Tell me about your career journey and how you got to where you are today.

I started with AWS as an intern in Capacity Network Building. Even though I had initially applied for a totally different position, I went for the network role, which I found much more interesting.

I got the internship, which was amazing. I was able to start from scratch and learn. Just when I became really good at what I was doing, I got pregnant. For many women, that can feel like a career block. Thankfully, my manager was supportive and let me work as much as I was able to. When I knew I needed to rest, I went on maternity leave.

During that time, a new cluster was built, and I saw an opportunity for a new challenge. Since both my husband and I work at the same company, and he had accepted a role in a new region, we were able to coordinate our relocation. My previous position was on-site and location-bound, so returning to it wasn’t an option. I transitioned into a new role as a Data Center Academy Associate, where I now help new joiners feel welcome and lead various community initiatives.  

You mentioned community initiatives - can you tell me more about what you do?

In the previous cluster, I joined the initiative called Women@FRA, which is part of Women at AWS. Now I’m the chair of the Chapter of Women@AWS located in Branderburg, my current region. We’re a small group – next month we'll welcome our 12th member.  

We focus on helping women navigate the German bureaucracy when joining the company, especially supporting with paperwork. For example, we ensure safety risk assessments are fulfilled for pregnant women and that they have the flexibility to attend medical appointments.

Together with Katherine from Women@FRA, I proudly run our Spousal Programme. We encourage employees to refer their partners to join AWS. In some companies, working with your spouse is frowned upon, but we think, “You trusted them with your heart – why not your workplace?”. Since we work in a male-dominated industry, it’s nice to see more gender balance through the Spousal Programme. Some difficulties women face aren’t always visible to men, and having another female colleague to talk to can be helpful.  

We also support women returning from maternity leave with options like part-time work. I have had a great experience working part-time, without facing discrimination.  

Another group of employees we take care of are shift workers. Some start very early, finish late, or work nights. We make sure everyone has safe access to the buildings, is provided snacks when ordering food isn’t possible at night, and that hygienic supplies for women are available. We want to be inclusive and thoughtful.

We encourage young women to join us straight out of high school to join our apprenticeship programmes. We are open to all students, but we want young women to know they can feel they truly belong at AWS.

Can you share some key milestones or achievements in your career so far?

I still see everything as a work in progress, but I can mention a few things.

One success has been bringing more female security guards to our premises. Some women feel uncomfortable being surrounded by male guards, so having female security staff makes a big difference.

Another achievement is promoting inclusive language, for example, men often say “Listen, guys,” in meetings. I know many women, including myself, don’t mind, but if you're the only woman in the room, it can feel isolating.  

I also built a comprehensive guide about family benefits, detailing the structure step-by-step, with timelines and forms. I had to navigate the German bureaucracy myself, and made a few mistakes along the way. While we have internal pages, I found the information to be very scattered, which was especially difficult for someone like me who is neurodivergent.  

To address this challenge, I gathered information from my own experience, from internal and government sites, and put it all together. I check the official government pages regularly to keep the guide up to date. Many people have used it, and I know it’s helped them. That makes me proud.

It’s a personal win that colleagues come to me for help, even on topics I’m not officially in charge of. It means a lot.

What are the most important skills you’ve developed throughout your career?

In my current role, I’ve learned to be a voice for people who might be shy or less outspoken. Even though I’m introverted, when it comes to standing up for others, I’m brave. That’s something new I’ve discovered about myself.

I’ve also become good at multitasking. For example, today I was on an important call, creating a presentation, and helping a colleague at the same time.

What have been some challenges you faced in your career, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was returning to work and not taking on too much. I constantly felt guilty or that I wasn’t good enough, neither as a mum nor at work. I overcommitted and felt like I was failing in both roles. That really brought me down.

In the beginning, adjusting to a different work culture was also hard. But thankfully, I was surrounded by people who genuinely wanted to help. My current manager has also been incredibly supportive – he trusts my judgment and encourages me to take initiative, both in my core responsibilities and in the extra projects I lead. It might sound silly, but the AWS Leadership Principles are truly lived here. People genuinely made me feel welcome.

Even when I got pregnant, no one treated me like I was trying to “get the contract and get out”, as some stereotypes say. That motivated me to want to go back to work. I was involved as much as I wanted to be throughout my pregnancy and recovery. The biggest challenge was to overcome my own perspective, which I was able to do thanks to the help of people around me.  

What’s one piece of advice you received that has stuck with you and that you’d like to pass along to others?

You don’t have to be strong all the time – you can just be happy. There’s so much pressure to always be something, but it’s okay to simply be. You deserve to be seen and happy, even without always being strong.

How has networking and connecting with other professionals shaped your career?

Every person I’ve met has helped shape me. They saw different versions of me depending on the relationship, whether they were my manager, colleague, etc. Especially as a neurodivergent person, communication can be difficult for me, and how people responded to me really helped me grow.

One woman manager in Poland taught me how to stand up for myself in a male-dominated field. That helped me do the same with my next manager, who was a strong character. But I found he appreciated the confidence, and I was able to earn more respect and grow professionally.

Now, I work well with strong personalities of all genders. That earlier experience gave me a great foundation for this new chapter.

Looking ahead, what are some professional goals you’re currently working towards?

I’d love to become someone who coordinates even more initiatives. In addition to what I’ve mentioned, I also advocate for mental health, neurodiversity, and support local governmental and non-governmental organisations.

My long-term goal is to grow within the organisation and be someone who can oversee all these efforts and bring them together.