The Power of Community – for International Business Women shaping their Career in Munich
II - II
Tamara Osorio & Susanne Nguyen
Publish on: 29 -11-2022
“Building on the importance of social connections, peer-support networks are a long-standing model to support health and wellbeing. They incorporate the principles of community power – mutual support, knowledge and expertise. These networks can build a community around a shared interest or challenge, through which people can develop the skills and capacity to support one another outside of formal services. As those involved coalesce and strengthen their confidence, skills and knowledge, these communities can increasingly play a bigger role in shaping formal services to meet their needs.”
(COMMUNITY POWER: THE EVIDENCE, by Grace Pollard, Jessica Studdert and Luca Tiratelli), ©New Local, February 2021).
As outlined in part 1 of that blog post, we want to show how to use the power of community for your own career development. In part 1, we therefore told the personal story of Begonia, co-founder and executive board member of Working Mums e.V. and founder of net4tec. In this part 2 blog post, we furthermore, want to share the community success stories of 2 other international women.
Interview with Maria Elena Alvarez
Executive Coach & Transformation Manager Airbus
Communities: Balance for Business at Airbus, Euron & All at Eurofighter GmbH, Women in Big Data, net4tec
Maria Elena Alvarez on LinkedIn
What is your current role at Airbus?
I have over 30 years of international experience in different aerospace programs, covering all aspects of the product lifecycle, from system design to production working at Airbus. I have worked in various positions from engineering and operation to programmes. Currently, I work as Head of Operational Integration for Engineering & Non-Recurring Support at Eurofighter GmbH. I also represent my company in STEM forums and in job fairs such as herCareer.
Which communities did you join that were helpful for your career?
I actively joined a couple of communities, like net4tec and Women in Big Data, networks with the aim to encourage and attract more female talents to the tech world, big data & analytics field and help them connect, engage and grow. Moreover, I also cooperate with these communities: I e.g. held a session this summer about “Diversity unites us” at the net4tec round table, also hosted by EU Business School Campus.
And you also brought the community idea inside your own company?
Yes, in Airbus, I am one of the Ambassadors for the “Balance for Business” platform, an Employee Resouce group (ERG) promoting Diversity & Inclusion. Since I am working in Eurofighter GmbH, I have extended the idea of founding with a group of ladies the so-called “Euron & All”, with the same objective to bring more diversity, inclusion and belonging across all our sites.
What would you recommend to other Internationals about career communities and how to best find and use them?
By attending many events and meeting and seeing many people, you may end up getting lost. So, i recommend focusing on those events where you know your interests and “core values” are shared, and then participate and contribute whenever you can. In addition, make sure you keep in contact with all interesting persons you meet in your networking communities. You never know when the right opportunity will arise, and remembering your contacts you will be able to make the right match.
Can you give an example from your own experience?
Of course – Back in 2018, I joined the Professional Women Network event called “It is not what you say, it is how you say it”. I was impressed by the speaker and simply asked if she would like to give a public speaking master class in my company. She did, and we are still collaborating today.
Interview with Sampreetha Shiroor
Head of BI Reporting Applications, Allianz Technology
Communities: women@work at Allianz Technology, Female Tech Leaders, PANDA
Sampreetha Shiroor on LinkedIn
Which professional communities have you joined?
I started my networking in Munich with Female Tech Leaders since 2016 & attended some of their events. I joined PANDA in 2020. I also keep an eye on Eventbrite & meet-ups on LinkedIn.
Which of those ones would you recommend for international expats to integrate themselves better to the German labour market – and why?
I recommend both communities – These networks offer great opportunities to connect with people who are working in a similar area as you or with similar interests. I met many interesting people who support & empower each other.
Did the power of community also have an impact on your personal development?
The beauty of good networking is to learn from each other on various topics – and to give it back by sharing your own experience with others. It is all about understanding the strengths & expertise of each other in a short span of time and coming together as a team.
In that way, I am part of the core team of 8 amazing women leading and managing women@work at Allianz Technology since 2020, a voluntary network driven by employees and open for all women across Allianz. There is so much to offer back to the community. Moreover, I have founded a non-profit organization (shashaa.org) along with my friends in 2020 to support the education of underprivileged talented children in the village Shiroor of Udupi, India. Shiroor is the village where I come from.
>> More about the Career Communities:
Women in Big Data
INSPIRE, CONNECT, GROW, and CHAMPION diversity in data
Founded in 2005 in the US
18,000 members worldwide – with 40 local groups across 6 continents
The mission of Women in Big Data is to champion the success of women in the big data & analytics field. Our goal is to increase diversity in data & analytics and to develop leaders.
Offer: We provide technical training, professional development workshops, leadership opportunities, mentoring, and networking.
Learn more about local events at >> Women in Big Data Munich on LinkedIn
Female Tech Leaders
Founded in 2016
Members: “tens of thousands of women across the globe”
Mission: Female Tech Leaders (FTL) is Europe’s fastest growing organization dedicated to empower women in STEM and leadership roles and mentor girls who are passionate about technology. FTL wants to help endorse a growing number of female role models, support women engineers and empower women founders. We strive to create a more equal gender ratio in tech, venture capital and entrepreneurship, and help women become the founders, funders and innovators of tomorrow.
Offers and initiatives: Speakers night, hackathons, workshops programming courses, school visits for next generations
PANDA – The Women Leadership Network
Founded 2016
3,100 members
Target group: female managers in business
Mission: As women are still significantly underrepresented in management positions in Germany, our aim is to get 50% female leaderships in business
Activities:
PANDA Breakfast/Dinner Club: Informal networking breakfast in a small circle
PANDA Deep Dive Lesson (paid event) -> online format with a focus on a relevant topic around leadership, diversity and organization plus moderated exchange and discussion.
Partnerships with companies also provide valuable contacts and job opportunities in the management sector.
👉 More about net4tec & Working Mums e.V., see part 1 of that blog post.
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