For the third edition of our Women in Tech series, launched to celebrate the brilliant women at Amdaris, we spoke with Ana Nan, Portfolio Director at Amdaris Romania. In honour of International Women’s day on the 8th of March, we asked Ana about her experiences as a woman working in STEM, and her thoughts on how more women can make the transition into the technology industry.
Ana discussed the challenges she and other women may face while working in the technology sector, as well as the support she has received from Amdaris in order to break down these barriers. She emphasised that, with the right measures in place and a change of narrative, tech can offer an exciting and successful career path for anyone. In turn, the STEM industry can also benefit from housing a wide variety of voices and perspectives.
Q: What is your role? How long have you been working in the STEM industry?
I am currently a Portfolio Director in Amdaris’ Romanian office. I oversee a range of clients, and work closely with the associated Delivery Leads to build bespoke software that will ensure delivery excellence. I have been working in the STEM industry for almost seven years now.
Q: What encouraged you to take the leap from Market Research into tech? And how was that transition?
I switched to working in the STEM industry seven years ago, after four years in Market Research. I saw that there were numerous opportunities in this sector and I knew that this is an area where you definitely won’t get bored. You constantly have new challenges and exciting projects to work on, and more than anything, working in the STEM sector is a continuous learning process.
It wasn’t an easy transition to be honest, and I had a few moments when I just wanted to go back to what I knew and what I was comfortable with. However, I was lucky to have great colleagues and a healthy work environment at Amdaris, and I got all the support I needed to carry on. I am so happy I did, and I hope many other women make the career transition too!
Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of a STEM-based career?
Getting to work on the future! Here at Amdaris, we work on the next generation of applications and products that people from all over the world will be using across different business areas. We get to be among the first ones to have a glimpse into these innovative ideas, and become a part of delivering cutting edge projects by developing leading software. I think it’s pretty exciting to work with such fantastic clients, and use our expertise to help make their ideas come to life.
Q: In your opinion, what is the best way forward to achieve a better gender balance in business?
Unfortunately, I don’t think there is a secret recipe or a quick and easy way to do this, but there are things that can be done in order to get there. I think it should all start from early education and the way we portray the STEM industry: It’s not only about hard science, analysis and regular IT lessons. While logical and analytical skills are beneficial in tech, so is creative thinking and the ability to reason.
We need to erase stereotypes about who can build a career in the STEM industry and who cannot. Describing tech in an interdisciplinary way makes it more accessible to everyone. Many of us at Amdaris, myself included, have worked in other industries before. But anyone can make the leap to the tech sector. I’ve never looked back!
Q: How is Amdaris helping women get into STEM? And what do you think can be done to entice more women into this industry?
Amdaris is helping women by offering a flexible work schedule to allow for a healthy work/life balance, recognising that people have many responsibilities outside the workplace, as well as at work. This is a key part of removing the barriers women face when entering the STEM industry, which currently has a majority of male employees. After encouraging women to enter the STEM industry, Amdaris elevates women into leadership positions. For instance, at Amdaris’ Romanian office, our Centre Director Anna Grier sets a fantastic example of what women can achieve in STEM leadership.
Amdaris has also partnered with Unmind, a digital platform that helps employees prevent stress and burnout. I think all these things could be replicated by others in the STEM industry. We’re proud that the gender balance at Amdaris is better than the average for tech companies, but we want to take this achievement even further. In the future I hope we can partner with additional academic institutions to run guest lectures and internships for women, to develop their understanding of the variety of roles available for them in tech.
Q: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?
Besides the historical background, I think the fact that we celebrate it in spring is also descriptive – it’s about the energy and the freshness that women bring to the workplace and at home at the same time. Tech is currently enjoying a period of huge growth and innovation, and I believe women can maximise this by bringing new ideas and perspectives.
Looking for a career in STEM? you can view our careers or contact us using the form below. You can also view our second blog in the series Q&A with Marcela Mazur, Associate Software Developer at Amdaris Moldova.