Women, tech, and champagne
On Friday, March 3, 2023, a few hundred people gathered in a basement in Berlin, dressed in their finest, ready to celebrate. It was all for the Xena Women In Tech Awards 2023.
Xena is a tech recruitment agency dedicated to helping companies hire and retain women in engineering, product, and leadership roles. And this event was its first-ever awards night.
Megan Gill, Head of Recruitment at Xena and host of the night, took the stage and began by commenting how great it was to see so many women, adding that it’s not always been like this in tech.
More than 300 people were invited for the occasion, 45 finalists were celebrated, and 9 prizes were awarded. The prize categories covered a wide range of topics — from leadership and social impact, to entrepreneurship and open source. The winners of the night were:
- Leadership Award: Chiedza Muguti (Chief Product Officer, Alteos)
- Open Sourcer Award: Liz Rice (Chief Open Source Officer, Isovalent)
- D&I Leader Award: Sarah Cordivano (Head of D&I Strategy & Governance for Talent and Leadership, Zalando SE)
- One To Watch Award: Késsia Castro (Senior Frontend Engineer, HelloFresh)
- Social Impact Award: Charlene Hunter MBE (CEO & Founder, Coding Black Females)
- Allyship Award: Víctor Moreno Alhambra (Head of Engineering, HER)
- CTO Award: Meri Williams (CTO, Pleo)
- Entrepreneur of the Year Award: Georgina Kirby (Co-Founder & CTO, Vinehealth)
- D&I Tech Employer of The Year: Expedia Group
In between awards, three guest speakers came on stage and shared their expertise about how diversity is a driver for innovation, how female founders are beating the odds, and how important female leadership representation is. Anne Kjær Barthel, one of the speakers and founder and CTO of ReDi School of Integration, shared how powerful we all can be if we keep promoting more women in tech. She encouraged us to teach, mentor, and stand up “for those not yet sitting next to us.”
Bhuvana Vijayan, our Director of Engineering at Zenjob, was among the top five finalists nominated in the Leadership category, so we came as a team of 13 to support her and enjoy the event.
Both Rawand Guiga and Anaïs Engler are engineers at Zenjob and joined the celebration. Because March is Women’s History Month and we want to celebrate women and their success, we decided to share a little bit about the evening and why it was important to us.
What were your highlights of the night, and why did the event resonate with you?
Rawand Guiga: The event was an amazing experience. One of the highlights for me was hearing the inspiring stories shared by successful women in tech — learning about their accomplishments and how they persevered despite the challenges they faced. I also appreciated hearing the different perspectives they had on creating an inclusive culture in the tech industry. These stories resonated with me because they provided me a glimpse into the opportunities available to women in tech and the potential for female professionals to make a real difference in the field.
Anaïs Engler: Among all the speakers and winners, the one that resonated with me the most was Késsia Castro. When she received the One To Watch Award, she said that in everything she does at work and beyond, she makes sure to pave the way for the other women who will follow. It felt powerful to me and describes well how I feel about being a software engineer myself. It’s not just about working in tech; it’s also about making sure women play a role in a key sector, that more women know about the opportunities tech offers, and that everything is set up for them to actually succeed once they enter the field. This greater motivation is a driving force for me.
Why is participating in an event like this important to you?
Rawand: Being part of such an event was a real chance for me as a junior engineer who has just started my career to meet women in different positions in the tech field — successful women who have achieved a lot and have great experiences to share. Seeing the incredible things these women have achieved in this field is truly inspiring and has pushed me to strive for more. Furthermore, attending this event was also a great way for me to network, meet new people, and find mentors who can offer guidance.
Anaïs: It was an occasion for me to feel included and valued within my company and the tech sector in general. I’m grateful for this opportunity to attend with my colleagues; it was a nice evening full of learnings and a real networking booster! I’m a heavy LinkedIn user and consider networking one of my career progression’s pillars. I can’t begin to count the useful information, tips, recommendations, and friends I’ve learned and gained from conversations started on this platform. So at an event like this one, you get the chance to continue to learn about many interesting career paths and project ideas and, of course, meet people in real life, all at once!
What was your main takeaway from the evening?
Rawand: As a junior DevOps engineer, I’m fortunate to be surrounded by amazing women in tech who have achieved a lot in the field. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn from these inspiring individuals and to be a part of the tech community. Being surrounded by these incredible women has given me a renewed sense of enthusiasm and purpose. This experience has also given me access to invaluable resources and connections, which will support me in my journey to furthering my career in technology.
Anaïs: It confirms my motivation to work in tech, and to keep learning and improving my skills and growing in this field. As a woman who was never really into sciences before, tech may feel like a party no one invited you to. But you should still invite yourself, because once you’re in, you’ll find a strong community to support you. This is what this event was all about, and it was amazing to feel it in real life.
Which other resources or organizations would you share with anyone wanting to get involved in promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry?
Rawand: I encourage everyone to not be intimidated by technology and to embrace every new technology they learn. By starting with my own small experience in tech, I can attest that it’s a rewarding and exciting field, and that anyone should be brave enough to explore it.
Additionally, I would suggest not being afraid to ask questions or seek help when starting out in tech. There are many resources available to help you get up to speed with the basics and keep learning every day. For anyone looking to promote diversity and inclusion in the tech industry in Berlin, I would recommend exploring organizations such as Athena Lab, Tech Open Air, and WomenTech Network. Additionally, there are initiatives such as Ada’s List, Code Newbie, Tech Ladies, and FemTech Global, all of which offer resources, mentorship, and networking opportunities for underrepresented groups in the tech industry.
Anaïs: I’d encourage every woman working in tech or interested in working in tech to join a community, whether online or in person. It’s a real support system that you can benefit from and contribute to. In Berlin, you have WeAreXena, Girls in Tech, Women Techmakers… Your bootcamp or your university, or even your current company may also have one. And if not, start one!
Thank you to Rawand Guiga and Anaïs Engler for sharing their insights.
