Women in Tech: “More people means more brainpower”

A research study by The National Center for Women & Information Technology showed that “gender diversity has specific benefits in technology settings,” which could explain why tech companies have started to invest in initiatives that aim to boost the number of female applicants, recruit them in a more effective way, retain them for longer, and give them the opportunity to advance. But is it enough?

Four years ago, we launched a diversity series aimed at bringing the most inspirational and powerful women in the tech scene to your attention. Today, we’d like you to meet Roxana Ciobanu, CTO at Bunnyshell.

Today’s Woman in Tech: Roxana Ciobanu, CTO at Bunnyshell

I am Roxana, a Forbes 30Under30 Cloud enthusiast, interested in ensuring high availability, performance tuning, and securing cloud architectures.

I worked as a DevOps and Solution Architect in the past few years nicely combining cloud technologies with operations and development.

For the last 4 years, I have been fulfilling the role of CTO at Bunnyshell, which has taught me valuable professional and personal lessons. Now my mission is to make Bunnyshell a unicorn!

When did you become interested in technology? What first got you interested in tech?

I first got interested in tech from high school.

Both my parents were engineers so there was definitely an element of following a role model.

Let’s talk about your background. How did you end up in your career path? What obstacles did you have to overcome?

There were no obstacles apart from the challenges that come with learning, adapting to new work environments, and keeping fear of failure at bay.

Did you receive support from your family and friends? Do you have a role model?

Yes, I did receive support from all my family and friends. My role models are my parents.

Specifically for tech, I think that passion for STEM is mandatory for the necessary motivation towards advancement.

Did anyone ever try to stop you from learning and advancing in your professional life?

No, I was always encouraged, helped, and guided to pursue my interests.

A day in Roxana’s life

I am the CTO at Bunnyshell. I am doing research, product development, pre-sales, and being a technology-business translator for all departments.

What are you most proud of in your career?

I am proud that I got the opportunity and the courage to go on this journey.

Why aren’t there more women in tech? What’s your take on that?

In my experience, I encountered a lot of women in sales, marketing, product management, and similar departments in tech companies.

It may be because there are more women with a bigger interest in areas that involve more human interaction.

Could you name a few challenges (or obstacles) women in tech face?

The same obstacles that all people face: continuous learning, self-improvement, work-life balancing, and getting out of your comfort zone.

How would our world be different if more women worked in STEM? What would be the (social, economic, and cultural) impact?

Like in all fields, more people means more brainpower. This leads to advancement in that field.

The discussion about diversity is gaining momentum. How long will it take to see results from the current discussion?

I think that there are already results that can be seen from the current discussions, both positive and negative.

What advice (and tips) would you give to women who want a tech career? What should they know about this industry?

Like any other industry in which one wishes to succeed, it requires dedication, and sometimes sacrificing some of your private life and continuous learning and self-improvement.

Specifically for tech, I think that passion for STEM is mandatory for the necessary motivation towards advancement.

More Women in Tech:

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