Riane Avila grew up in the Philippines, surrounded by the warmth of family and the weight of expectation.
From an early age, she carried a quiet determination to do well—to be the one who kept things together. In a household where love often showed up as sacrifice rather than words, she quickly learned that resilience was not optional. It was survival.
Choosing IT to Support Her Family
Riane’s journey into IT and ERP began during the Y2K boom. She chose IT as a path to a stable future and to support her family. “My goal was to be able to help my family. So what would be a career that could allow me to give back for the sacrifices that my mum made? That’s why I said, OK, I think I’m going to go into IT.”
She started in hardware before moving into ERP through a leading food and beverage conglomerate in Southeast Asia, working on SAP implementations. Her career then progressed through global cybersecurity innovators… and later through a top-tier consulting firm known for shaping enterprise strategy across sectors.
Building a Career Across Borders
In Australia, Riane transitioned from technical delivery to change adoption and training, learning to bridge technical language with business understanding. She became known as a fixer, often brought in to rescue struggling projects. “I’m usually brought into projects that aren’t running smoothly, ones that need course correction, fresh energy, or someone willing to restore clarity and momentum without fuss.”
She became known as a fixer, not just for resolving issues, but for restoring clarity, recalibrating governance, and enabling teams to move forward with confidence.
Navigating Barriers with Balance
Being an immigrant Asian woman shaped the way she showed up with resilience, perspective, and determination to navigate bias and misperceptions, and to claim her place at the table with confidence. But rather than meeting those challenges with greater volume, she discovered strength in quiet rituals, such as cooking to gain clarity, walking to reset, and volunteering with local communities to remind herself what progress really looks like.
Riane focuses on making things clearer, steadier, and more usable, whether for client teams or community initiatives. She supports others from behind the scenes, mentoring quietly or listening when they need space, but when she shares her voice, as she does here with Humans of ERP, she does so to reflect what’s often felt but rarely said.
The Weight of Expectations and Sudden Change
After 19 years with a top-tier consulting firm known for shaping enterprise strategy across sectors, losing her role was a profound shock. The loss reverberated through her career and personal life, triggering grief, uncertainty, and self-doubt.
“I was grieving the loss of my job, grieving the loss of my mum, grieving how I was going to survive by myself… It’s all piling up.”
For the first time, Riane faced a long pause—one she hadn’t chosen herself but eventually learned to embrace.
Finding Her Rhythm
During a two-year career break, Riane rediscovered her own pace. Volunteering, cooking, baking, and connecting with nature became ways to restore her rhythm and sense of value. She reframed stillness as a season of recalibration, recognising that resilience includes rest, not just endurance, and that clarity often emerges in quiet moments.
As her rhythm returned, so did opportunity. Riane recently stepped into a new role with a leading transformation partner in the ANZ region, not in a headline leadership position, but in a space where she could quietly re-anchor her values, rebuild her energy, and contribute with clarity. It’s a chapter defined not by title, but by intention.
Her passion for circular fashion emerged as another meaningful outlet. Supporting sustainable clothing initiatives allowed her to combine creativity with environmental care, finding joy in projects aligned with her values.
Advice to Newbies in ERP
Riane encourages those who feel stuck or marginalised in the ERP space to remember that they are not alone. “If you’re struggling… burnout… tricky politics… stalled projects… or feeling like you’re on the margins, know you’re not alone,” she shares.
“While it’s tough, try reworking your story. Stay curious. Volunteer. Cook for clarity. Walk to feel movement when everything else is paused. It’s not always visible progress, but it’s still building. If you’re here, still trying, that’s enough. Keep going.”
Choosing Rest, Choosing Joy
Today, Riane speaks with grounded clarity. She has learned that resilience isn’t about pushing until you break, it’s about knowing when to slow down, ask for help, and savour joy in its simplest forms.
“For the first time, I chose to pause not because I was weak, but because I finally understood rest is part of resilience.”
A Human Before Anything Else
Riane’s story shows that strength isn’t measured by how much we endure, but by how honestly we meet ourselves along the way.
“Success is not just about reaching the next milestone. It’s about learning to breathe, to be present, and to find peace in who you are right now.”
Her commitment to circular fashion, volunteering, and mindful living is a testament to the joy and meaning she intentionally weaves into her life, a reminder that even in highly structured careers like ERP, creativity, sustainability, and purpose can flourish quietly and powerfully.
Riane’s story reminds us that even in the most structured environments, humanity and purpose can thrive and that quiet leadership is often the most enduring.
Connect with Riane on LinkedIn
