Celebrating Women who #BreaktheBias
Alice Clavel is a founding software engineer at June — an analytics software company looking to “bring back the magic to Analytics.”
SF: Hi Alice, thanks for joining us. What advice would you give to women looking to enter your industry?
Alice: I wish my developer journey had only been about growing my knowledge, exploring new topics and discovering the beautiful realm of programming. Unfortunately, it was a bumpy road where I encountered a lot of sexist behavior and toxic working environments. These situations challenged my self-confidence and hindered my personal growth. However, it’s a journey worth taking for what’s at stake: financial independence (high salaries in tech), interesting projects to work on and continuous learning. You’ll also meet passionate and wonderful people who help you overcome the bad experiences.
Here’s what I would have tell my younger-self:
- Don’t stay if you are unhappy. The IT job market is flexible enough to be able to find another position quickly. Listen to yourself and watch out for red flags during the interview processes and trial period. Never forget that by staying in a toxic environment you are damaging your self-confidence and probably career, but most importantly your happiness.
- Don’t lose energy trying to change an existing organisation where patriarchy and sexism are deeply rooted.
- Be part of a women’s community. It doesn’t matter if you are an active member or not. Communities provide support when you need it and are a reliable way to gain perspective and gather advice. They are the physical proof that there are other women developers. Build a sense of community. It can be a good place to vent before jumping to conclusions or making important decisions.
SF: How would you like to see your industry or organisations in your industry support and elevate women professionally?
Alice: First, it’s important that decision makers in the organisation know that it is a fact that women and men don’t start on equal footing. They must acknowledge that women are discriminated against — not only in the tech industry in the form of microaggressions, sexist behaviours, lower salaries, etc. — but also in our society as a whole. Any organisation or person questioning the above statement is not worth your time.
“Women are smart and powerful. They can elevate themselves professionally if society wouldn’t put so many obstacles in their way.” — Alice Clavel, June
Diversity needs to be at the core of a company’s culture. It’s the only way to create a sustainable working environment where women thrive. This means, among many other things, organizations must:
- Consider all types of diversity: women of color, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, etc.
- Build trust by making salaries transparent
- Set up hiring pipelines that require at least half of the candidates to be minorities (meritocracy is not a thing in a patriarchal society)
- institute a good reporting system to condemn sexist behavior
- Remember that words matter. Organizations should use inclusive writing and gender neutral expressions. (This is something I see more in languages — like French — where words have a gender: “We want to hire a kickass new guy”)
If I had to choose a final conclusion for such a complex and deep topic (that I could endlessly discuss): women are smart and powerful. They can elevate themselves professionally if society wouldn’t put so many obstacles in their way. Help by removing these obstacles.
SF: Tell us a bit about your company and your position
Alice: My name is Alice and I am a founding software engineer at June. June is an analytics software. It aims at making analytics reachable and understandable for everyone. Analysing user’s behaviour is at the heart of building a great product. Through simple and friendly interfaces, we display core product metrics, so your company can achieve sustainable growth.
As one of the founding member of the company, the scope of my tasks goes beyond traditional software engineer. I am also involved in strategic and product decisions. The sense of responsibility towards customers is very strong. Being part of the first employees also mean you are directly contributing to build the company’s culture, which is thrilling but also demanding.
Hannah Dean is a UX/UI Designer at N3xtcoder, a social-impact focussed digital agency based at Spielfeld.
SF: Hi Hannah — thanks for joining us. Tell us a bit about your company and your work.
Dean: There are two pillars to N3xtcoder as a company.
One is our events — we host meetups, webinars and socials but the majority of our work revolves around hackathons. We’ve partnered with hundreds of entrepreneurs and companies who care about using tech to create social impact in short project sprints. I’ve attended hackathons as both a participant and an organiser so I know what it feels like from both sides!
The other side is the agency work. We are a team of designers, developers, marketers and project managers. We lend our expertise to companies with projects that align with at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We’re an international bunch and most of my colleagues work remotely from lovely, sunny beach spots around Europe.
I was hired as a UX/UI Designer at N3XTCODER. I specialise in Research since I hold a First Class Degree in Sociology as well as a Diploma in UX Design. For years I’ve been fascinated in asking the “why” behind the “what”. Why do people behave in certain ways? What motivates them? What makes them tick?
I love the fact that I get paid to ask these questions for projects that have a meaningful purpose.
SF: What advice would you give to women looking to enter your industry?
Dean: You know that internal voice that makes you question and doubt yourself? Don’t listen. Maybe write down your thoughts to help you process them but don’t believe them. My own doubts and lack of self-confidence held me back when I first started out. I got through it by surrounding myself with encouraging people in the industry who saw potential in me and urged me to keep going when I struggled.
“You know that internal voice that makes you question and doubt yourself? Don’t listen.” — Hannah Dean, N3xtcoder
My biggest piece of advice is to network. There are loads of incredible mentors in the tech world, both men and women. It’s a friendly and down-to-earth industry and people are really willing to give up their time to help advise and mentor juniors. So ask for it! Be bold! Go to the meetups and online events, add people on LinkedIn, introduce yourself and make friends. Even in the tech world we live in, the best opportunities still come through networks and contacts.
SF: How would you like to see your industry support and elevate women professionally?
Dean: I’m quite lucky because I work in a space where people are conscious of the importance of gender representation and equality. However I would say that when I first started researching UX Design as a potential career option I struggled to relate to many of the male content creators. I desperately wanted to hear from someone I could identify with. Who looked like me or had a similar temperament or educational background. I’ve since found great female mentors but they weren’t as immediately accessible — I had to search a little to find them.
I would like to see women being given more of a platform for their voices in the tech world. The more women we see speaking out and leading, the more it will inspire younger women to step into tech. If you see someone you relate to succeeding in a career you’re curious about, it gives you more confidence to step out and be bold. So it’s great that you guys are doing this interview! There’s a handful of women at Spielfeld who work in tech — we’re all on a shared whatsapp group and regularly meet for lunch. It’s nice to have that support network in what is still a male-dominated space. We have a lot of fun together :)
Sara Bettinelli is Community & Content Manager at Leaders for Climate Action (LFCA), Europe’s biggest climate action community for and by entrepreneurs.
SF: Welcome Sara! We’re excited to learn a bit more about you. Please tell us a bit about your company and what you do.
Bettinelli: I am Community & Content Manager at Leaders for Climate Action. Leaders for Climate Action is Europe’s largest climate action community, by entrepreneurs and for entrepreneurs. As a non-profit, we support 1,500+ businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and influence change beyond what a single company can achieve. LFCA members can be found in 36 countries, but most of them are in Germany which is why a big part of our team is based here in Berlin.
After graduating with an MA in International Relations I decided to work on the climate crisis which, in my opinion, is one of the biggest challenges we are facing as a global society. I worked for two years in Brussel’s EU institutions and moved to Berlin last year to join LFCA.
What I like about my role is that I am in close contact with our members, working together with the team on the development of campaigns, content and projects that can help members accelerate their climate journey. A big part of this is supporting LFCA by building a network in the corporate, advocacy and political worlds. We do this by participating in events, creating partnerships and starting joint initiatives. I find the mission of our organization and the commitment of our team and members really inspiring. It is amazing what a community of motivated people can do!
SF: Hi Sara, thanks for agreeing to speak with us. What advice would you give to women looking to enter your industry?
Bettinelli: First, keep the motivation for the cause high in your mind. Climate action is a very competitive, complex and various field. Believing in what you do and how you want to do it is the best compass to find your way.
“Believing in what you do and how you want to do it is the best compass to find your way.” — Sara Bettinelli, LFCA
Second, stay true to who you are. We are often told that to succeed professionally, women need to be stern, harsh or uncompromising. You will never get your value through if you try to fit in someone else’s box, and it is an effort that wastes your energy. You can be determined and firm while being also kind and empathic. Believe in who you are and be the first one to understand your uniqueness as an asset.
SF: How would you like to see your industry support and elevate women professionally?
Bettinelli: I think two things are important — equal representation and absolutely zero tolerance for any discriminatory or sexist behaviour that diminishes women’s professional image, even when it is just considered a “harmless joke”. Giving everyone a seat at the table is important, but making sure that the seat is unbiased and equal is even more crucial.
Tanja Steinhoff works as Senior Product Manager Payment Security at Swiss software company Netcetera.
SF: Thanks for joining us Tanja. Tell us a bit about your company and your position.
Steinhoff: Netcetera is a software company which supports its customers with products and individualy digital solutions in multiple disciplines such as secure digital payment solutions, publishing, FinTech, and Augmented Reality. With 800 employees, Netcetera has its offices in Switzerland, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
I work in various business areas and cover products over their entire life cycle. From ideation and strategy to implementation and operation. The product I am responsible of as product manager is authenticating cardholders during online payment transactions to prevent fraud.
I started my professional career 12 years ago as an Executive Assistant after studying economics and it took me several years and interim steps as project manager and IT project manager to find my profession as Product Manager. Today I am enjoying most the many facets of my job: I am continuously improving the product with my SCRUM team and at the same time working with my Product Management colleagues on scaling the business.
SF: What advice would you give to women looking to enter your industry?
Steinhoff: I hope it is not that relevant anymore, but 10 years ago I was put off by the old image of what I thought the IT industry was — I had this image of a bunch of old men sitting in a windowless cellar! 😉
I would advise everyone to gain some insights and form your own opinion simply by joining some (virtual) meetups and discovering the many interesting and different aspects in IT. There are also women in tech meetups, which could be a great opportunity. Who knows? Maybe you will find your next job opportunity.
“Do not take job descriptions too seriously.” — Tanja Steinhoff, Netcetera
Additionally, companies specialized in IT recruiting might be a good starting point when looking for a job. Often, job descriptions are too vague or ask too much of the applicant — I see a lot of people looking for fantasy people who can do everything. A recruiter could help sort through options and find a good fit. Which brings me to my general point: do not take job descriptions too seriously. At some point I started to read them with two questions in my mind:
1. Can I do this maybe not now, but in 6–12 months?
2. Would my male friend Sam apply?
If so, then go for it. Convince everyone with your professional abilities.
Meike Bingemann is a Spielfeld Team alumna and works as a Learning Analyst for BPI — Business Performance Institute.
SF: Hi Meike! Thanks for chatting with us. Tell us a bit about your company and your position.
Bingemann: I am a learning analyst at the Business Performance Institute — BPI, a European learning consulting company partnering with leaders & teams to unlock their full potential in business, society & life. We design tailored capability building and leadership programs guiding clients in developing more powerful practices leading to organizational enthusiasm.
BPI is a young and diverse working place. Our team of around 40 people counts 19 nationalities, 17 spoken languages, and 11 academic backgrounds. While the consulting industry is traditionally male-dominated, 64% of BPI’s employees identify as women evenly distributed across all levels. All in all, I’d say BPI is a fantastic company to work at for ANYONE interested in learning and development consulting.
SF: What advice would you give to women looking to enter your industry?
Bingemann: Today companies- including consultancies- invest significantly in communicating their purpose and core values to clients and top talents on their websites and through socials. Following up on this gives you an excellent first idea of how the company operates and how people work towards common goals.
“…Make sure the purpose of the company in question and their communicated culture resonate with [you].” — Meike Bingemann, BPI
My advice to all the great women out there contemplating entering the industry is to make sure of the purpose of the company in question and their communicated culture resonate with them. Looking at the number of women in executive positions is also a helpful indicator to consider.
SF: How have you seen your organization support and elevate women professionally?
Bingemann: At BPI, every employee is encouraged and empowered to develop personally and professionally. Next to our annual learning journeys as part of the in-house academy, we have individual coaching to work on concrete development areas and goals. We cherish regular moments of meaningful feedback and constantly support each other in our growth ambitions and beyond.
I would love to see also other companies in the industry opening up to a more people-centric way of working that makes all employees feel cared for, valued, and encouraged to grow personally and professionally at every level.
Further reading:
- EmpowHer , an initiative from Spielfeld co-Founder Roland Berger
- “Working for a brighter future for women, everywhere,” from Spielfeld co-Founder Visa
- “Visa launches grants, mentorship and more for Black women-owned businesses,” Visa
