Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 92

company. At the time, Arthur Andersen (later
acquired by EY in Argentina) happened to need
IT auditors for the banking industry. I didn't
know a thing about IT: zero, nothing. I had the
equivalent of a master's degree in accounting
and business administration, but I wanted to
learn, and the firm provided me with a lot of
support.

YOU CAN HAVE A CAREER IN IT
AND A REALLY INTERESTING ONE
EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER TAKEN A
COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSE.

Like all the big firms, Arthur Andersen gave
junior recruits a lot of training. If you want to
learn, you can. When I didn't know something,
I asked, because I felt I had the support of my
manager. The firm had many programs that
guided us through engagements, and I learned
a lot on the job. After a couple of audits, I got a
grip and I loved it. I decided I wanted to stay in
the IT sector because I found it very interesting
and saw so much room for growth.
Even so, that elephant skin still came in handy.
Until not so long ago, you could still be bullied as
a result of biases: women were either too tough
and too strong, or too soft and too emotional.
It was a fine line to walk. But in the end, it is a
matter of being comfortable in one's own shoes,
and that brings confidence.
I found a better environment when I started
working in the Netherlands and, over the years,
the atmosphere has continuously improved
for women in IT. It's really a wonderful time to
be working in technology as a woman: there is
great momentum and not by chance, since this
is a reflection of social movements demanding
gender equality. No more fears of being labeled!
These days, I work for Philips as Director
of Supplier Security, where I lead a team
of excellent professionals across the globe.
Our goal is to have robust 3rd-party risk
management practices for Philips' suppliers,
along with monitoring and remediation in
92

order to manage the cyber risks effectively
throughout their lifecycle (from on-boarding to
off-boarding). We focus a lot on getting involved
right from the start, ensuring that the necessary
terms and conditions are in place with any
supplier who accesses, processes, or transfers
our confidential information.
One of the pillars of our success is the fact that
Philips is a company where men and women
are equally empowered to take decisions that
will translate into meaningful innovation for our
customers. Philips' diversity and inclusion is a
tangible result of very effective global diversity
programs and of our public commitment towards
having more women in leadership positions in
the years to come.
Still, I've had a challenging career, and I'd like to
share a little advice that I've picked up along the
way and that may make it easier for others:

A WOMAN'S OUT-OF-OFFICE
MESSAGE WILL OFTEN SAY,
SORRY, I'M ON HOLIDAY. WHY THE
APOLOGY? YOU EARNED THAT
HOLIDAY!

Don't worry if you don't have an IT degree.
Many women don't consider IT because
they think you need to have a programming
background. My career is proof that you don't:
I'm an accountant, and I've spent my whole
career in IT. You can have a career in IT and a
really interesting one even if you've never taken
a computer science course. The truth is, we
now need people with all kinds of educational
backgrounds. We need people with sharp
business and social skills because technology is
at the core of any business right now, and it is
no longer clear where IT stops and the business
begins.
Trust your instincts. Everybody knows that
women have a sixth sense-you should use it!
Raise your voice. Take that microphone more
often with confidence, and make sure you share



Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology

Contents
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover2
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Contents
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 3
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 5
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 6
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 7
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 8
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 9
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 10
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 11
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 12
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 13
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 14
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 15
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 16
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 17
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 18
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 19
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 20
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 21
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 22
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 23
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 24
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 25
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 26
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 27
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 28
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 29
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 30
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 31
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 32
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 33
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 34
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 35
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 36
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 37
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 38
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 39
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 40
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 41
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 42
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 43
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 44
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 45
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 46
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 47
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 48
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 49
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 50
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 51
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 52
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 53
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 54
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 55
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 56
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 57
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 58
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 59
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 60
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 61
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 62
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 63
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 64
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 65
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 66
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 67
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 68
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 69
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 70
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 71
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 72
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 73
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 74
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 75
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 76
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 77
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 78
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 79
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 80
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 81
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 82
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 83
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 84
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 85
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 86
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 87
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 88
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 89
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 90
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 91
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 92
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 93
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 94
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 95
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 96
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 97
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 98
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 99
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 100
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 101
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 102
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 103
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 104
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 105
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 106
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 107
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 108
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Cover4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - 108
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 1
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 2
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 3
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 4
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 5
Straight Talk Special Issue: Women in Technology - Poster 6
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/hi_tech
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue12
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/assetheavy2020
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/lifesciencesandhealthcare2019
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/womenintech2
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/financialservices2019/
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue11
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue10
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue9
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/womeninit
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/financialservices
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue8
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue7
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue6
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue5
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue4
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue3
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue2
https://magazine.straighttalkonline.com/issue1
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com