Today we are celebrating not only International Women’s Day, but also the second anniversary of our women’s network, women@iteratec. To mark the occasion, we spoke to founding member Sophia about the vision, the challenges and the successes that are helping to strengthen the role of women at iteratec.
Today marks the second anniversary of the women@iteratec network. How significant was the establishment of the women’s network for iteratec?
Sophia: The women’s network at iteratec arose from a genuine need. It is an initiative that was launched by us female employees ourselves and is driven forward with great passion. After all, it is not a given – neither in the IT sector nor at iteratec itself – that women are represented at all levels and across all areas of the business. It must finally become the norm that women are not just the exception. That’s why a few female colleagues and I decided two years ago that we wanted to play our part in bringing about change. And that this will only work if we women join forces, empower one another and become more visible together.
Over the past few years, women@iteratec has successfully established itself as a network. What is your vision for the coming years?
Sophia: iteratec has set itself the target of having 30 per cent women represented at every job level. This is also where the vision of our women’s network comes in. We want to ensure that women at iteratec are visible and naturally represented at every level of seniority and in every department. With their skills and expertise, they are involved on an equal footing in all decision-making processes, thereby shaping iteratec’s success and innovative strength.
The network helps to raise awareness of gender-specific issues and challenges within the company and to break down stereotypical thinking. Our mission is to build an inspiring community of women who encourage and empower one another, thereby realising their full potential for iteratec. We increase the visibility of women at iteratec, both internally and externally, and promote role models. We network to exchange experiences, share resources and work together to promote equality, empowerment, allyship and personal growth.
You’ve set yourselves ambitious goals. What successes have you achieved so far?
Sophia: Over the past two years, we at women@iteratec have built a strong community and have already brought about initial changes. We are proud that women now hold 40 per cent of the seats on our strategy boards and that we have been able to attract more female leaders. We’re also seeing an increasing number of female applicants and hires, as well as low staff turnover, which reflects our positive working environment. These successes confirm that women@iteratec is having a tangible impact.
What specific goals have you set for 2024?
Sophia: At the moment, identifying role models and female speakers who challenge stereotypes is a high priority for us at iteratec. This helps us raise the profile of women as points of contact for their respective areas of expertise at iteratec.
Role models play a crucial role by using their career journeys to encourage other women and inspire them to forge their own paths. As early as 2023, we began showcasing more experienced female colleagues in our network who hold exciting and/or non-stereotypical roles. These colleagues shared insights into their career journeys, the obstacles they’ve faced and the lessons they’ve learnt, as well as the varied responsibilities involved in their roles. This has raised the profile of our female colleagues, meaning they are now also being approached to speak at external events. At the end of February, for example, we organised a ‘Women in Tech’ meet-up in collaboration with Trivago, featuring fascinating talks by colleagues on risk, security, data and psychological safety in teams.
We are proud of what we have already achieved together, and even more excited about what lies ahead. Whilst we still have a long way to go, it’s great that we can count on the full support of iteratec’s management.
You’ve talked about how important role models are. How did you find your way into IT yourself?
Sophia: I’ve always been interested in maths and analytical subjects. Even at school, I realised that I had a knack for computer science and that I could explain things to my classmates in a way that was simple and easy to understand. So, naturally, I went on to study business informatics, which allowed me to combine my communication and social skills with my maths skills.
I never had one specific person as a role model, but I always enjoyed picking out qualities or behaviours from people who inspired me and who I felt would suit me too. So I had both female and male role models in the world of work. But when I became a mother, I found myself lacking role models with whom I could identify. That really did surprise me. Many male colleagues were simply able to continue their careers as normal, even with children. I, however, couldn’t and didn’t want to do that. But I couldn’t immediately see how exactly I could balance family life, a child and my ongoing career goals.
As a business architect, a board member of the iteratec #nurdemteamco-operative and a member of our internal women’s network, I’m now able to drive forward the projects I’m truly passionate about. Juggling these different roles isn’t always easy, though. , I realised some time ago that the multiple demands were eventually becoming too much. By communicating clearly about my personal life, I’ve gained more space and peace of mind to focus more intently on my tasks at iteratec. And here, too, I’ve started to hand over certain roles. I’m still learning how to organise and structure my tasks even more clearly. But what I can say about all these roles is that I get to work with wonderful teams. And whilst I’m happy to contribute suggestions, ideas or spark discussions, I don’t feel I have to solve everything on my own. In my view, this gives team members plenty of scope to help shape things, whilst also giving me the freedom not to have to do everything myself.
Sophia, thank you very much for the insight into the iteratec women’s network and your own story. The commitment shown by women@iteratec demonstrates how important it is to create spaces for support, growth and mutual empowerment.
