and family traditions. My favorite way to experience a different culture is by sharing a meal and trying traditional foods. My parents settled and raised our family in New Hampshire. My father is from New Mexico and was raised immersed in his indigenous culture as a proud member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe. He taught my siblings and me about our people’s traditions and culture through shared stories, ceremonies, music, dance, and food. 

My favorite Ansys value is “Be Generous.” I have found that once I stop focusing on what I want or what is in it for me and reframe my mindset to be, “how can I be of help?” my contributions are far more impactful. Focusing on how I can be useful has a positive impact on my attitude and sense of purpose. 

Sense of Belonging

I work with many incredibly bright, creative, and confident women. We support and mentor one another. My career journey at Ansys has been significantly shaped and enriched by the female mentors and colleagues I have had the honor of working with. It’s been incredible to watch the Women in Technology employee resource group thrive and provide so many incredible opportunities for all employees to engage in and benefit from.

Getting Involved

I volunteer with Ascutney Outdoors, a local non-profit in my town. It is a community-run volunteer organization that stewards our town’s land management and trail network on beautiful Mount Ascutney. We maintain 35+ miles of trails in our town forest that are used for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. In the summer, we host community events and live music slope side. In the winter months, we operate a volunteer-run ski slope and tubing hill. It’s a great way to spend time outside and partner with members of my community. They also operate wonderful outdoor programs for kids that my son has been able to participate in and enjoy over the years.

My Best Advice

Reach out to people and get to know the teams you are working with. People want to see you succeed, and the best way to get to know how we operate is by meeting the teams and understanding what they do and how they contribute to our success as an organization. 

Emily Lather Ansys Employee Spotlight
Emily Lather Ansys Employee Spotlight

Emily, her husband, Ryan, and their son, Nolan.

What You Might Not Know

I live in Vermont with my husband Ryan, our teenage son, Nolan, and our rescue dog Gwen.

I love to garden and have a slight obsession with growing/tending my house plants. I expand my vegetable and native perineal gardens a little more each year. I enjoy experimenting with different permaculture techniques and learn best through trial and error. Digging in the dirt and tending my plants is meditative to me and nothing is more satisfying than growing something from almost nothing. I also enjoy being in nature, kayaking, traveling with my family, and trying new recipes.  

Learn More

Learn more about #LifeAtAnsys at Ansys Careers. Join our talent community to be the first to hear about our latest job openings, recruiting events, and recent news.


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"My career journey at Ansys has been significantly shaped and enriched by the female mentors and colleagues I have had the honor of working with."

— Emily Lather, lead program manager, Ansys


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