Hello, everybody, and welcome to our series on the women in tech of Axway.
In honor of International Women's Day, we've been…
…really for the whole of Women's Month in March,
we wanted to highlight some of the women of Axway,
and get to know them a little bit.
Today we're with Valentina Petrache.
Hello, Valentina. Hi, nice to see you.
It's good to have you here today.
Can you please start off maybe by introducing yourself?
Tell us a little bit about where you are located in the world, first of all.
What you do at Axway,
and then tell us what got you interested in the field of tech.
I'm a product owner located in Bucharest in Romania,
and I'm just one of the many women empowered...
...and valuable and successful at Axway.
I've been with Axway for 15 years now.
Well, believe it or not, I do have the trophy here to prove it.
It's been always because of my passion for programming…
…that got me into working at Axway right off the engineering university years.
Had a passion that came from my father.
I followed him when I was a teen.
He was working on computers.
Back then I didn't know he was doing programming, actually,
but I found that later,
and apparently somewhere unconsciously, he influenced me.
He inspired me to get where I am.
I've always believed that humans and computers…
…pair up perfectly to make a great team,
and build a better world.
From the outside, it looked like...
...being in IT, I was being one of the guys.
But then I joined Axway and...
it made me discover a much bigger diversity.
And I discovered many inspiring…
…and amazing ladies from various corners of the world and cultures.
Just to know that my boss has always been a woman,
and she was my mentor in so many ways throughout the years.
That's really neat. Thank you for sharing that.
You've talked a little bit about mentoring. About influences in your life.
What do you think we can do to encourage women...
...to want to be part of the tech industry,
and to feel comfortable and wanted here?
Meeting women, sharing knowledge with them,
guiding them, supporting them.
Women, young ladies in general, so that they join.
Honestly, I think that more and more women,
wonderful women, become leaders in the IT world nowadays.
And Axway is strongly involved in sustaining women to join in IT.
For instance, in our location in Bucharest,
we have 44% ladies…
…versus gents.
So that's actually a very good percentage, I would say.
It speaks for itself the fact that women are doing more and more.
I'm also excited to share the fact that there is a local project…
…led by Axway in Bucharest.
It's actually a collaboration between our human resources team,
and the IT school at Bucharest,
to encourage young ladies and women to follow their IT careers.
That's crucial, is getting that initial exposure,
kind of those early exposures to the industry and those potential mentors.
In your own career, what has the role of mentors been?
You mentioned you had a good female role model early on in your career?
What has that role been in your life?
She's been really supportive from the beginning.
When I joined Axway,
I also started a master's degree.
I had little experience back then,
and this was quite the challenge,
but she really helped me into...
...overcoming these early challenges.
And further on, she was also the one to...
...offer me path choices.
Then she supported me in my choice.
And then there were trainings,
there were a lot of things that motivated me...
...to learn continuously,
that she supported.
And I think that's really important.
So what would you say to a woman or a young girl…
…that's considering a career in tech?
Do you have any advice?
Maybe what are some of the opportunities,
what are some of the skills they might need?
In terms of skills,
I personally believe that the great thing about the IT world,
the tech world,
is that there is no fixed set of skills that one needs to join in.
I really think that any woman...
...has the power to make a change,
to grow, and will definitely find support…
…in IT for the challenges they face.
They would find the guidance...
...for the right career path and the success.
I think proof is already out there.
We have a few ladies already in our location...
...that have recently joined the tech world,
from a completely different field...
...and they are now happy to be part of the Axway team.
I also think that being in IT is bringing lots of...
...challenges and satisfaction.
Because you do have continuous learning opportunities.
But when you're working side by side with inspiring people,
you have this amazing feeling that your work is valuable.
In my personal life as well,
it's very important as being as a working mom,
the fact that I have the privilege to...
...balance joining my colleagues in the office,
for connecting with them,
having fun working side by side with them,
but also having the chance to telework and keep close to my family.
Yeah, I would agree.
I think that having that flexibility is huge, for sure.
Well, thank you so much for joining us.
Maybe let's end on one last little question.
What is your favorite thing or one thing that you love about your job in tech?
I love the fact that…
…that I get new challenges every day and this is one of the reasons why…
…I wake up with a smile on my face.
Well, thanks so much for joining us.
We really appreciate you sharing some of those experiences and those stories.
So, again, Valentina Petrache joined us today.
And look forward to hearing more from the women in tech of Axway.
Thank you, Valentina. Thank you too.