Women in Tech: The trailblazers, part four

In this series, we feature five of those women working in Tech. Located in all corners of the ING world, they reveal their journey and experiences in this ever-changing and dynamic industry.

How did you get into Tech?

When I was young, I had computer classes where we used to play interactive problem-solving games. These never appealed to me that much. Then we did basic web page designing. I appreciated the practical use of Tech and remember writing my first “Hello, world!” html code. I was amazed to see pieces of code turn into a web page… almost like you were painting a canvas but with a computer! I think this was the lightbulb moment where I realised, I wanted to work in IT.

My path to a Tech career was quite traditional. I studied information technology at university, which led to my first job as an operations engineer at an international software and computer manufacturing company. I have been lucky to experience great female leadership at the early stage of my career, and that gave me the confidence to know I could also succeed in this field. I then took on several roles in risk management at an Australian bank before moving to ING.

Why ING?

ING often emphasises a strong work-life balance and fosters a culture of diversity and inclusion. These are both important for me in an organisation. Plus, I like working in a bank. I find it intriguing because you get to work at the intersection of technology and finance.

What job do you do?

I’m currently leading IT chapter leads and engineers in Manila who are part of global software delivery team behind our Wholesale Banking services. We help re-design and digitalise our end-to-end customer journeys to improve the customer and user experience.

What do you love about being a woman in Tech?

It’s never boring because there’s always a new challenge you can take on.

What advice would you give to other women seeking a career in Tech?

Go for it! Learn what your strengths are and build them further. There are many different roles and skills needed within the industry that you can explore.

What has been the most difficult challenge you have encountered in your journey?

Achieving and maintaining balance in this fast-paced environment is a continuous challenge. But I’ve learnt to accept that perfection is unattainable and that making mistakes are also part of learning and growth. This helps me set realistic goals and maintain a work-life balance.

What advice would you give to students or others contemplating a career in Tech?

Make it a habit to continuously learn new topics as it will be crucial to your success in Tech field.

What’s the next big thing when it comes to technology?

We’ll see more use cases of Gen AI and public cloud movement.