We Shape Tech Blog

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

Hi Silva, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us where you’re from!

I have had an interesting journey across the world. I was born in Tirana, Albania and moved to New Jersey with my family when I was 11 years old. I consider myself essentially American. But after having lived two years in sunny San Francisco before moving to Zurich, I would say California is home, or the “place where I’m from”.

What valuable advice did you get from your parents?

As any child of immigrant parents in the US, the number one lesson taught to us as kids was to work hard and study hard. I was always surrounded by books and I understood the importance of knowledge and education as the key to my future.

How did you become interested in tech?

Completely by coincidence when I found a position as a client partner at Ginetta, a web design agency. I worked in the art and design world in NYC and San Francisco before coming to Zurich. My exposure to the tech world before Zurich was only through all the people I got to know in the Bay Area. My husband is a computational physicists and once secretly signed me up for online coding classes. I learned quickly that I wasn’t cut out for coding, but I realize now that my love for working with people can serve as a good bridge to the tech community.

What aspects of your work are you proudest of?

I feel I can very easily connect with people and I want to be someone that others feel good around. If I’m successful at that, then that’s what I’m most proud of.

What drives you at work?

The drive to do excellent work. I don’t like the word perfectionist as I think it has an element of “obsession” in it, but I do strive for excellence. I want to inspire those around me to also not take any shortcuts and always do a thorough and good job. Of course this doesn’t mean that you should take months to get a small task done!

What has been your toughest challenge you faced while working in tech?

Not being able to always speak the tech lingo during discussions. It’s very intimidating to enter the tech world and not have a detailed understanding of the technical topics being discussed. But this gets easier and easier over time and you learn that simply asking questions can be extremely rewarding.

What advice would you give other women in tech?

Learn! Learn as much as you can. It’s obvious that men are the majority in this field and I truly believe that only surpassing them in knowledge can bring us closer to equal representation.

This month François Montay, Sr. UX Designer & Team Lead at Google explains why he supports the idea of a diversity movement such as WE SHAPE TECH.

I am fortunate to be a father of 2, a girl and a baby boy, both 3rd culture kids. My little girl will soon be 7. She is bright, bubbly and curious about a ton of things. Which is something I foster and encourage every day. 

The other day, while I was getting cash at the bank automat, she went on asking questions about "how it works, and how the machine knows how much money I have in my piggy bank. ” And here I am, describing technology and security to a 7 year old.

The whole experience turned out to be very interesting not only because she was truly fascinated by the way “machines” could communicate with each other, but also because technology was no longer a complete mystery. It became accessible, reachable, but still magic somehow. Maybe someday she'll want to explore more, and if she does, I want to make sure she has equal opportunity in this field than her brother.

This little crash course in computer science made me reflect on our practice. We need more women and diversity in our company because we need to be the reflection of our end-users. The same applies at the team level. “You don’t know what you don’t know.” Bringing as many perspectives as possible into a project is the surest way to maximize its chances of success.

Hyper-Konnektion, intuitive Apps, Alles-in-der-Cloud und die unzähligen lebens-bereichernden Gadgets sind Teil unserer digitalen Gegenwart. Als «Woman in Tech» begrüsse ich diese modernen Errungenschaften. Ich betrachte sie als epochalen Fortschritt im Vergleich dazu, wie meine Eltern oder meine Grosseltern ein weitgehend analoges Leben führten. Nur: das Gesicht der digitalen Revolution ist unrasiert und trägt Kapuzenpullis. Als Unternehmerin und Geschäftsfrau bin ich besorgt, wie fahrlässig die Tech-Industrie so die Hälfte ihrer Zielgruppe, nämlich die Frauen, schlicht zu ignorieren scheint.

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

Hi Penny, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us where you’re from!

I’m from a mid-sized town in the very west of Germany. I grew up in an entrepreneurial family: All my grandparents started several businesses after WWII, and my father ran a construction company.

What valuable advice did you get from your parents?

My mother equipped me with a strong and positive attitude towards challenges: Never give up, always keep smiling. She did not encourage any whining or complaining about things that aren’t worth it.

​How did you become interested in tech?

When I was a child, my father bought one of the first personal computers, and together we immersed ourselves in programming in BASIC (and a bit of gaming). We developed an ERP application for his business to automate salaries and invoicing. My father and I were so proud when we did a print-out of the code that it went three times across the living room!

​What aspects of your work are you proudest of?

I started my own business in management training straight out of university and ran it for 4 years. It was a great experience; and I learned a lot about managing a business, clients, and people.

What is it like to work in tech as a women?

I’m still amazed by how few women I meet in my professional life. My activities focus not only on technology but also entrepreneurship (I do startup engagement) and financing (I work closely with Swisscom Ventures). These topics are all very “male” – so their combination oftentimes results in me being the only woman in the room. This may even be true in a big conference setting with 300 people.

How do you balance work and life?

I have two kids – so work-life balance doesn’t only include myself. It is a family question. I am very privileged in that my husband also works in a very flexible environment (software development) and believes in an equal share of family duties. He even works part-time. I think that companies have to address fathers, too, if they want to be family-friendly. Swisscom, for example, just started a pilot project encouraging men to reduce their work to 80%.

What advice would you give other women in tech?

When you go to a conference or other meeting – speak up and voice your opinion! Also, be active on social media professionally – it can be a lot of fun. Note: You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @pennyschiffer)

If you want to work and have a family, make sure you find a partner who is willing to support you.

Penny, thank you very much for serving over 700 members and over 1,000 followers of WE SHAPE TECH as a role model!

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

Hi Sweta, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us where you’re from! I grew up in a small town named Patna, on the banks of the sacred river Ganges in India. Our family was part of the great struggle for India’s Independence from the British rule (my great grandfather, Babu Gorakh Prasad, was a close friend and ally of Mahatma Gandhi during the freedom struggle)

What valuable advice did you get from your parents?

Resilience is key for a meaningful life. The courage and ability to bounce back from difficult situations and come back stronger than ever is what sets one apart.

After my Masters, I joined India’s largest textile conglomerate, Arvind Mills, as the first female manufacturing manager in its 80-year history. I was only 23. I had no prior manufacturing experience. And I was managing a team of 300 men. Earning the immediate respect of my team wasn't a luxury, it was a necessity for professional survival. In this journey, resilience was my greatest friend as I worked hard to earn the trust, love and respect of my team-members at different occasions

How did you become interested in tech?

While in India, I launched Arrow-Woman, India’s first womenswear clothing brand in offline retail. After completing my MBA in the US, I started at eBay as a Product Manager for the Fashion Vertical…...it felt like a natural transition from offline to online retail aka ecommerce.

What aspects of your work are you proudest of?

I'm a passionate, user-focused tech enthusiast who represents the voice of the customer to our product teams.

What drives you at work?

Things that kick me out of the bed everyday for work. First, I want to be a part of the greater momentum at Google - turning potential ideas into great products that will provide value to our users. Second, my curiosity and hunger to learn new skills everyday in the hope of a greater hope;)

What has been your toughest challenge you faced while working in tech?

My toughest challenge has been work and life balance. To me, my family is most important, but my work is my Karma. It is very difficult to do one more than the other….

What advice would you give other women in tech?

I’d say that it is very important to know yourself truly, or else you’ll never know what you really want

Be open to take criticisms, it will only help you grow!

Be authentic and dare to be who you are…..at first, it might be strange and lonely, but trust me it will only prove your worth

Sweta, thank you very much for serving over 600 members and over 1,000 followers of WE SHAPE TECH as a role model!

Am 30. November fand der zweite Event von We Shape Tech in Bern statt. Dieses Mal in Zusammenarbeit mit Ellepreneur, einer Community für Unternehmerinnen und selbständige Frauen in Bern. In einer inspirierenden Location, dem Impact Hub Bern, konnten wir zusammen mit gut 40 Frauen und 2 Männern einen spannenden Abend geniessen. Das zentrale Thema des Events war «Mut». Sowohl während der Workshops als auch während des Interviews mit Anaïs Sägesser gab es einen guten Austausch von Erfahrungen, Tipps, Ideen und Meinungen.

Brigitte Hulliger hat den Event eröffnet mit Überlegungen zur Veranstaltung «Digital Manifest», die vor Kurzem auch in Bern stattgefunden hat, im altbekannten Bild von Teilnehmenden, ohne grosse Vielfalt. Sie fragte in die Runde, wo die Frauen in der digitale Zukunft geblieben sind.

Nach einer kurzen Einführung ist die Zeit gekommen für Workshops. In drei Gruppen diskutierten wir über die Überwindung von Mut im Alltag, im Beruf und in der Freizeit. Wir haben Erfahrungen ausgetauscht über die Überwindung und den Mut, den wir häufig brauchen, um unsere Ideen umzusetzen, uns in der Öffentlichkeit zu positionieren oder einfach etwas Neues zu versuchen.

Während des Workshops haben wir neue Komponenten sowie Erfahrung, Unterstützung und gute Vorbereitung als Strategien identifiziert, die uns helfen können, die «unüberwindbaren Hürden» in mutigen Situationen zu reduzieren.

Nach dem Workshop wurden die Teilnehmenden aufgefordert, sich eine Postkarte zu schreiben mit ihren persönlichen Mutmachern. Diese werden sie in den nächsten Wochen erhalten (Bitte Foto twittern, wenn ihr sie erhalten habt :-)).

Nach den Workshops kam die Zeit für das Interview mit Anaïs Sägesser über Beruf und Berufung. Miriam Gantert befragte sie zu ihrer Karriereschritten, dem Mut eine sichere Stelle zu verlassen und eine neue professionelle Karriere zu starten.

Anaïs hat mit uns ihren Erfahrungen während den verschieden Etappen ihre Karrierewechseln geteilt und geschlossen mit:

Das anschliessende Apero war eine super Networking Gelegenheit mit interessanten Gesprächen. Es war schön euch alle wieder zu sehen und wir freuen uns schon auf unseren nächsten Event am 22. Februar 2017. Mehr darüber erfahrt ihr in unserem Newsletter.

Advent, Advent ein Lichtlein brennt. Die Zeit in der wir unsere Liebe und Zuneigung in farbenfroh-glitzernden Geschenke einpacken, verziert mit goldigen Schleifen und anderem Firlefanz - Glitter, Baby!  Dieses Jahr werden so viele Geschenke online eingekauft, wie nie zuvor. Doch wie einfach machen es sich die Onlineshops die unterschiedlichen Nutzerbedürfnisse zu befriedigen? Wie gut decken sie die Diversität ihrer Zielgruppen ab - jung oder alt, Frau oder Mann - ob grosses oder kleines Budget - ob von unterwegs oder zuhause?

In einer Studie haben evecommerce und WE SHAPE TECH 24 Deutsche und Schweizer Onlineshops für Weihnachtsgeschenke bezüglich der Abdeckung der diversen Benutzerbedürfnisse untersucht. Dafür wurden 5 unterschiedliche realistische Szenarien zwischen Schenker und Beschenktem definiert, die die Vielfalt der Anwendungsmöglichkeiten abdecken.

Dieses Jahr hatten wir von We Shape Tech das Vergnügen gleich bei zwei Unternehmen den Zukunftstag mitzugestalten - nämlich bei Namics und bei Google. Spannend war es - und auch ein wenig überwältigend. Sagen wir es so: die Zukunft macht ordentlich Druck!

Wir wissen es alle: Jobs in der Software-Branche sind ziemlich abstrakt. Nicht gerade wahnsinnig greifbar. Dadurch auch nicht unbedingt wahnsinnig attraktiv. Denn welche spannenden Geschichten lassen sich schon über unsere Projekte erzählen? Und eine Detektiv-Gruppe mit dem schönen Namen “Die drei Bites” oder “Die drei Pixel” muss immer noch erfunden werden.

...and before you can realize, it’s almost Christmas time again. Have you planned your holidays already? Do you already know which gifts you will give to whom? And frankly speaking, didn’t you promise yourself that that next year, you want to enjoy the pre-Christmas time more deeply? Anyhow. Here is your chance to detach from the Christmas hazzle, lean back and meet other inspiring ladies such as yourself!

Your friends from WE SHAPE TECH set up a cool X-mas event at a hip place in Zurich. Bring your full self to this evening and feel free to bring your friends (just ensure they’ll register as well!). Celebration is only fun in the company of others – the more the merrier! We want to organize a cozy dinner that allows great ladies like you to connect to each other in a casual atmosphere, therefore, we limited the number of participants to 30. We have a first come, first serve policy and the tickets are selling out fast. Most likely, we will close the application on December 1st, and it would be sad if you’d miss the fun.

What makes successful women successful? A great network is always key. Be the inspiration and the encouragement for others and get inspiration and encouragement from others. We all are sitting in the same boat, let’s help each other on our journey – strong women help strong women! Or simply put: let’s just have a fun evening! We will ensure that you change seats various times, hence, you will have various chances to meet other great women.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon,

The WE SHAPE TECH team

Date: 14th December 2016, 18:30 Location: Brisket Southern BBQ & Bar, Pfingstweidstrasse 6, 8005 Zürich Sign up: get your ticket on Eventbrite and bring your friends along!

The fourth We Shape Tech event in Zurich was dedicated to recruit, retain and lead diverse teams. This was our first event that was explicitly open for a diverse audience, so everyone was very pleased that the number of male participants on this evening was correspondingly high. We listened to representatives from Siroop, Southpole and Google Switzerland who shared fruitful insights with us. The event was hosted by Google Switzerland and moderated by Daniel Frei.

Startup views and challenges by Siroop Isa Steiner, CTO at Siroop, was the first key note speaker on stage. Siroop needed to recruit more than 100 people in just one year and hence was forced to hire diversely. Diversity for them is a topic that is more about integrating people with different experiences such as age, race or sexual orientation than about integrating men and women in the workplace. Siroop aims at hiring people that share a common mindset and are highly intrinsically motivated.

Siroop’s key values are transparency and tolerance such as flat hierarchies. They value experience over age and are striving to embrace change. Currently Siroop has about 20% women working in  tech, whereas the overall diversity ratio is 2/3 men and 1/3 women, which might be partly due todifferent working models that Siroop supports.

Question: 《Is there too much diversity?》 @tweetizzy:《In my opinion, only when too many opinions contradict with company values.》#weshapetech

— siroop_inside (@siroop_inside) October 5, 2016

Diversity is a must for South Pole Group Renat Heuberger, CEO at the South Pole Group, has no other choice than being diverse. The business of the South Pole Group is to clean up the supply chain and to save our planet from the undergoing climate change. He works in a global business that includes working with big as well as very small companies. The skill chain include people from political, financial, tech, legal and communication departments in a very international setting with offices scattered across the globe. Therefore diversity is a reality and a must for him.

Southpole defines itself as a social enterprise. It has to deal with cultural differences and its CEO believes that hiring bright people helps to bridge across cultures.

Complex systems require diverse teams as well as joint forces of smart brains.

CEO of #southpole talking @ #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/COVt38vWwW

— Nadia Fischer (@NadiaZuerich) October 5, 2016

Diversity is healthy for better products - Google Eric Tholomé, Google Switzerland’s site lead, told us that Google favors diversity and wants to create awareness that there is still work ahead. Currently about 19% of the developers and 31% of Google’s staff are female for instance. That is not enough to him and Google is investing a lot of resources into improving the diversity rate in all areas due to the fact that diverse teams are building better products.

Google’s current conviction is that smart people can be found and hired everywhere. They still want to hire the best people so the bar just cannot be lowered in order to raise diversity. Currently a lot of effort is being carried out to make the staff more divers. There is a Googler-in-Residence Program in place that helps to raise the share of black computer scientists and a lot of regular internships are offered. Check out Google’s diversity site if you like to learn more about Google’s diversity stats.

Google fosters a bottom-up culture in conjunction with a speaking-up culture. The daily work is organized in groups and people are pretty used to debate topics. Conflicts with respect to ideas are considered helpful and fundamental. But “at Google we are discussing ideas not people” according to Eric Tholomé. An internal training program to avoid unconscious bias has been raised back in 2013.

"It should not be the minorities' problem to fix the minorities' problem!" Well said @tholome from @Google_CH #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/IBxCGVeXJo

— Céline Tykve (@celine_tykve) October 5, 2016

With a lot of food for thought, the guests and speakers  went on for networking and Apéro. A warm thank you to all speakers, participants and especially to Google Switzerland for the invitation into their premises.

Thanks for the nice gifts @siroop_ch. #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/prlY9w1eup

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

Tell us where you’re from! I grew up in Switzerland in a region called Napf in canton Lucerne. After having lived for a couple of years in Toronto, Canada together with my husband we moved back 11 year ago to Switzerland. After that I completed a Master in Design Communication at Bern University of Applied Science and worked for a software company. At the end of  2015, me and two of my friends  decided to start our own company.

What valuable advice did you get from your parents? “Trust your instinct and be a good listener”. I was told to trust myself to find answers but also to take the responsibility which comes with my decisions.

How did you become interested in tech? For my master thesis, I developed a digital platform concept for teaching History to school children. Along the way during this thesis, I got interested in the power of technology and the positive impact it can have on society and business.

What aspects of your work are you proudest of? I enjoy working in a team set-up to achieve a common goal. I’m proud of instances where I have contributed to my team in finding solution to a challenging problem and energized team members to overcome hurdles.

What drives you at work? A few aspects come to my mind:

Coming up with new ideas and testing them.

Doing things better: Whether it’s optimizing processes or improving customer experience.

Learning and trying out new things and sharing it with my colleagues

What has been your toughest challenge you faced while working in tech? I have experienced the power of interdisciplinary teams and at the same time the challenges which come with it, especially regarding communication: Many times it is hard to understand each other because the vocabularies used for the same things are different in each discipline. We lack a common vocabulary.

What advice would you give other women in tech? My learnings so far are:  

Don’t aim for perfection; rather test with an 80% version with customers.

Focus is key: Pick 1 to 2 actions to work on vs. multiple topics.

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

So, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about where you’re from? I grew up and went to school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. I later went on to study Chemistry & German at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. During my Bachelor I spent an Erasmus year in Marburg, Germany. I then moved back to Belfast to carry out a year’s management program and on completion started by first job in NI in marketing/sales for a textile company. “Love” brought me to Switzerland, which ultimately lead me to working in technology.

What valuable advice did you get from your parents? Always maintain a good work ethic.

How did you become interested in tech? Actually by chance. My entry into the tech world coincided with me coming to Switzerland to find work. At that time in1998 there was a deficit of IT graduates and since I was always striving to be more efficient, enjoyed finding new solutions and solving problems the IT world seemed a good match.

What aspects of your work are you proudest of? Having satisfied users, bringing them solutions on a daily basis. Our systems are there to empower people and add value to their everyday tasks. IT should be a benefit not a burden.

What drives you in your work? Working in IT is never boring – it is constantly changing and you have to stay alert to keep up. This is the best stimulant to keep me motivated and energised at work.

What have been some of the toughest challenges of working in tech?Finding the balance between high performance solutions verses return on investment. IT comes at a cost and the sky’s the limit but it also has to be economical.

What advice would you give to other women in tech? We (women) are generally more modest than men. So move out of their shadows and prove that you are as capable as your male counterparts to take technology to the next level.    

Der 15. September war ein spannender Tag für WE SHAPE TECH. Wir freuen uns über das zweite Chapter in Bern, dass von Miriam Gantert, Sombra Gonzàles und Brigitte Hulliger geleitet wird. Für den Anlass hatte Liip uns freundlicherweise seine sehr schöne Location zur Verfügung gestellt. Wir fuhren an einem schönen Spätsommerabend mit grossen Erwartungen nach Bern und wurden nicht enttäuscht.

Great people at the kick off event of #weshapetechBern // for more diversity in tech @WeShapeTech pic.twitter.com/y7v1XOVE8T

— Mirjam Walser (@miwalser)

September 15, 2016

Circa 30 Frauen (und zwei Männer) waren der Einladung gefolgt und fanden sich gegen 17:30 im Büro von Liip ein. Das Networking begann mit einer Fotosession und der Frage nach der idealen Community der Teilnehmerinnen.

Danach stellten sich die Gründerinnen der Berner Gruppe kurz vor. Drei starke IT-Frauen werden die Geschicke von WE SHAPE TECH in Bern lenken. Miriam hat nach ihrem Physikstudium in der IT gearbeitet und macht sich sich als Gründerin des Impact Hub Bern gerade selbstständig. Sombras berufliche Seite haben wir bereits letzten Monat in einem Interview portraitiert. Neben Ihrem Job als Entwicklerin interessiert sie sich für Fotografie und Kunst. Brigitte ist die einzige “waschechte Bernerin” im Team. Sie hat sich vor kurzem mit Break the Box, einer Firma für Produktinnovation und Digitale Transformation selbstständig gemacht.

Die Begrüssung der Teilnehmerinnen endete mit einem kleinen Vortrag von Nadja Perroulaz über das neue und sehr schicke Büro von Liip und einem interessanten Einblick in die Anstellungsbedingungen.

Dann war die Zeit für die Workshops gekommen. Auch in Bern sollen unsere Networking-Abende wie schon in Zürich unter einem Motto stehen. Diesmal ging es um “YES und NO-Momente”. In zwei Gruppen wurde eifrig gesammelt, ausgetauscht und so anregend diskutiert, dass wir am Ende fast zu wenig Zeit für die Zusammenfassung hatten.

In den Gruppen wurden Tipps für einen besseren Umgang aus den No-Momenten entwickelt. Am Ende hatten sich unter anderem die Themen Familienplanung, Recruitment, Vorbildfunktion herauskristallisiert.

In der Familienplanung kann man zwar vieles nicht ändern aber man kann mit dem Partner ein Team bilden und gemeinsam - oder wo möglich auch mit dem Arbeitgeber - kreative Arbeitsmodelle entwickeln.

Das Thema Recruitment war für viele Teilnehmerinnen recht emotional. Es ist schwierig zu verstehen, warum diese Frage in der dritten Generation nach den ersten Feministinnen immer noch so ein grosses Thema ist. Wichtig ist, dass Frauen hier ihr Selbstvertrauen finden. Gefährlich ist auch der Versuch im Job ganz besonders gut und perfekt sein zu wollen, in diese Frauenfalle tappen immer noch zu viele. Es ist aber auch hilfreich die Gesetze zu kennen, z.B. in Vorstellungsgesprächen zu wissen dass Fragen nach der Familienplanung nicht gestattet sind.

In Sachen Vorbildfunktion sind alle Teilnehmerinnen bei WE SHAPE TECH gefordert. Wir sollten jüngere von unseren Erfahrungen in der Tech-Branche erzählen und Wissen aktiv weitergeben. Mit Netzwerken von Frauen für Frauen können wir alle aktiv zu besseren Karrierechancen beitragen.

Der Höhepunkt des Abends war ein Interview mit Vizekanzlerin Dr. Hanna Muralt-Müller. Valérie Vuillerat befragte sie zu ihrem Weg in die Politik und liess auch die Gelegenheit nicht ungenutzt nach karrieretechnischen Strategietipps zu fragen.

Das eigentliche Ziel eines technischen Studiums hat Hanna Muralt-Müller schon früh begraben. Sie sah sich mit grossen Vorurteilen gegenüber Frauen konfrontiert und hat sich dann lieber für eine Karriere in der öffentlichen Hand entschieden. Sie hat grosse Freude an Frauen in technischen Berufen und war deswegen besonders gern bei WE SHAPE TECH zu Gast. Ihr grösstes politisches Projekt war die Aufgabe die Elektronisierung von Workflows zu betreuen. Dieses Projekt hatte einen Etat von 30 Millionen Schweizer Franken.

Aus dem Interview habe ich folgende Strategie-Tipps mitgenommen:

Niemand hört zu wenn ich einen Vorschlag mache? Vielleicht nicht insistieren, sondern darauf achten, dass der Vorschlag aufgenommen und weiterverfolgt wird. Das ist ja am Ende wichtig.

Frauen schreiben eigene Erfolge oft dem Glück oder Zufall zu. Aber das stimmt nicht! Ihr habt Anteil an Eurem Erfolg, nehmt diesen Anteil aktiv wahr.

Alles kann man nicht verordnen. Verbündete und Netzwerk sind extrem wichtig.

Frauen in der IT haben besonders viel Mut sagt Hanna Muralt-Müller und macht uns ein Kompliment dafür, dass wir Pionierinnen sind. Ihr Engagement und Ihre herzliche Art haben mich persönlich besonders beeindruckt.

Der Abend klang bei einem wunderbaren Apéro aus. Nicht nur gesponsert, sondern sogar handgemacht von der LIIP-Crew für uns. Nochmals <3-lichen Dank dafür!

Frischer geht's nicht! Self-made Apero von @liip für den Gründeranlass von @WeShapeTech. #weshapetechbern #diversity pic.twitter.com/p5iPxGd0vn

— Brigitte Hulliger (@bhulliger)

September 14, 2016

Der nächste WE SHAPE TECH Event in Bern findet übrigens am 30. November im Impact Hub statt.

We Shape Tech received a very big and positive feedback during the first months. Right now the board is busy to funnel this energy in order to shape a good positioning for our network in the future. Two workshops were held in the last few weeks with a small audience. One with members from our network and the other with companies. I conducted a mail-interview or this occasion with the initiators Marike, Janine, Angela, Petra and Tanya. Read on for more information.

What was the purpose of the workshops?

The idea for a social club is around since our first We Shape Tech event. We started some discussions about the membership itself and learned that we have different ideas about that in the board. All of us have a lot of experience with user-centered approaches so the idea to ask our members to share their desires came up pretty fast. We invited women who are representative for our diverse network in order to achieve insights and validate our hypotheses. This was very exciting.

Our goals were a better understanding for the challenges that our members face with respect for diversity and to shape solution approaches. Our main question was how a social club like We Shape Tech could support these challenges in a most effective way.

How many women attended the workshop?

We opted for a small audience on purpose. About twelve participants with different backgrounds in working experience and seniority (some self-employed, some employed) were invited. The participants worked in two groups on location.

Which topics were on your list?

Our focus was a better understanding how our members perceive diversity. And we liked to know better how We Shape Tech can support them with respect to diversity management. So the overall topic was about positioning.

Has diversity an economic flavour too?

We were pleased how much diversity is anticipated as an economic topic. Sure it is all about fairness too but everyone here in the board knows that this is nothing that is thrilling for a manager. So it was accordingly great for us to learn that all participants of the workshop rated the economic meaning on a high level too. Enterprises that manage diversity and inclusion on an active basis are more likely to be successful than enterprises with a homogenous staff. Because teams with diversity are likely to be more stable, flexible and more innovative. All our participants agreed to that.

Similarly nobody pictures herself in a victim role. Each of our participants are aware that they need to actively manage themselves when it comes to diversity. But nevertheless: companies have a need to work on themselves, a need to bring diversity to their management level and  a need to promote people that are not do not comply to the current stereotypes.

So We Shape Tech acts as a mediator too?

Yes indeed. We wanted to hear from our participants how to give a better support. What needs to be offered by We Shape Tech on a practical level, what helps in daily life? We learned a lot during these workshops. Let me share some key points here: We like to be a door opener between our members and the companies. We like to enable a stronger learning curve from each other and we like to match specifically between different seniority levels. We see everyday how younger women benefit from the more experienced and we know that they are eager for these contacts too.

And you did a company workshop too, didn’t you?

Yes, we were hosting a workshop for decision makers one week later. This one was dedicated to a deeper understanding for the company needs when it comes to diversity issues. And we were eager to learn more about the self-awareness of these companies.

It showed that most of the attending companies need to catch up when it comes to diversity.

But sometimes “privilege is invisible to those who own it” applies for everyone. This is especially true if companies are aware that not only too few women are applying for their jobs but also too few applications are successful in the end. We had some pretty exciting discussions there!

What are the next steps?

We are busy to consolidate the outcomes of both workshops. A blueprint for personal memberships as well as company memberships is in the making. We are looking forward to challenge this blueprint again.

And there is another focus topic for the board: We focussed a lot on Gender Diversity during the first months. How can we expand that without loosing the original character of We Shape Tech.  

Finally, perhaps a short personal impression of you, Marike?

A heartfelt thanks is pretty easy. We receive so much positive feedback for everything we do. This is just fun! And it proofs that diversity is not a yesterday’s issue at all - no matter whether we talk about Gender Diversity or about the overall aspects of Diversity. We really need this discussion and we feel honoured to moderate and shape an important part of it.

The next event will pick this up, right?

Yes. We are happy to continue that discussion on the 5th of October at Google, Zurich. This time we are going to welcome four companies. They are looking forward to share their views and lessons learned about Diversity. I am sure this will be another exciting event and I hope to welcome many familiar and new faces as well.

Sunjoy from HEALTHINAR – digital healthcare specialists with extensive experience in hospitals, health insurance, communication & marketing – and me met over twitter, infact we met for the second time in our lives. Thirteen years ago we already got to know each other, offline and through mutual friends. The event by HEALTHINAR with the code girls and their booklet <<we love code>>, which I read and loved, brought us back in contact. <<we love code>> is a fresh read and provides for an unconventional approach on topics like coding for beginners, the history of coding and that women have been rocking the field of technology for a long time… Sunjoy and me met for a short interview.

Janine Fuchs, WST: How did you get in contact with <<we love code>> by Julia Hoffmann and Natalie Sontopski for the first time?

Sunjoy Mathieu, HEALTHINAR: On a rainy day in my favourite bookstore, I finally found a book about coding that didn’t remind me of a math publication. It was the book I was looking for so long, giving great insights about coding itself, its history, showing that women have rocked technology all along already☺.

Why is it important for HEALTHINAR to promote <<we love code>> and the code girls? What is your motivation to stand up for more diversity in the field of tech and innovation?

Julia Hoffmann and Natalie Sontopski wrote the book <<we love code>> to debunk the common perception that digital tech is a man’s world, and to explain coding in simple terms. They founded the code girls to provide a nurturing learning environment for women/girls to pick up coding.

As digital healthcare specialists, we believe that by supporting initiatives that encourage more women/girls in tech and innovation, more digital solutions that better address women healthcare concerns will be developed – an area in digital healthcare that continues to badly lag behind.

What do HEALTHINAR and the code girls have in common?

Both HEALTHINAR and the code girls are doing our bit to increase engagement in the field of tech and innovation, as digital transformation continues to take place worldwide.

HEALTHINAR consults with businesses in the healthcare sector to increase their digital competence, and organizes workshops/events/webinars to facilitate sharing within the digital healthcare sector – for example.

How is the (gender) diversity situation on women in tech in healthcare?

Women continue to be underrepresented in tech in healthcare. As an illustration, Seed fund Rock Health did a quick analysis of the 45 healthcare companies that made it on the Fortune 500 list in 2015, and found only 11% had a woman CTO or CIO.

The event with the code girls will take place on the 9th of September. What are you looking forward to the most?

I am looking forward to meeting the amazing women in tech who are rocking it in a male-dominated industry, and the people behind the initiatives that continue to make this happen (the code girls)!

Thank you very much Sunjoy, and I wish you a successful and fun event!

Tickets are available here!

Every month we ask one individual in our network a few questions about their way into tech, their motivation and their lessons learned.

So, let’s start from the beginning. Tell us about where you’re from? I'm from Spain. I studied a Bachelor in Computer Science in my home city and after few years working in Madrid as a consultant I decided to try my luck abroad. Nine years ago I moved to Switzerland and since then I live and work in Bern.

What valuable advice did you get from your parents? Many but probably the most important was “Be yourself. Don't worry about what the others do. Be loyal to your values”

How did you become interested in tech? I must say I've been always interested in solving problems and creating things. After the secondary school I wanted to study something related to Maths. Since in the university of my home city there was a program in Computer Science I decided to give it a try. After the first year I discovered the flexibility and potential that technology has, its wide area of application and how much it can help us to improve our daily life. These reasons hooked me up and since then I developed my professional career as a software engineer in different fields for example finance and the public sector.

What aspects of your work are you proudest of? I really like the idea of contributing to innovative solutions that make people's lives easier. Apart from that I'm definitely proud of having successfully worked in multicultural teams involved in fascinating projects.

What drives you in your work? Drive comes first from the project itself, mainly from its business and its implemented technology. A second driver is the team I'm working with. Teamwork is crucial and makes me grow both professional and personally.

What have been some of the toughest challenges of working in tech? Probably to work in a male dominated industry. The lack of diversity in tech is a fact. Only in few projects I wasn't the only woman involved but in all of them women were always a minority. That can make you feel insecure and sometimes intimidated, specially when you don't have enough support from your work colleagues, bosses or your company's culture. Even though my experience during the last ten years has been really positive, I do think we still have a long way to go.

What advice would you give to other women in tech? Get updated and don't get scared of reinventing yourself. Trust your strengths and do not underestimate your knowledge and experience. Companies need our perspective and opinion. And last but not least, build a solid professional network.

Sombra is working as a Software Engineer at Puzzle ITC. She lives in Berne with her husband and her 2 year old son. Sombra is one of the founding partner and a board member of the newly established We Shape Tech chapter in Berne. 

- Website / Linkedin / Twitter

On the 20th of July I had the chance to attend the networking event of We Shape Tech in Zurich. To put it straight: it was a blast. Again. Read on for some personal experiences.

  A Little Bit of History

We Shape Tech hosted three events so far. Each one was different from each other but all of them turned out to be very inspirational. The inauguration event in March assembled more than 100 women from all IT areas. Several interactive workshops were held to develop the manifesto of We Shape Tech. Well, I was skeptical about that. But it worked out and it was fun!

The second event was a lecture about successful public speaking held by the former SRF anchor women Beatrice Müller. What an impressive presentation. I consider myself an experienced speaker but the take-aways from that lecture were numerous.

“Presenting is flirting with many” #weshapetech with Beatrice Müller

— dagmita (@dagmita)

May 19, 2016

"Wer länger als 50 min redet, der misshandelt das Publikum." Beatrice Müller am #weshapetech Event.

— Sibylle Peuker (@sibylle_p)

May 19, 2016

@Muellebe22 quoting Maya Angelou at Impact Hub Zürich #sotrue #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/5zUPdHPW83

— Catriona McLaughlin (@content_is_cat)

May 19, 2016

  The Rooftop Event

The third event was dedicated to pure networking in order to get to know each other better. About 70 women gathered at the rooftop of Puzzle ITC at the previously warmest evening of the summer.

Have fun tonight, hope to be there another time:-)! #weshapetech https://t.co/dBn6j3RUcu

— Joy Ma (@sunjoy_ma)

July 20, 2016

A fotobooth with a short statement about everyone’s personal role model was the first mission to complete. My personal role model is Grace Murray Hopper, one of the first women to work on a real computer in the 1940ies. I admire her most for her creativity and her idea that computers need languages that are machine-independent.

The board was extended due to the active participation of many women. Janine Fuchs, Tanya Wüthrich, Valérie Vuillerat, Angela Dannhorn, Marike Carstens and Petra Ehmann presented themselves and their individual motivation in very personal and entertaining speeches.

"We need to learn to break unconscious gender bias. Good to see so many role models!" @janefoxy33 #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/Qn6JzsJdN0

— WeShapeTech (@WeShapeTech)

July 20, 2016

"I want to bring together male- & female-dominated communities& use both strength."@Marike_C #weshapetech pic.twitter.com/g3gMahUEZn

— WeShapeTech (@WeShapeTech)

July 20, 2016

They informed us about the upcoming plans too. A lot of enhancements are on the plate to keep We Shape Tech exciting. There will be panel-discussions, company memberships, smaller events with specific topics and much more.

The sponsor of the evening - Puzzle ITC, an open-source IT company - presented themselves with a very personal speech by Gertrud Schober, head of Human Resources.

.@puzzleitc wants to be best employer until 2020 & is on good way! They support @RailsGirls_CH, Zukunftstag etc pic.twitter.com/x1mWKRSOl8

— WeShapeTech (@WeShapeTech)

July 20, 2016

And then it was definitely time to step into active networking.

  The Networking

In her introduction Petra talked about feeling a little misplaced and lonely on most of the business networking events. I am convinced that many of us felt like that before. That is why the organizers opted for guided networking. All participants received one question at a time with the challenge to speak to another women that she never talked to before. The gong sounded after five minutes and the next round was up.

So everyone surfed the room, seeking for unknown companions and a lot of positive vibes floated around. I shared and received a lot of input. The topic pane was long, spanning from how a PADI course can help you leave your personal comfort zone, discussing the characteristics of our role models, wondering how complex the definition of a “NO” moment really is (we ended up with negative experiences in business) and much more. At the end I was a bit husky but happy and much impressed like @Tarya:

Loved meeting all the ladies at @WeShapeTech ☺️ yay for awkward networking! Thanks for the speed-dating 😁 pic.twitter.com/CxSHGx65iO

— Manu (@tarya)

July 20, 2016

After that we faded out into an easier networking with Prosecco and very good Apéro plates.

  The Spirit

One of the most heard feedbacks last week: “It does not happen that often that I have the chance to have good chats with women that I never met before”. Everyone I talked to was grateful for the chance for active networking a bit beyond the personal comfort zone.

The We Shape Tech crew is well aware that it takes more than just a room to foster a reliable and inspiring network. You need some diversity too. All past three events showed that kind of diversity spirit with their different approach. Maybe that is the secret.

  Personal Motivation

I’m always in when it comes to sharing experiences, driving things from within, out-of-the-box solutions and networking in general. We Shape Tech has it all and - last but not least - it is open minded to all our different professions that shape IT. This is my very personal motivation to join. Could not express my feelings better than by the words of @simonefelicitas:

thanks @WeShapeTech for a very interesting and inspiring evening with all these great women...and the awesome venue pic.twitter.com/JKsve4PSy8

— Simone Reichlin (@simonefelicitas)

July 20, 2016