 Because I'm wondering kind of what your what you see your challenges are right now and How I might be able to help just speaking from personal experience. So if anyone's willing to To raise their hand and ask a question. I would love to take it regarding sort of what your challenges are right now in tech I'm actually asking for a friend who wants to make a She's just moved to Germany from from the Ukraine and wants to transition into it somewhere And she thinks quality assurance is a good place to start and I know there's many different paths But the the remote capability that that offers people With a better salary to be able to afford to live in Germany is is really attractive. And so I'd love to hear some advice that we could pass on to those people sure absolutely um, I Do think that's a great place coming from the outside to take a look I've built and sort of created quality assurance teams before and absolutely have folks from all over the globe In different roles within quality assurance. I also think it's worth considering Thinking about product or thinking about marketing to or even client services within tech management to because Having that like I always want to shield my developers from having to have conversations with Folks on the marketing side folks in finance side folks, you know folks who want to talk budgeting like This is broken. It's affecting my bottom line blah blah blah like I don't I don't want the development team to have to hear that I would rather have that conversation Take a look at priorities and kind of let them know what it looked like as far as getting something finished And I think that having people in roles like that who are not necessarily writing code But making it possible For your development team to write code without interruption is incredibly important So there's a wide variety of things that she could absolutely focus on that isn't necessarily writing code or checking code it for quality assurance, but Depending on kind of where her where her interests are inclination Mate lie. I think it's it's a good idea to take a look at many options But quality assurance is definitely one especially as you mentioned like the remote capability Working at Pfizer my team currently is very much globally dispersed Regardless of role, so it's certainly an option to for for her to take a look at that variety and not necessarily Pigeon hole herself just into quality assurance, especially if he's coming from outside of tech and looking to start a tech role Are there any current challenges for anyone else that they might be facing or any questions that you might have Even if it's for a friend. I'm happy to have you know Yes, so I have actually two or three questions even so the first one would be the tech It's still a very like masculine dominated industry. What would be your experience with that? You I'm sure you have Plenty of it and the second question would be What word what were the biggest obstacles on your way to where you are now and do you think? there was a like a one decision that You know that the put you on the right path Or was it just a summary of you know smaller? Decisions that split like this. Yeah, thank you absolutely very good questions. Um the first Regarding it being very much still male dominated. I I I do agree with that. I think that it has been probably since the beginning of it being a being a focus and The nice thing right now in this point I think in history is that I'm really seeing a lot of change in that respect It may just be where I'm coming from but I really hope not within Pfizer we have a very strong very clear focus on diversity and During our recruitment process. We're absolutely looking for for people from different backgrounds not just different sexes That have different experiences Outside the norm doesn't necessarily have to check all the checkboxes that we may have needed or considered checking Five ten years ago, so I think that there's tons of opportunity and not only is there opportunity but Being a being a female in a tech heavy position You're a pretty hot commodity right now especially at larger organizations like Pfizer where We've had so much conversation about diversity Racism like over the last few years. We've seen some pretty terrible things at least Where I'm coming from in the States That trying to write some of those wrongs currently is an extremely high on everybody's priority list So I feel like The sky is kind of limit right now at least we're where I am in the States and I'm hoping that that is the case in Europe as Well, I'm hoping that we're seeing some of these Opportunities open up more that we're seeing people come in for interviews more that may not have necessarily been You know people's first pick because like you said, it's been very male-dominated. It's been very much Managers are male. The VP is male, but you know, it's it's we're seeing that changing where I'm coming from and then the second about my path of it and Any decisions that that may have put me where I am now But definitely come from a background that was not tech heavy I also started out in the arts and have an English lit degree as well as focus in fine art and When I first came out of school my priority was to go into publishing I wanted to publish books wanted to be an editor And that is where I started so I started working with educational books guidebooks gosh study guides and Moved on from that particular position that I was at for a few years over into audiobooks and I think that that was Sort of where I first got interested in more interested in the digital side than necessarily the physical side because We were just starting to sell Audiobooks, which was originally kind of a catalog company solely online We were starting to talk about digital files rather than just your physical copy of an audiobook And I kind of took a left-hand turn and became more focused on the website on You know how many eyes we could get on it how many sales we could get through that particular Avenue that we didn't really think about before Obviously, this was a long time ago in the early 2000s, so Quite some time ago, but that was definitely my first interest and things that were Much more kind of tech heavy and how do we build how are we building our website? How are we designing our website? Like is it intuitive like asking all those UX questions UI questions that Simply didn't exist for me previously because it it wasn't something I was exposed to and I think after kind of That spark I started looking around to see Okay I'm seeing everything kind of exploding online. It's not just the audio. It's not just the publishing industry that needs to make a change My you know, I started to look at healthcare and and how can we help people who have conditions that have no idea, you know, how to start to look for help and Ends it up in working for a website that was spine focused and Working in client services for that particular site. So not only having having those conversations about finance and contract negotiations, but again kind of Taking a project talking with my development team Making sure my development team was shielded from the noise over here so that they can get their work done and just Learning and then being able to speak both languages. I think was really important So not only could I speak to the client, but I could also speak with the development team Know what they're talking about when they're when they're talking In a language I had previously been not been exposed to And then kind of translate that for folks at a At a VP level at a, you know CEO level that don't necessarily need to know the ins and outs of code They just need to know, you know, is this going to happen at this time? Great. Can you give me the basics of how we're building this? I think that that When I was working in the audiobook industry that was definitely the moment where I made the change into Having an interest in digital not just as Something kind of new ish for that industry, but as something to pursue Without having a computer science degree without writing code but still having some involvement in the in that world and You know really enjoying my teams and getting to know people Getting to know people that were very much differently minded than me because my brain My brain is definitely more on the creative side than it is on the The side that writes code and that figures out problems and that gets that stuff done So just an example of how We definitely need multiple types of people in tech not just Folks we definitely need the folks who can write code Incredibly important, but we also need the folks who can Let those people do their jobs and not be constantly interrupted and not get called on the phone at 11 o'clock at night on a Saturday I don't want that to ever happen. So You know people in positions like mine, I think they're very critical to and may not necessarily be your first thought When you're thinking about a tech role or can I get into this industry? That's not like what I've done before I Was speaking with someone very recently who lost their job during the pandemic and was considering getting into a more tech related role and I think The concern was from her well, I don't have any translatable skills Well, you definitely do have translatable skills like you've been managing people before you've been Working in editing before and and testing and and does this look right? No, it doesn't okay, you know How do you report that you've been? having these conversations that Really only some of the some of the words are changing, but the majority and the tone of these conversations is Absolutely the same like your your skills are absolutely translatable and when you go and speak with somebody to interview You know lean on how much you've done and in that respect for your particular business Or how you managed people Because those those skills will certainly carry you into different industries and be a huge asset for whatever you're doing. I Hope that answered that last question started rambling, but I Think we talked a little bit about this already if you needed a computer science degree or background. Yes, and no Definitely back to what I've said before. I think it's extremely helpful and You're like a quadruple threat if you have a computer science degree or background and you have those management skills client services skills you know design skills, I think there's a lot of sort of changing direction and and being light on your feet when you're in our industry and Taking on different things not necessarily planned for and Being able to make those shifts is extremely important again, I kind of went through this a bit, but Yeah, the less technical paths are in extreme demand right now, too And I think that they aren't always thought of immediately. So Certainly for folks that are changing industries and I know at least in the States quite a few Women who just straight up left the workforce because they they had to they had no choice during the pandemic Someone had to be home and help kids with remote school and They made that decision for their family and may not necessarily be coming back to the same role they left So being less technical but involved in the tech industry. I think is Certainly an option and available to people As I mentioned, I started from a completely different place Again, your question pushed me to this slide so But yeah went from publishing to digital to health care which It's funny. I think Coming from the agency side, which is which is where I was right before I joined Pfizer There are a lot of agencies or people that work for agencies that are like health care I don't want to I don't want to touch health care. It's too complicated. There's too many legal pitfalls. I Found that industry really interesting. I think during my agency experience Partially because people weren't didn't want to deal with it and I was like I need to check that out, but also You know, there's room to be creative and an industry that may seem restrictive and You know at the kind of the core of it I'm a creative person and that's you know, I'm a creative thinker so so Being put in an industry where? You you do have very clear guidelines and and legal legal boxes being able to think outside of those boxes, but still keep things To a point where they can be checked off and you know a okay from the legal side is a real challenge and You know, they exist though the ability to be creative and do things a little bit differently and Not be completely overwhelmed by process is absolutely doable even in a huge company like Pfizer or other health care industries This might be more of an American topic. So It's worth me kind of asking if you have similar struggles in Europe and elsewhere but in the US Juggling your family and juggling your career, especially as a woman is Extremely challenging in the sense that I think for a long time. We felt like we haven't have the ability to push back a little bit I've definitely learned In the last maybe 10 or so years of my career That in order for me to be happy at work. I have to not only push back at times But sort of come to the table in those early interview conversations with my non-negotiables like I just need to put it out there like You know, I was a see I was a single parent for a very long time and I have a son who Has a learning disability so needs a lot of attention I'm often at the school talking about you know talking with the services there to make sure that he has access to what he needs And if he doesn't Fighting and making sure that he gets access So just being up front with with what I need as far as family time and work time and how I can either Separate or integrate those two has been extremely important to happiness Throughout my career it definitely took me a long time to feel comfortable doing that though I Think I probably Waited too long And waited until I was at a breaking point before I would go and have a conversation like that But at this point in my career, I I go into conversations not only talking about how I can benefit the company, but How does it benefit me to work for this company? Is it going to? Impact my my time with my family if so in what way and am I willing to accept that or do I come forward and Say, you know, here's here's the deal with me if you if you want me as part of your team you know, this is this is how it works and In every case that I have done that it's been extremely successful and helpful for me. So I would say consider having those conversations with your You know with your family with with your non negotiables in mind and rather than having those conversations solely fixed on How I'm going to make this this company or this position so much better for you consider Does it make your life better? Is it going to give you opportunity? Is it going to you know? Make you come to to work every morning feeling relaxed and ready to get started or you can be stressed every minute of every day Like that's certainly not what you want for you personally or for your family And there are definitely a lot of pressures that will get you there But as I said, I'm not sure if this is more of just an American issue and less a European issue Is anyone willing to fill me in a little bit from the European side? Okay, great So I don't have a I don't have children or anything, but I think in the last couple of years It has gotten better in Europe It's probably not like for everyone in the tech industry Because there's sometimes the expectation that you are always available in the sense of in chat or whatever, but I think at least the companies Have now realized that you know if people are leaving and it doesn't actually Matter if it's man or women or whoever else They are losing resources. So now they started caring more about okay, so you don't have to be available On the other hand, I think at least from what I hear it from other American colleagues We are way more protected in the regard that there are laws that protect our work and Work family time that's true. Yeah. Yeah So it is quite different In a good way on the European side Anyone else want to discuss that a bit or good. Oh perfect, I Think it depends a lot on company too because there's also American companies here Who have to learn that the laws are different. That's one thing but also mindset and Really accepting that people also have a family I think that's not as easy for every company Yeah, I agree. That's a good point. I hadn't considered American companies in Europe, of course and coming Coming to conversations with that typical attitude of you know deal with it basically I do see it getting better I do see Of course like you mentioned it depends on the company, but I think that We absolutely are seeing people leaving We're seeing people having much more opportunity like I mentioned earlier And so why do they want to stay with you? Why do I want to stay with Pfizer as an example when I can go somewhere else and make a lot more money? Well You know where I am we're going to make sure that you're not overworked and you're you're not exhausted And you have time to spend with your family and you have more appropriate vacation time and things of that nature because in In the states our our vacation time is typically two weeks for the entire year. I know that's very different in Europe That is extremely challenging not just if you have a family and children, but as a you know as a single person That's a tiny amount of time To not be working you in a lot of cases extremely hard And it certainly doesn't feel like a reward so making sure that we're We're offering people appropriate not just time off, but Benefits I think more like what our standard in Europe. I think is starting. We're starting to see that in the States, which is great actually And again, like I mentioned non-negotiable is extremely important I think it's super easy to fall into the trap of wanting to please especially when you're out looking for a new role and Making sure you're focusing on yourself as well as Kind of showing that company your best side is very important Project Santa Claus. This is a project that we had at Pfizer I wanted to talk a bit about I have to be careful how much I say but It's an example of what I had mentioned earlier about having to work Harder, I think then before or maybe not maybe not harder, but Your workload being more extensive than before due to the pandemic, I'm sure Pfizer wasn't unique, but In a way given the the back vaccine rollout I think we had challenges that that other companies likely didn't have during this time And project Santa Claus was one of them Which I was very proud to be a part of and some of my colleagues are here I'm sure they were proud to be a part of it as well But basically this was a project to make sure that we were able to roll out our digital side To go along with the vaccine as the vaccine started getting emergency approval in different countries Of course, we couldn't plan when those approvals would come through and they are great Many of them happens come through during the Christmas holidays So so we had a you know a team kind of at the ready to to make sure that we were able to roll out these these digital companions websites per Per country to make sure that we had those available for folks and it was a bit of a Herculean effort, I think but we had the right combination of people and I think folks who were proud and very much willing to kind of Miss a chunk of our holiday to get that out so that we can make sure that everyone was aware that The vaccine was available in their country, you know how they can go about getting it But again, like I said, I can't get get into too many specifics, but it was a very Significant project for us and one that I'm really proud to be a part of Diversity at Pfizer I spoke about a little bit, but I couldn't I mean I love it I love this particular meeting, but it it's true a quality and activism Are super hot right now? Not sure not just in the States, but if you're a woman in tech, you're an extremely hot commodity like I mentioned before Again, I'm speaking from my viewpoint, which is American But I would like to think it's the case in Europe and elsewhere as well where we are Where large and small companies are Noticing more taking a look around and seeing hey, you know my entire development team is 99.99 percent male. I know there are women out here that can do this job as well We need to make this a little bit closer to To 50-50 if we can and make this right so I'm seeing that throughout our organization and other organizations as well So don't sell yourself short if you're looking for something new if you do feel like You are being treated poorly or you know just want to try something different Hot right now, like don't forget it You can definitely go out and have a conversation with someone else and talk about your non-negotiables and Still end up where you want to be With confidence, which is I think something that that people don't always think about The rules definitely have changed post COVID. I Think companies are more willing to look at what schedule you want and work with it Certainly we were all forced to work remotely during the pandemic or most of us and While some companies are having folks come back into the office part-time full-time You know you have more of a bargaining chip right now than you may have before about wanting to work remotely Or wanting to move to a new location and have that conversation with your company or your manager Because I think work life balance and kind of quality of life have been have had a Magnifying glass put over them during the during the pandemic when we were all locked up together. I Remember saying it often like I was just very much glad that I love my husband very much And that we enjoy each other's company because if we didn't we certainly would have figured that out really quickly during the pandemic You know being in a small space with a kid With pets like every day basically me working at the kitchen table You know you start to to take stock of what's important Versus, you know you're every day and you don't want to feel like every day is a slog And I think that it's been challenging as words. I will say knock on wood starting to come out of the pandemic To take a look at what we just went through and Consider what we want moving forward Maybe I want to work remotely a hundred percent since I just did it for three years and obviously I was productive or Maybe I am excited to get back into the office because I don't want to be Stuck in you know in these four walls for much longer, and I'm very much excited to get back like The flexibility is there now that I just don't think some companies were even willing to think about and It benefits both us and them I'm sure and I'm definitely seeing the change not just for myself, but you know as I as I look around and have conversations with my peers you know you have the you have the ability to shift your priorities a little bit and Still be able to to do great work and feel inspired at work because you know that Your needs are respected and yeah, like I like we talked about a little bit earlier Not only is it harder to hire right now. It's harder to retain So if companies aren't working with you regarding what you're looking for By like you can go and try something new very easily so From a from the perspective of someone who's hiring people Which I often am I? Want to make sure that not only do I understand what people's needs are when they're coming into Pfizer As an example, but how do I retain those people once I realize that they're you know, they're doing a great job They love working for me. I don't want them to go somewhere else in a month. So I think that The fact that we're focusing on things like diversity and female leadership and making sure that the balance of power is right right now is Is a reason I think just to stick around with my particular company and I'm hoping that other companies have a similar focus Yeah, like I mentioned, I'm seeing the door open for sure as far as Kind of writing the extremely off-balance of Women in tech right now. I think that women coming from other industries that have interests in tech Like you mentioned your friend who might want to try something different Please like send them our way send them my way I'm more than happy to have conversations with With women who not only are currently in tech I'm looking to maybe move either up or to the left or the right But also women who are interested in making a career change because I think that there's plenty of room and Plenty of transferable skills coming from different industries to be involved in tech I think now is a great time to Have those conversations and make that kind of change for yourself To recap you're definitely in demand as a woman in tech. I mean like I said now is it now is absolutely the time to Have conversations put yourself out there talk about your non-negotiables incredibly important You definitely don't have to sacrifice your family for your career if you Walk in the door and have that conversation immediately and I see great progress for diversity In the enterprise for sure, which is good news for I think all of us Not only as employees, but as as companies as well Seeing people from different walks of life actually start to have these positions and conversations and You know creative ideas shared across the company excellent. It's great for everybody And that's it for me if anybody has questions. I know that I'm short on time But please do raise your hand happy to talk with you answer questions now answer questions afterwards Hi So I have a question. Sure. Have you ever during your career encountered? like from your male colleagues being looked down upon and Like not being equal to them. Have you ever felt treated differently because you're a woman and Have you ever how did you fought it? Like how did you you know thought your way through it and like made your space made your you know Made your Existence matter in the male world. Yeah, I think absolutely I think anyone who hasn't is very lucky and I hope that they continue not to but I absolutely have had experiences like that and I think that Unfortunately for the most part we have had to Speak louder Work harder Show off our show off the results of our work more Put things in make sure that people are seeing what we're doing More so than some of our male counterparts and I think personally When I've been put in positions like that. I have had the the ability to Not necessarily work around that person because I definitely have had a couple of experiences where I have had had have HR conversations with people But just making sure that Folks are aware and not in an obnoxious way of the work that I'm doing I think that in a lot of cases the work that that Woman might be doing is overlooked or maybe sometimes the credits taken by someone else Maybe your manager or maybe your peer. I think that feeling Even if you're not necessarily feeling confident Having the ability to go into an office with someone in a confident way and have a conversation about What you and your team are working on goes very far. It's not just Yeah, it's not making sure that you're not overlooked in that way, but I will say I've been fortunate I haven't had any Really offensive encounters with my male counterparts. I haven't had you know, I had any kind of Sexual harassment or anything of that nature during my career, which I think I'm very fortunate because I know many many women who have so just speaking from my experience it's been more of a top being talked down to or not being considered for certain opportunities things of that nature and and Putting myself in a position where I can be a little bit more up front with what I'm doing and a little bit more Well known I guess I could say I'm not I am by no means an extrovert So even having this conversation today is hard for me and I put myself in positions where Like this one Where I have to have a conversation in front of people where I have to interact and be on a stage Like this because it's something that I am super intimidated by and I think that putting myself in positions like that Hopefully will make it a little bit less uncomfortable moving forward Unfortunately, I am out of time and I'm so sorry I didn't get to to get to more questions But if anyone wants to grab me afterwards and ask a question Please please do Anything by all means Please don't feel awkward or intimidated. I'm happy to talk with anyone