Change is never easy, but for Edwina Murphy, it’s the driving force behind everything she does. As the Founder and CEO of Graphene Cloud, Edwina has made it her mission to help businesses navigate the complexities of cloud computing and AI automation, turning technological challenges into opportunities for growth. Her company’s unique approach—simplifying the adoption of advanced technologies—has made it a trusted partner for organizations looking to innovate and scale.
But Edwina’s impact goes beyond the tech industry. As a single mother and a self-made leader, she has become a symbol of resilience and determination, proving that no obstacle is too great to overcome. Her leadership philosophy, which emphasizes empathy, accountability, and the importance of creating environments where people can thrive, has not only driven Graphene Cloud’s success but also inspired a new generation of leaders.
Eager to learn more about how she’s redefining leadership and driving change in the tech world, we sat down with Edwina Murphy for an inspiring conversation.
Let’s dive into her journey-
Edwina Murphy, you’ve had a remarkable career in IT and leadership, working with some of the best in the industry. What inspired you to pursue a career in technology, and how did your early experiences shape your leadership style?
I was always aspirational with an extremely strong work ethic ever since I can remember. Coming from a working-class background, I understood I would have to make both sacrifices and choices that wouldn’t always be easy to succeed, but I also had a vision of what my life would be, and that was not something I was prepared to compromise Of course there were ups and downs, people always have some stories of hardship in some capacity or another—but I just knew no matter how hard it was, I was going to make something of it. I’d really wanted to have the power to make the choices I wanted to make.
An uneducated 23-year-old single mother who wasn’t typically surrounded by aspiration and ambition had taken a wrong fork in the road and wanted to ensure my daughter would not just be a product of her social environment. Above all I wanted to be her role model and show her success knows no bounds if you are determined to keep going and get back up after every single fall, breaking the stigma that was often applied to single mothers back then.
Initially, I returned to night school to pursue a career in law, but after two years, the path I wanted to a better life was just too long and decided upon a career in IT sales. I wanted to work in the industry that had the most growth potential and this was around the time we saw AWS emerge, introducing new ways of delivering and procuring that were set to form a market shift. I knew I wanted to work with early adopters and innovators and seize the opportunity to grow and learn at the forefront of this market inflexion point.
I naturally gravitate to wanting to do things differently rather than the “status quo,” and really enjoy change. Change is hard but it makes a profound difference and is crucial to evolve and grow and extremely rewarding and motivating when accomplished. I really don’t want to be doing the same things I am doing today, in the same way in 3 or 4 years’ time.
How has motherhood influenced your perspective on leadership and your approach to problem-solving?
It is absolutely the core and front and center of pretty much every decision I make, and there are several layers to why.
Mothers are typically— albeit not always, but typically—natural multitaskers, experienced problem-solvers, and highly organized, making them excellent candidates for leadership positions. Single mothers possess a high level of resilience and resourcefulness. They are very used to carrying the load and the stress of trying to work, do the pickups, cook, and clean without someone to hand off to when you get tired, need a rest, or have that piece of work to finish, making them invaluable assets in the fast-paced world of tech and startups. Despite these abilities, women represent only 27% of the tech world, and this number declines further when considering leadership roles. In fact, in the last survey I saw, there were just 5% of leadership roles held by women.
As a mother, most of us want to put our children first—making them happy, secure, confident, fulfilled, supported, and encouraged—and teaching them values about honesty, integrity, respect, and consideration of others.
You must create an environment for them to flourish and grow, and embrace their uniqueness, but also you have to have difficult conversations if you want them to succeed. I see all these things as part of my responsibility as a mum and as a CEO.
It’s a balance between rolling up your sleeves and carrying the load when it is appropriate, taking the stress and problems away, but also between being honest and having difficult conversations to drive positive change. Like teaching them that aggressiveness abuse or disrespect of any kind or shouting is unacceptable at home or in the workplace.
They need to be accountable, and they also need to feel safe enough to talk to you and hold you accountable. If you don’t do that, then you are not helping anyone. The most fundamental part of the role, in either capacity, is to remove their blockers, their obstacles, their stress or anxiety, look after their well-being, and value them.
And it all starts with “you,” not them:
- Am I doing those things for myself and leading by example?
- Was I fair and respectful in that difficult situation?
- Do I communicate clearly?
- Did they understand what is acceptable and what is unacceptable action/behavior?
- Do I let the standard slide and let bad behavior slide under the carpet for an easy life or because I am afraid of their reaction?
- What can I do differently to get a better outcome?
- What do I need to change?
- What do I need to do more or less?
- Did I really teach them to be nice, kind, and respectful and know that anything else is not tolerated?
In what ways does Graphene Cloud assist clients in understanding and maximizing the benefits of cloud adoption?
Graphene Cloud was born out of my experience in the market where I didn’t like or agree with how companies marketed themselves because it didn’t always match the customer experience. I am ALL about the customer and their experience. I see the word partnership, collaboration, and continuous service improvement, but the reality was service was hit and miss, and often mediocre was deemed “good enough”. Claiming to speak the customer’s language and being “easy” to do business with was not always the case. But as you pointed out, I also worked with some of the best and have taken so much from those good people and organizations. I wanted to do a start-up as I wanted to start an AI Automation Company to be the best and at the forefront of this next market inflexion point, as typically larger companies take longer to transition.
Graphene Cloud integrates advanced cloud, AI, and automation solutions from Microsoft and democratizes access by simplifying the adoption of AI and automation into strategic advantages for ambitious organizations looking to innovate and grow.
Our unique “up and across the cloud stack” methodology connects disparate data sources and systems, enhancing operational excellence, reducing costs, and saving time. We deploy our solutions within your environment so that you retain complete control while benefiting from ongoing managed services that extend beyond basic break-fix support. Our approach embeds DevOps into your service, ensuring that your solutions evolve to become increasingly feature-rich and capable over time.
Can you share a particular client success story that exemplifies the impact Graphene Cloud has had on their business operations?
Yes, I’m incredibly proud of one of our earliest customers. We were brand new, and they knew they were taking a risk. However, they were so deeply unhappy with the incumbent as per my recent comments, and really felt they could trust us as we brought a fresh kind of engagement to the table, speaking a language they understood and simply doing what we said we would. They also had a finite budget but needed to scale and we created a roadmap and build bespoke micro applications that could grow with them, reduced their costs, minimized manual errors, and enabled scaling, which was paramount to their growth and success. They achieved a 143% turnover increase, and a 250% headcount increase, continuing to thrive. I won’t lie, we were new, it was not all plain sailing and didn’t have all our processes sorted but what was resolute was our commitment and determination to deliver what we said we would, and it was a huge success.
What drives your passion for technology and leadership, and how do you instill that passion within your team at Graphene Cloud?
Challenge, change, and culture drive me. Only delivering meaningful change is what drives, excites, and motivates me. If your business process has been in place for 10 years, then it is highly likely not the right process. I see a lot of processes for process’s sake, even though it is fundamentally broken and having been an employee myself, having to work in such constraints and unnecessary complexity can be very stressful. I aim to change that for the users we engage with.
What’s next for Graphene Cloud? Are there any exciting projects or innovations on the horizon that you’re particularly passionate about?
We are in the process of delivering a bespoke application for the Maritime Industry that has never been done before. Elements of it have, but not in the way that we are connecting the data and processes to drive significant industry change.
What legacy do you hope to leave, both as a leader in the tech industry and as a role model for single parents?
Remember, you can do it. Only you can do it, and only you can be kind to yourself. You will fall; there will be days you feel it’s impossible, but find your inner strength and belief, and allow yourself to smash through that glass ceiling. The journey will be different for everyone, but I have no doubt if you keep going, do not think anyone has it completely together all the time and do not let others tell you that you are not good enough. Don’t let anybody determine your future but YOU!
What advice would you give to aspiring leaders, especially women, who are looking to make their mark in the tech industry?
A big piece of advice you will often hear is “find your tribe,” which I subscribe to, but stay completely true to yourself and do not compromise on your values or standards. You are your differentiation in the market. But stop looking at what everyone else describes as success. It is not just about aggressive growth, getting a certain client badge, or huge profits. There is more than one bottom line in a business, and you need to remember the ones that are important to you.
Leadership can be lonely, but that creates a space for silence, which is a great healer. Let yourself block out the noise from the world from time to time and listen to your inner voice—it will tell you what you need.
And network– you would be amazed by all the nay-sayers just how many will support you and will want you to succeed.
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