On the TechTO stage ×1
First seen on the TechTO stage in 2022. Every talk is searchable — ask the archive about Maria ↗
In their words
Every time when I get in a room, when I'm having technical conversations or when I'm interviewing or when I'm speaking in conferences like this one, I always count the women.
I spend very little of my time as a VP of engineering actually doing technical stuff. It doesn't mean that you don't need to have a basis in a technical field in order to be in my position, but you will spend very little time actually doing technical stuff.
It's much easier to get somewhere if you know where you're going. Very early on in my career I knew that I was going to be shooting for one of the higher levels of executive positions.
More from TechTO ×1
Quick answers
Who is Maria Hristova?
A Toronto software engineering leader. Firmex appointed her vice-president of engineering in October 2020, running the development team at the virtual data room company. She began at Microsoft in 2002 and has worked at two startups and two companies under 200 people since.
What did she talk about at TechTO?
Being a woman in software engineering, told through her own org charts. Her first chart at Microsoft had one woman on it, the one who hired her; two later jobs had none in her chain of command. She counts the women in the room to this day, and said it has not stopped as she has moved up.
What does a VP of engineering actually do all day?
By her own pie chart: 40% people — mentoring, hiring, firing, and what she called therapy; 30% risk management; 20% budgeting, planning, clients, vendors and other departments; and 10% technical direction. Mostly meetings, which she said is hard on an introvert.
Is she still at Firmex?
Firmex's own leadership page named a different SVP of engineering when it was read on 2026-09-12, and does not list her, so this page says former. Where she is now is not sourced to any page that could be read, so nothing is claimed.