The Inspiring Journey of Poonam Pandhare
The Identity and Access Management (IAM) domain thrives on resilience, continuous learning, and holistic thinking. In this edition of Women in IAM, we bring you the inspiring journey of Poonam Pandhare – a professional who transitioned from a small town in Maharashtra to delivering and leading critical IAM initiatives.
This is a story of curiosity, confidence-building, and quiet leadership.
Personal and Professional Background
From Satara to IAM Projects
Poonam grew up in a small town in the Satara district of Maharashtra. Stepping out for higher education became a defining moment shaping both her personal independence and professional aspirations.
She began her career through campus recruitment, like many fresh graduates, with strong enthusiasm for coding. Her early work involved Java development projects within IAM, where she successfully delivered real-world implementations.
As her career progressed, she gained hands-on exposure to IBM IGA products and SailPoint IdentityIQ, which broadened her understanding of IAM as a domain – not just as a toolset, but as a business-critical security function.
What Drew Her into IAM?
Poonam entered IAM without fully realizing its depth or long-term impact. The turning point came during her early project days—handling real-time challenges with only foundational product knowledge.
Working across both development and support assignments taught her a powerful lesson:
With curiosity and the willingness to learn, you can adapt to any product or technology.
Those early challenges became the foundation of her confidence.
Journey into IAM
Learning Through Challenges
Starting with basic knowledge meant facing daily hurdles. Instead of becoming barriers, these challenges accelerated her growth—technically and personally.
Overcoming the Confidence Gap
Coming from a small town and being a first-generation professional, confidence was the biggest early obstacle.
She overcame it by:
- Investing extra time in strengthening technical skills Improving communication abilities Seeking guidance from senior team members
This mindset eventually enabled her to mentor others and lead IAM teams, closing the loop from learner to leader.
The Role of Mentorship
Poonam credits much of her growth to mentors and managers who encouraged questions without judgment Promoted independent problem-solving Reinforced the importance of continuous learning. Their influence shaped not just her technical approach, but also how she now supports and mentors others.
Challenges as a Woman in IAM
Gender Bias: A Positive Experience
Poonam shares that she has not faced direct gender-related bias in her career. She attributes this to inclusive work environments where skills and contributions were valued equally, supported consistently by mentors and managers.
Balancing Career and Life
Like many women in India, balancing professional growth with personal responsibilities required conscious effort. Organizational flexibility and strong family support enabled her to stay fully engaged at work while maintaining personal balance.
What Kept Her Going
A humble background instilled resilience early on. Challenges became opportunities—not setbacks.
Seeing myself learn and overcome obstacles showed me I was capable of more than I imagined.
Achievements and Contributions
A Defining Career Moment
One of Poonam’s proudest achievements was leading a critical phase of a SailPoint IdentityIQ implementation under tight timelines and complex requirements.
Despite still strengthening her product expertise, she:
Coordinated tasks across teams Guided junior members Maintained clear communication with stakeholders
This experience reinforced the power of ownership and clarity in leadership.
Knowledge Sharing and Team Enablement
She actively contributed to internal IAM knowledge sharing Guiding junior engineers Establishing structured approaches to issue analysis.
This video recording given below is a part of the Women in IAM – Voices of Strength webinar initiative, where experienced women leaders share real-world IAM insights, career lessons, and practical perspectives. In this session, we explore managing non-human identities in the AI age, along with leadership experiences, challenges, and learnings that can guide aspiring and practicing IAM professionals.
Why Women Excel in IAM
IAM demands holistic thinking Attention to detail Strong collaboration. Poonam believes women naturally bring these strengths, enabling the delivery of secure, practical, and high-quality IAM solutions.
Advice for Aspiring Women in IAM
Start with Curiosity, Not Perfection
IAM is not about mastering one tool. It is built on multiple pillars that work together.
Her advice:
Focus on fundamentals first Understand solutions before coding Explore multiple IAM products Ask questions and seek help freely.
Skills and Certifications
Build a strong foundation in IAM concepts Explore tools to find your area of interest Understand all IAM pillars, even if you specialize later.
Advice to Her Younger Self
Trust yourself more. You are capable of more than you think.
The Future of IAM & Women’s Role
The future of IAM will be shaped by professionals who can blend Technology Strategy People skills.
Women bring empathy, communication strength, and big-picture thinking—qualities essential for IAM leadership and innovation.
Supporting Women in IAM
The IAM community can make a real difference by:
Offering beginner-friendly learning paths Providing genuine mentorship Creating safe spaces for questions and growth
Confidence grows fastest where learning is encouraged, not judged.
Want more such stories?
Explore the Women in IAM initiative on IAMFORBEGINNERS.COM and join a growing community of learners and leaders shaping the future of digital identity.
Follow us on Social Media
IAM For Beginners
Discover more from IAM for Beginners
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Tenho interesse
Hi Amanda.
Please reach out to us on iamforbeginners.com for your queries.