Women Tech Talk

This week I am joined by the amazing Mark Ivan Serunjogi who's the Strategy Director at TheTruthWorks.

In this weeks episode we cover a variety of different topics and Mark Ivan takes us on an interesting journey from his experience relocating from Copenhagen to New York and from New York to Berlin and how each move shaped him in different ways as a person.

Mark Ivan comes from a phenomenal Employer Branding background, so we have a deep dive discussion on DEI, why building an inclusive culture first matters more than focussing 'just' on the diversity piece.

The conversation also gets surprisingly personal, where Mark Ivan shares a lot around his experiences growing up within an intercultural society, race, religion and why these things matter when hiring international talent.

So, if you're someone who's thinking of relocating or has relocated and don't know how to position your cultural differences, what to look out for when finding a new employer, then this episode is for you!

Connect with Mark Ivan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markivan/

This week I am joined by Sérgio Laranjeira!

He's recently joined as the CTO at Metacore and we have a great deep-dive conversation.

During our conversation, we deep-dive into the topic of trust and transparency and how they play a vital role in every aspect of life including building successful teams and products.

As someone who's been in a leadership position for over a decade, Sérgio explains what attributes a leader needs to build the best teams.

In this episode, we discuss:

- The meaning of being a good leader

- How DEI can change the course of your entire team & company

- The failures and successes of transitioning into leadership

- The importance of understanding different cultures & communication styles

- And SO much more!

If you're already in leadership, are thinking of transitioning into leadership or team member who want to know what a good leader is...then this episode is definitely for you!

This week I am joined by Oleksii Ishchenko who is the VP of Engineering at elopage.

During this mini-series of Allies in Tech, I've invited some amazing guests to join me and share their views and experiences on what DEI means and why it's so important to have within your culture - especially in the tech world.

Oleksii has a great back story - moving from Ukraine to Germany and working his way up the ladder to the VP/CTO level.

He shares how being in a 50-man team room felt strange and how obvious it was that change needed to happen!

He has heaps of experience with mentoring, challenging the status quo and pushing boundaries with companies that equate to an inclusive culture for all.

We discuss:

- His challenges & mistakes he faced when moving to leadership

- From his experience why is DEI essential in every company

- What benefits an inclusive culture holds

- Why building an all-white male team is not the way forward for company success

- And so much more!

So, if you're someone who's tried implementing change but doesn't know where to start - have a listen to this episode because Oleksii explains exactly how to start.

Connect with Oleksii: https://www.linkedin.com/in/oishchenko/

This week I'm joined by Nataliia Senatorova, who's a Senior Product Manager at Cronofy.

In this episode we discuss how she got into tech working for one of Germany's biggest Fintech companies - N26 to her journey at her new role as Senior Product Manager.

We deep-dived into handling rejection, the unknown, bad (and good) leadership and being a job seeker during a very difficult year in tech.

If you're doubting yourself, not sure where to start or you have a fear of the 'unknown' then this episode is definitely for you!

Connect with Nataliia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataliia-senatorova/

Get mentored by Nataliia:
https://adplist.org/mentors/natalia-senatorova

This week I'm joined by Vitalja Subota who's the TA Manager at Bettermile.

We uncover a range of topics from going from Web development to marketing to then tech recruitment.

During her journey in tech, we deep-dive into the assumptions that women face in the industry, the lack of forward-thinking from companies and hiring managers in today's market and the impact that can have in attracting new talent (especially women!).

Vitalija breaks it down beautifully during the conversation, that you do NOT need to be a genius to work in tech. That doesn't mean that you aren't a talented developer/engineer.

Connect with Vitajla: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vsubota/ 

This week I was joined by Olena Kondratenko! She's the VP of Product at the female factor in Vienna.
We discussed a lot about the imposter syndrome women feel, especially when they decide they want to switch up their careers and all the thoughts and feelings that come along with it.
Funnily enough, we're not alone and many women (and men) have felt the same way!
Olena very openly shares her journey into tech when she originally came from an economics background and started an internship in a tech company when she relocated to Austria.
With many, many ups and downs and a HUGE rollercoaster in between - we hear how she went from doing an internship to becoming a VP of Product.
She shares some great tips on how to transition and the importance of giving your dreams a go and learning along the way!

This week I am joined by Diana Schubert who's the Chief Experience Officer at Storebox in Europe - Vienna.

Diana comes from a technical background where she studied business informatics. We explore that you need to be bold and believe in yourself and go ask for the promotion and not wait around for it and why that's so important, especially for women.

We deep-dive into the importance of embodying a culture where everyone feels safe, heard and seen and why that will make a difference in how the company grows and to the creativity and diverse thinking within the teams.

Connect with Diana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/diana-schubert-69a9b6129/

This week I was joined by Cristina Racu and very excited for you to listen.

Cristina leads a Product team in a FinTech company called Paysafe in Vienna. However, her tech journey started in the games industry as within design!

She deep dives into how she had a young curious mind and just gave everything a go and kept applying for jobs until she landed her first role in Vienna.

In a male-dominated world, she explains how she never saw gender and how a supportive team can have a massive impact on how your career plans out.

If you're wondering how to start your search and apply for your first position in tech - this episode is for you!

Connect with Cristina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinaracu/

Lesley has a very interesting career path that has led her to where she is today. She went from accounting, to oil & gas to tech! We discover her journey into tech, why DEI is so important, why we need to be our true selves and the power of standing up for yourself. She's currently working within a technology incubator and helps founders create effective DEI strategies that will make them and their companies thrive. 

We had a very raw and honest talk about past experiences and the importance of sharing these stories with others. If you are looking to break away from a corporate sector and get into tech - this episode is for you! 

Connect with Lesley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-galgay-8841b631/

Amanda has been in the tech scene for the last 6 years, working in Silicon Valley! We discuss how she joined the tech world, the challenges she's faced and the perception of being a women in tech (especially in the Silicon Valley world).

​It's a conversation that dives deeply into gender norms and how society looks at certain aspects and that affect that this can have in our day to day lives.

​If you want to know what the silicon world is like, how to get into tech and enjoy talking about all things women in tech - then this episode is for you!

Connect to Amanda: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-carboni-sf/

Valentina's journey into tech is an interesting one. She originally comes from an arts & theatre background and being creative is a big passion of hers. After graduating and sending over 80+ applications and having around 30 interviews - she finally landed her first job in tech.

As her career went on and after she'd picked up technical skills, she was advised to look into tech recruitment, which she did and the rest is history. She loves helping people find their dream jobs and really enjoys digging deeply into people's motivations, to ensure she's finding them the right opportunity. 

Valentina enjoys giving tips and tricks on knowing how to figure out if the companies you're interviewing for are the right ones. So if you're a working mum, dad, a graduate, a professional looking for their next role - this episode is for you! 

Connect with Valentina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valentina-morina/ 

Sophie's journey into tech is a very interesting one. She's originally from Australia and moved to Austria while she was traveling.

​She comes from a content writing background and found her way into tech by landing a job in one of Austria's leading FinTech companies. How? She hit apply, with our meeting all of the requirements!

​Sophie explained what her experience was like when she started and how impostor syndrome played a massive part at the beginning.

​So if you are on a similar journey and want to learn how she overcame all her fears - this one is for you!

Connect to Sophie: 

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophie-nicolas-a8b970195/

Instagram: financial.feminist 

Daniela started her career within a traditional executive search firm when she was only 17! She really takes us through an incredible journey of how she got into tech and the importance of being able to make an impact.

Transparency & integrity play a vital part in her day-to-day life and she describes to us why being vulnerable as a leader is the best thing you can do and how can that transform an entire teams ethos.

Wants to know how not to be an order taker & be a good leader? Then this episode is for you!

Connect with Daniela: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielastrazza/

Jamie has a very interesting journey into tech and her career path is definitely far from linear. We explore her English degree, why tech was an interesting industry for her and how she landed her first job in tech.

She attended coding camps and now works as a growth manager at Oliver POS. We uncover everything from being the only woman in the coding class to facing age discrimination when she was working as a freelancer.

​Jamie is extremely passionate about diversity within the technology space - so if you're interested about how to transition, this episode is for you!

Connect with Jamie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamie-lewis-703018121/

Maxime found her way into Tech when she joined an Austrian Start-up - TourRadar where she started of as the Assistant to the CEO and worked very closely with the board & management teams.

She then started to work within the Ops teams where she gained knowledge and later started her career at the current start-up where she heads up the Finance & Operations department.

We explore what her transition from corporate to tech was like, her application & interview journey, her thoughts on current STEM communities and why we need to keep on talking & encouraging more females to transition.

Connect with Maxime: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maxime-de-groot-6a04bbb6/

We explore tech, recruitment, motherhood & careers and how recruitment can help accelerate your career into technology. Why it's so important to be compassionate and building meaningful & long lasting relationships. 

From an early age Dorontina always loved interacting with people and helping them out. She always contemplated a career either as a doctor or psychology and psychology won her over - she was always fascinated by human behaviour.

After graduating she fell into tech recruitment while she was on a job search for psychology roles and she loved the opportunities recruitment gave as she got to interact with people daily and helped them find their dream job!

Connect with Dorontina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorontinademaku/

Mia has a degree in Law and after university went into the art field and later on found her way into tech when she moved to Berlin and started her journey when she joined a start-up.

​Since then she's been heading up HR departments and has helped her companies hire for technical/non technical teams.

​We explore how she transitioned, what the experience was like, the difference between 'culture add' & 'culture fit', understanding different traits and the journey of scaling up a start-up.

Connect with Mia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miawahala/

Laura is a UX concept designer and is in charge of conducting research and works closely with the development & product teams to bring ideas to life.

​We explore Laura's journey into UX, how she changed her course half-way through University and her job seeking journey. We explore the subject of talking and the power that has when going into an industry where you don't have practical experience.

​Uni students/first time job seekers/for those changing industries - this one is for you!

Connect with Laura: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-fiona-holder/ 

In this weeks episode I’m very excited to be speaking to Andrea Fernandez who’s the co-founder of a German start-up fintech company call Alice.

We uncover her journey into finance, how childhood has an impact on our adulthood, should we start educating kids earlier on about tech & finance, her successful career at Wall-Street to now founding her very own company, where we further discussed raising funds, finding the right co-founder to enable company success and heavily discussing the importance of diversity & inclusion.

If you want to be part of a movement to close the gender diversity gap but don't know where to start - then this episode is for you!

Connect with Andrea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-fernandez-coto/

Alice: https://www.aliceapp.de

In this weeks episode I’m very excited to be speaking with Liz Lux who is the VP of People at an Austrian start-up company called Bloom Diagnostics. We discussed people culture, the gender & diversity gap and what we as a society need to do, to unable the gender gaps to close.

She also gives us an insight of her journey into tech and how she found the transition going from a learning & development consultant to HR and working with leading tech companies.

Liz came from a strong L&D background and worked within the corporate industry until she moved to Vienna and began her HR journey within a successful start-up. If you want to know how to go from a non-tech background to working with great software/medtech companies then this episode is for you!!! 

Connect with Liz: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liz-lux-5925b540/

Today we are joined by the lovely Edna a Senior Principle Engineer who relocated 4 years ago from Bosnia to Munich to start her developer career in a company called mydays. Today we discuss her relocation journey, how she found the transitions, her journey into technology and what it means being a women in tech!

We discover her education journey, what you need to do to stand out and the importance of believing in yourself.

Menia comes from a mechanical engineering background and was always an admirer for maths and science! She later started her career within the VC industry as an Investment analyst and discovered her passion for product management. Menia shares her journey how she discovered product management - what it means and why more females should join the STEM communities.

To connect with Menia - follow the link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/asimenialaina/

Amanda takes us on a journey of transitioning from the corporate finance world to starting her fashion tech business from scratch. We hear about her challenges, successes and her experience on venturing into a new industry! If you've been thinking of starting out in tech or founding your own business and don't know where to start - this episode it for you!

Hey there! Welcome & thanks for joining! I'm Valentina Co-Founder of Micro-Search Solutions - a small niche recruitment company & Founder of Women Tech Talk! I thought I'd give you a brief introduction on myself and WHY I started this initiative! Thanks for listening!