Cipher Highlights Women in IT
March is Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day was on March 8th. In honor of this month, we look at the stories of two women at Cipher. Their stories were written by LATAM Marketing Director Patricia Teixeira and translated into English.
Ana Paula Rosa: Cybersecurity Marketing Expert
Today I will begin with a professional woman who works with me. This is the story of Ana Paula Rosa. She works in marketing and has been passionate about technology since she was very young. Like the vast majority of us, she faced challenges until she found her place in the sun.
From a very young age, she was interested in technology. Growing up, she took courses in computer assembly and programming out of pure curiosity. When deciding on her college, she also wanted a creative career. Ana Paula ended up pursuing a degree in communications and advertising.
Even though she had a creative interest, technology was still a passion. She landed her first job at a marketing agency focused on technology companies. While there, Ana combined her passion for technology with her marketing and creative skills. “In marketing, I manage to use my creativity associated with strategy and execution. I manage short, medium, and long-term projects. I feel professionally challenged in marketing,” explains Ana Paula.
After the first experience with IT, she didn’t stop. Ana Paula went on to work with IT distributors and integrators. Eventually, she came to the field of cybersecurity. From then on, she began to better understand how women can contribute with their ideas, creativity, wisdom, and especially flexibility. “Women are naturally developed to deal with several different situations at the same time,” Ana Paula said.
“During my career, I came across a lot of inequality while working at some jobs. Several times I had to prove my ability to deliver and achieve the expected result just because I am a woman. For women who are entering the technology area, I suggest that you do not be afraid to be who you are. Learn and share your knowledge with everyone and always do your best. After all, in IT there is room for everyone regardless of who you are.”
Juliane Sippli: IT Human Resources Pro
Another story of our heroines comes from a professional who works in Cipher’s human resources. HR, unlike IT, is mostly made up of women. But do not think that the challenge is less.
Since a very young age, Juliane Sippli has always been someone who likes to plan and organize things. So, when doing vocational tests, there was no doubt that her career path would be business administration. Juliane’s interest in the HR area began when she took a class on the topic and she chose that field as her career. Her professional experiences would confirm her choice in the future.
As an HR professional, she worked for several companies. The industries have included logistics, civil construction, and law. “In the logistics and construction industry, where the environment is predominantly male, being a woman was a challenge when working with with the operational areas. In the administrative areas, there was never an issue with being a woman. While in those industries, we diversity issues were never brought up,” Juliane said.
At the law firm, she found a mixed environment, where people talked about and practiced a lot of diversity. “We had several inclusion and diversity programs: women’s committee, monthly LGBT lectures, black people in the legal market, etc.”
Now she is working in the technology industry, which is also predominantly male. Juliane feels that the challenge of being a woman is still similar to years ago in logistics and construction. “Unfortunately, being a man in the technology market is the norm. I still see a mindset that does not value diversity and the inclusion of women. We need to prove ourselves daily much more than men, simply because we are not men. Women will be challenged twice in the corporate environment. Therefore it is essential for women must to be resilient.“
In addition to the challenge of being a woman, for HR there are also the challenges of heating up the technology market. “In cybersecurity specifically, we still have a shortage of professionals, especially the most senior ones. People are seeing opportunities within this market, so they are training themselves. For hiring, we will rarely have candidates with all the skills. In addition, we fight with attractive job offers all the time. So we always need to revisit the benefits for employees to hire and retain them. ”
While there are challenges, there are also many opportunities. “The technology market is always changing, so it gives you opportunities to be constantly developing. You can be involved in several work areas at the same time. You reinvent yourself every day to adapt to changes.”
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