Тhis is the blog of the open network EDIT, launched by MOVE.BG. The articles are also available on the official website of MOVE.BG.
There are only a few days left until the second edition of SHEleader@digital 2020: the international conference will take place on May 14th and 15th in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Key female leaders – business executives, artists, politicians and activists from across Europe will engage in a dialogue on how we can effectively address the challenges existing for women in the digitally-empowered economy. And more importantly, set the tone to proactively act and solve them.
SHEleader@digital 2020 is organized by the Bulgarian Center of Women in Technology (BCWT) and MOVE.BG in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy.
Alexandrina Gindeva
Alexandrina, a Head of Global Delivery Hub of Experian Decision Analytics, will be part of SHEleader@digital 2020. Ms. Gindeva is one of the experts in our Digital panel: Mind the gap – engage more women in the deep tech. In our 5×5 interview, she shares with us more about the tops and flops in her career path!
What motivated you to engage professionally and dive into the deep tech industry?
I’ve always been driven by my strong aptitude to change combined with my desire for ownership. I would happily go beyond formal educational boundaries and my engagement with the tech industry came quite accidentally through an opportunity I decided to take despite not being fully qualified for it as per the official job description. I think there`s a lesson in this for young individuals that we ourselves are our biggest enablers. Or blocker.
Have you ever met discrimination on a gender basis in your everyday working environment?
No, never. I feel Bulgarian culture sets us apart from other countries in a positive way that looks at men and women as equals. To be fair to my colleagues from abroad, I never sensed any sort of discrimination that was visible to me.
Do you have special programs and Experian for building balanced engineering teams? Can you share some of them?
One key element is removing bias at the entry point and giving people opportunities. Judging them by their potential and willingness to excel, not what they`ve done previously or know now. Equally, for us it`s really about knowing your field well and properly assessing which skills and capabilities are a must have and which can be developed. Not being afraid to experiment and try new things.
There is also a focus on the tailor-made, individual development of people aligned to each person`s needs and aspirations. No cutting corners with that. We are also running dedicated accelerated development programs for certain groups which are typically not so well represented, incl women.
Helping women to easier integrate back into the work-life is another approach we`re taking to this, as well as encouraging a focus on outcomes and deliverables rather than physical presence in the office through our Flexwork program.
What would you say to your younger self when you still were in the beginning of your professional career?
Don`t do anything differently, just don`t judge yourself for the mistakes you`ve done and taken them as learnings. And be really careful when taking any type of advice on board and assess them for relevance to your goals and personal style.
How does the future of the deep tech industry look like?
Any industry or field is only as good as the people who are shaping it and actively working in it. Deep tech is obviously the biggest individual innovation contributor worldwide and the industry that will revolutionize our lives at a much quicker pace than what we`ve seen previously in human history.
What this means is that we need to build the underlying cultures and principles that will allow the industry to drive us towards a future we actively choose, not end up with. That`s why diversity is so important, but not diversity at face value, but real diversity, diversity of perspectives and experiences to assure we`re all comfortable in our common future.
SHEleader@digital 2020
This year we are searching for solutions to the question “What is the future of women at work in the age of automation?. We will talk about deep tech, leadership, green innovation, and digital art.
Join us and be part of the change!