During March, we look forward to celebrating and recognizing the women of CDK Global who are driving innovation for our industry. At CDK, we strive to create an inclusive culture where everyone is empowered to create possibilities. In honor of Women’s History Month, our Inclusion & Diversity Impact Team interviewed women throughout the business to learn more about their experiences working at CDK. Here’s what the women had to say:

Monique Buduan, vice president, CVR & AVRS

Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?

“I have experienced many barriers as a woman coming up in the automotive industry, as oftentimes I was the only woman in the room or the first woman to have held a particular role. This can create additional pressure in a new role because when you are the first or only woman, you are representing an entire group versus just yourself. The approach I take in the face of adversity is staying true to who I am as a professional and as a person. I have always been inspired and energized by adversity and problem solving, and that came through in my first higher-level role in automotive.”

 Why is CDK a great place to work for women?

“CDK has excellent benefits for women in the workplace. The flexible working conditions, along with all the services that come with our Employee Assistance Program, make it a great place for anyone to work. The company has continued to make investments in the team, which makes it a great place for all. CDK has women on the executive team and women leaders throughout the business to demonstrate potential next steps in their own careers. It is rare that I am the only woman in the room anymore, and I truly appreciate at CDK.”

Velda Berryman, director, Supply Chain/Procurement

How has CDK supported you and your journey?

“Before CDK, I was accustomed to a constant, high-stress environment, with no work-life balance and feeling like I didn’t matter. When I joined CDK in 2018, it was like a breath of fresh air, and I immediately noticed how positive, friendly, relaxed, and open the organizational culture was. CDK has empowered me in my role and trusts me to make good decisions for the company every day to help achieve results. CDK leaders recognize and value my skills and talents and helped me obtain additional certifications and encourages me to attend relevant industry conferences and training. CDK also provides great tools to help me expand my knowledge to grow professionally and personally. In my short time here, CDK leadership has supported me from day one, and continues to provide me with opportunities to take on new roles, increase my responsibilities, and help me grow in my career.”

Why do you think diversity in the workplace is so important?

“Companies who are actively engaged in the diversity of people and ideas in their workforce are more open to different viewpoints and perspectives, which allows for a more creative, holistic, and inclusive solution and decision-making process. Diversity is more than numbers to attain as a corporate objective, but it must be centered around respecting those who are different from you, valuing their humanness, and being open to listening.”

Katie Levesque, director, Operations

Have you faced any barriers in your career due to being a woman? If so, how did you overcome them?

“Over the years, like many women, I have been labeled as “difficult” and “emotional” (among other things) because I am passionate about the work that I do and the success of our employees and customers, but I have been lucky to work with some great leaders – male and female – who understood, challenged and supported me. They made me feel trusted and valued. Having those leaders helped me find my own voice and empowered me to share it. Also, finding a group of women who lift me up and encourage me to take ownership of my accomplishments has been critical to any success I’ve had. I am grateful for them.”

How has CDK supported you and your journey?

“Aside from the great leadership I’ve had, CDK has taken chance after chance on me. In my almost 20 years at ADP/CDK, I have identified numerous opportunities and said to a leader “Here’s this problem; you should let me go solve it.” In almost every case, I’ve been given the time and space to find a solution. I’ve been given many stretch opportunities because I’m willing to try something new and live outside of my comfort zone. Being trusted to do those things is empowering! I won’t pretend that every solution worked; I’ve had plenty of ideas fail or not fully hit the mark. In that failure, I’ve learned something, and believing that it would not negatively impact my standing in the company, gives me the confidence to keep trying.”

Kathleen Small, Lead Customer Success Manager

“When I started with CDK (formerly ADP) in 1986, the automotive industry was very male oriented. The biggest obstacle for me was understanding and demonstrating my expertise to earn the respect within the industry, with my customers, and among my peers. Over the years it has improved greatly with CDK embracing and promoting diversity. I learned quickly that you need to conduct yourself professionally and work hard to sharpen your expertise and knowledge, allowing you to provide great support to our customers. Investing in myself has allowed me to be recognized and respected for the resource I provide.”

“It is valuable to have and be mentors within your company and industry. Being open to getting honest and sometimes different perspectives on a situation is the best way to learn and grow professionally and personally. They will encourage and challenge you in new and sometimes unchartered areas or opportunities. I have several friends, co-workers at CDK, the automotive industry and other industries who are valuable resources. The opportunity to learn from each other on how one would approach a situation, navigate challenges, and develop within their chosen career is a great way to value, champion and elevate women. Chances are they have already experienced some of the challenges many women experience and can offer guidance.”

Namita Jain, Senior Business Systems Analyst

“My experience is a bit different from the typical experienced hire in that I joined CDK in 2023 as part of the Returnship Program. This is a 16-week program for professionals who had taken a break from their careers for two or more years for caregiving opportunities and wish to return to the modern workforce.”

“I appreciated and enjoyed the Returnship Program and the challenges it brought with it. It was a unique opportunity for me to get back into the tech industry and contribute to CDK’s growth through meaningful projects with Enterprise IT. I created an end-to-end, customized intake process for EIT spend requests, and learned about standard industry processes like source-to-pay, purchase requisitions and more. I also worked on organizational change management efforts to help improve collaboration.”

“All along the way I felt the support and mentorship of my team and leaders as it related to my career growth and work-life balance. I’m extremely excited for this next chapter with CDK Global.”

We remain committed to encouraging inclusion across CDK. Ready to join us? Let’s go.