Tech in the Right Direction

How Technology can power fashion

Join Jennifer Didier as she talks technology and fashion with entrepreneurs Kotryna Jukneviciute and Cassie Huang from Arete.  Here about their journey to build Arete and their story of how they got there. 
A little more about Kotryna Jukneviciute:
Kotryna immigrated to the US from Lithuania as a kid. Thanks to her artistic mother, she grew up loving fashion. She started her first venture in third grade and has been an entrepreneur ever since. Kotryna received her BA and MA from Georgetown University and was in the School of Foreign Service. She spent a few years working at the RAND Corporation, where she spearheaded international business partnerships and became known for her research on Russia.  You can reach Kotryna on LinkedIn or email her at kotryna@areteforyou.com
More information on Cassie Huang:
Cassie Huang grew up in Shanghai and came to the US when she was 16. A Georgetown University graduate, she started her career at Morgan Stanley as an investment banker, then joined The Cranemere Group as a private equity investor. Driven by her passion for building and entrepreneurship, she deferred her Wharton MBA to join Forum Brands, gaining experience in startup operations, e-commerce, and team building. Alongside Kotryna, she's now focused on growing Arete, leveraging her business acumen and a shared vision for impactful change. You can reach Cassie on LinkedIn or email her at cassie@areteforyou.com

Learning the Importance of Setting Boundaries in the Workplace

Jennifer and Robin talk about the need for employers and employees to be honest about what they can and are willing to do.  The need to have strong empowering boundaries for all parties is extremely important for business and personal success. 
Robin Corralez is a hands-on, diversified, human resources leader focused on creating sustained value in fast-paced, dynamic environments by building strong teams and identifying, assessing, and executing organizational initiatives that drive business success aligned with the overall strategy.
In her role at PandaDoc, she focuses on building a talented organization that will help scale their business from $20M to $100M while maintaining the best workplace culture possible.
Her specialties include executive coaching and developing new leaders; sourcing, hiring and aligning "A" players in critical positions; creating and maintaining talent pipelines; leading change and enhancing employee relations; improving performance and organizational development; employment law; and achieving cost efficiencies through better utilization of resources.
Robin is eager to share her tips for your audience and is the author of multiple articles on the topic of managing a remote-first, globally distributed workforce.
Under Robin's direction, PandaDoc was honored with multiple awards such as Inc. Magazine's 2021-2020 Best Workplaces, 2021 Forbes 500 Best Start Up Employer, and Quartz Best Companies for Remote Workers.
Robin Corralez, Global Sr. Vice President of Human Resources

How-to Create a More Inclusive Organization and Foster Growth

Enjoy this previously recorded Podcast. 
An update on Dr. Antoine. In March 2023 she joined the Capgemini team.  Her new role is EVP, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer in Europe.  Congratulations on being a rising star for Women In Technology everywhere. 
This week's guest is Dr. Cara Antoine, Managing Director Digital Transformation IG&H - a leading independent business consulting firm based in the Netherlands. IG&H is a market leader in complex end-to-end digital transformation and has focused its work across five industries: retail, healthcare, banking, insurance, and pensions.
In today's episode, we talk about Dr. Cara's journey from fixing radios as a young child to the head of IG&H's Digital Transformation team. We also discuss the difficulties women currently face in the technology industry and what we can all do to help grow their presence. Lastly, we discuss creating a more accessible business and how organizations can help create opportunities for anyone and everyone to gain access to products, services, and solutions.
You can learn more about IG&H here: https://www.igh.com/
We hope Dr. Cara's story helps inspire others to grow their tech career.
 

Hiring Women in the Tech Fields

Jennifer Didier has a lively conversation with Lilian Dutra of AEN Talent Search. They discuss Lilian's own path to the creation of AEN Talent Search and how she is helping other women connect with great jobs and represent themselves at the highest levels.
More information on our Guest:
Lilian DutraCEO & Founder, AEN Talent Search
For more than a decade, Lilian has been adeptly handling the rigors of being a motherand a CFO. She has decided to share the secrets of her success in simultaneouslymanaging both by founding AEN Talent Search. Its mission is to enlighten companieson the richness of adding diversity and to empower women to take back their careersand bring their talents to new, rewarding positions. As a Latina herself, Lilian has madegreat strides in challenging corporations of all sizes to re-evaluate their workforce andre-focus on inclusivity. One of her biggest strengths is the ability to connect the rightpeople to the right jobs, ones which will bring them success and joy.
Prior to founding AEN, Lilian was the CFO of Sublime Communications, an independentmarketing communications company with global reach. She also worked as a ResearchSpecialist and Analyst at several asset management companies, including theCommonfund Group, Greenwich Associates and Gartner, Inc., where she managedreporting, productivity, and expenses to help clients improve their business results.Lilian is also an expert in International Business and is fluent in Portuguese.
You can reach Lilian on LinkedIn or at the company website: AENTalentSearch.com

Is There Privacy in Advertising?

This week on Tech in the Right Direction we follow Vanina Ivanova's journey in the Tech Industry and the extreme differences in digital marketing from when she first started her career to today. Vanina is currently the CMO at Adex Network, a blockchain powered system that is bringing full transparency to the digital marketing space through smart contract technology. She’s a cryptocurrency enthusiast herself, and is finding working for a blockchain company inspiring, empowering and overall – delightful. Join us as we dive into personal data, the lack of privacy in advertising, and what we can do to change this problem.
Learn more about Adex Network here: https://www.adex.network/
Thank you - we hope Vanina's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

Building and Leading Teams in Technology

Katherine Kress is VP of Strategy and an awesome women leader at Percepta. She has extensive experience in marketing, customer experience consulting, and the contact center / BPO space. She has 25 years of experience in marketing and customer experience consulting, having managed global marketing, product and services development, and more. Her ability to build and lead teams is second to none, and she has a great vision on the path to success for women working in any industry – especially marketing, technology, or the BPO space.  
Today we talk about Katherine’s career journey, how she went from a degree in Asian Studies in Political Science to the technology world. Katherine discusses steps on how to build and lead amazing teams, being passionate in her work, and how much technology has changed in the last several years. 
Connect with Katherine Kress HERE on LinkedIn. 
Thank you for listening, we hope Katherine’s expertise has encouraged you. 

How-to Envision Success and Accomplish Your Goals

This week's guest is Heather Doran, Chief of Staff for Business Applications Marketing & Global Industry at Microsoft. Heather is an enthusiastic leader with a proven record of implementing high-performing marketing, operations, and event strategies. She has an innate ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams to successfully develop a vision based on customer-focused insights and data that delivers results.
Today we talk about Heather's move into the tech industry and how she moved her way up through the ranks at Microsoft. We also talk about how women can find success and break down barriers in a male-dominated industry.
Thank you for listening; we hope Heather's story helps inspire others to seek or grow their tech career.

How to Build Your Confidence

This week on Tech in the Right Direction, we speak with Evelyn Sheahan, who has many roles at Microsoft, currently holding the role of Business Program Manager. Starting off in Graphic Design, Evelyn then got hooked on technology and the excitement that came with the industry. Listen in to hear how she feels working in a male dominated industry, the benefit of male mentors, and the importance of quality managers and leadership. Evelyn also shares how she has built her confidence and courage to stand up for herself and the benefits she has seen from it over the years.