Being a Tech Mentor

In vpTech, we aim to increase our commitment into the women inclusion matter in Tech. That’s why we have forged a partnership with Social Builder, an association which mission is to train women in digital skills and to help them integrate tech jobs.

We recently allocated some of our members to endorse the mentor role to help women in the process of reintegration in the Tech field. We are glad to have found four Tech ladies from our community volunteering to work individually with one person, who are in the process of reorienting their careers towards Tech, to talk about their experiences and backgrounds in order to have an advisory role. Three of them, Alison Cellard, Justine Grave and Marie-Camille Thiebaut, shared with us about their experience with Social Builder.

Alison CELLARD

Who are you?
I am a software developer.

What is your role?
I create web applications and APIs to help manage the life of Veepee stock before and after sales.

Why did you take part in these workshops?
I really liked the idea of giving an opportunity to women to discover web development and have access to courses and resources outside of school when coming from a different background.

What do you want to bring to your mentee?
I want to share my experiences, give an insight on what the job really is, what it means to be a woman in this industry but also give help on technical topics if needed. More generally, I want to share how to enter and navigate the tech industry which can be quite different from other fields.

Do you think vpTech promotes the inclusion of women?
Several initiatives around women in tech have been started in vpTech, including the Social Builder partnership. It is the kind of action that can be taken at a company level which helps inclusion of women.

What would you advise a woman who wants to enter a tech job?
To be dedicated and persistent, but also not letting into fear of not being knowledgeable enough. Tech is a constantly evolving field and we are all learning everyday.

Justine GRAVE

Who are you?
I am a product designer.

What is your role?
My role is to understand the users’ needs, their pain points and expectations, understand the business needs and opportunities, and to design solutions that meet both.

Why did you take part in these workshops?
I have some experience in technical and digital areas and I want to help people to better understand their strength. As a woman, I encountered limitations in my work experience, set by others but also set by myself.

What do you want to bring to your mentee?
I want to bring them self-confidence and open-mindedness to broaden their perspectives.

Do you think vpTech promotes the inclusion of women?
When an opportunity to improve the inclusivity of women arose, they seized it. On a more personal level, vpTech helped me make my job change and offered me challenging opportunities. I always felt listened to and my feedbacks were requested for and taken into account. I definitely feel considered.

What would you advise a woman who wants to enter a tech job?
Curiosity and practice are major keys for me. I also recommend not hesitating to ask questions as people are often eager to share their experience. On a personal level, I have always loved to solve problems and this is what led me to tech jobs.

Marie-Camille THIEBAUT

Who are you?
I am part of the Innovation Team.

What do you do?
My job is to detect innovations that can improve the group’s performance or reinvent it. I like to see myself as a business psychologist.

Why did you take part in these workshops?
Coming from a chemical engineering background, I needed time to understand what I really wanted to do and it started with understanding what I am good at and what I like to do on a daily basis. For that, people need information and I think we need to help others find their way, especially women.

What do you want to bring to your mentee?
I registered in two Social Builder programmes. The first is to sponsor a woman who would like to get into Tech as a digital project manager. I want to share my experience, as a woman who was not in tech first, to find a job in the tech sector.

In line with my current expertise as head of the Veepee Accelerator, the second Social Builder programme is to support women entrepreneurs starting businesses that have been affected by the health crisis. The objective will be simple: to help them generate income.

Do you think vpTech promotes the inclusion of women?
The main difference at Veepee is that women have their own voice. I feel that I can improve because I have the room to do so.

What would you advise a woman who wants to enter a tech job?
You never have to underestimate yourself because you are a minority today. I would advise a woman, as a man, to always be aware of her competencies and not to worry if she’s not coming from tech. In tech, we need diversity and every experience, professional or not, makes a difference.