It might sound strange but I knew quite early that I wanted to study business. Back then I had overheard a discussion of grown-ups: they were saying that by nature men are better suited to become the boss; women make brilliant assistants… After that I was obsessed by the idea of having one day a male assistant myself and prove them wrong. Studying business seemed like a good idea to reach that goal.

I will never forget the first meeting after I was promoted to the management team. The CEO introduced me by saying: “I welcome the first woman to our team, who, for sure, will make it more beautiful”. I am still angry with myself that I did not have anything appropriate to answer. Comments like this one are not an exception for women in business, still today. In most of the cases it is tricky to find an appropriate answer, especially at the beginning of your career.  

What worked for me:  allyships with female and male colleagues, ready to stand for the rights of each other.  

I would like to urge everybody and especially senior leaders, who become aware of discriminating behavior to speak up and openly address it! Together we ADVANCE faster