From Bucharest to Vilnius, we look into the experience of three engineers working at Mambu, who are not only talented and successful - they also happen to be women.
Pursuing a career in engineering can be incredibly rewarding, and yet engineers face a unique set of challenges to finding success; ever-changing technologies, fast-pace iterations and customer demands.
Andreea Albu, Gerda Aleksandraviciute-Peckaitiene and Raluca Buhaianu are three women, who lead engineering teams in Mambu — each with different professional and personal stories, career journeys and experiences. Besides sharing passion for engineering, and despite being committed to helping all women rise to meet their aspirations, reading their stories can be beneficial to anyone, of any gender, looking to make tech more inclusive and diverse.
How did you first get interested in technology and engineering?
“In high-school, when I had my first programming classes. To me, it seemed a great combination of logic and creativity. You wrote programming instructions that later generated actions on your screen, and that got me hooked. From then on, my path was clear: I continued my studies in software development and got hired as an intern from my second year of college.”
What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in tech?
“Speaking from my experience, I didn't see any advantage or disadvantage in being a woman in tech. If you put in the work, you will see the results. But one thing I noticed is that we have fewer role-models that we can refer to as we grow in our careers. You see less executives who are women, and that might discourage one to aim for that kind of position. But that can also be motivating, because you want to get there to inspire other women.”
What are the non-obvious things that men can do to make things better for female engineers?
“Treat them as engineers, not female engineers. Don't make assumptions based on gender, but rather on experience and skill set. Be aware of your own unconscious bias and try to fight it - and don't tolerate discrimination by others when you see it.”
How inclusive have you found Mambu to be as an employer? Where do you feel there is more work to be done?
“The diversity I found at Mambu, in terms of gender, nationality, or age confirms Mambu is an inclusive employer. However, I think there is more work to be done at the executive level, to have more women as part of the executive team.”
Do you have any advice for young women who are pursuing careers in tech?
“Don't have any doubts that this is a domain where you can succeed. Do the work, be a team player, focus on growing yourself and that will get you to where you want.”
What do we need to do to get more women into tech?
“To get more women into tech or any other male dominated industry, we firstly need to address life-work balance (yes, I’m putting life first). Both men and women pay enormous prices for overworking and over delivering, however women pay at their professional costs by taking on more tasks and delivering more invisible work. It’s a general problem to solve.
Did you encounter any gender bias and discrimination in your career?
Many times (especially in the beginning of my career) I’ve experienced role incredulity. It’s a form of gender bias where women are assumed to be in a support or stereotypically female role.
What would you change to make things better for women in technology?
I’d focus on changing cultural perception of women and stereotypes. For three years I’ve worked with NGOs in Palestine, focusing on women’s economic empowerment. I’ve met wonderful women, focusing on building their careers in the tech field. The thing that surprised me the most was the struggles that we share (despite geographical or cultural differences) are the same: expecting that your work should speak for itself, avoiding playing “hardball”, preferring building relationships that last and getting “penalties” for being too competitive. Those are universal and complex problems to solve. And resolution will not happen overnight.
How inclusive have you found Mambu to be as an employer?
I was amazed by the number of female engineers we have here in Mambu - none of my previous companies had such diversity. I’m really proud of it. In addition to that, I believe that our summer schedule is creating a positive impact by addressing the life-work balance challenge I mentioned earlier. There’s always room for improvement. For example, we do not have enough women in C or VP level positions. On the other hand, there are experienced and professional engineering directors and engineering managers. So, it seems that there’ll be plenty of future candidates to increase diversity.“
How conscious are you of being a female engineer, as opposed to just an engineer?
“Maybe I was more conscious at the beginning of my career when there were not so many women in tech. Moving up in my career and looking at my daughter, I feel like I need to show her that women in leadership positions are not an exception but something normal.“
What sort of skills or passions do you need to have to do well in technology?
“A «Can do» mindset, great problem solving skills, passion about innovation and the will to become a force multiplier.”
Do you have any advice for young women who are pursuing careers in tech?
“Don’t be afraid to speak your mind! Learn, learn and learn.”
How inclusive have you found Mambu to be as an employer? Where do you feel there is more work to be done?
“I was actually pretty surprised to see so many women in Mambu. I think they cover the entire palette of roles from Software engineers, System Owners, Product Managers, Engineering Managers. Still, looking up the chain the number decreases visibly.“
Find out more about career opportunities at Mambu, here.