Building Careers in Tech: Lessons in Confidence, Connection, and Continuous Growth

The recent Breaking Barriers and Building Careers panel at Europe’s biggest Endpoint Security and End User Computing event, brought together influential female leaders from across the IT industry to  exchange practical strategies for career progression, leadership, and sponsoring. The panel included ( as shown in the image):

Divya Saggar, Senior Director Business Development at IGEL, Panel Moderator

Gretchen Irion, Senior Director at HP

Anja Schulz, Chief Legal Office, Executive Leadership Team at IGEL

Andrea Wörrlein, Member of the Board at VNC AG

Maryam Alexandrian-Adams, Global Sales & Strategy Leader at Nutanix

Their collective message was clear: authenticity, courage, and continuous growth are essential to thriving in the accelerating tech industry.

Key Takeaways from the Panel

• Nurture strong networks to support long-term career growth.
• Step outside your comfort zone and embrace calculated risks.
• Trust your perspective – confidence fuels progress.
• Leaders should remove obstacles to enable intrinsic motivation and progression.
• Authenticity and empathy build trust and empowerment.
• Continuous learning and agility are essential as technology evolves.

Curiosity and Network Nurture

The panel opened with reflections on early career experiences and the advice they would give their younger selves. They emphasized the importance of continuously nurturing your network and intentionally stepping outside your comfort zone. If you get too comfortable, you stop growing and questioning what is possible. The panel encourage women to trust their own perspective and be confident, as every individual brings unique value to the table. Consistent curiosity shapes long-term success, especially in fast-evolving fields where continuous learning and development is critical.

Mentorship and Sponsorship

The panel highlighted the impact of intentional support structures and the importance of empathy, active listening, and authenticity in mentorship, noting that these create far more trust than trying to fit a predefined mold. They discussed the distinction between mentorship and sponsorship, urging leaders to advocate for others when they are not in the room as a powerful accelerator for advancement.

Diversity through Hiring and Education

The panel explored structural approaches to increasing diversity in tech. Education as a long-term lever to inspire girls early and can dramatically improve the future talent pool. The most successful organizations commit to developing women through structured training, mentorship, and sponsorship programs.

Future Skills: Agility & Broader Awareness

As technology accelerates, adaptability becomes non-negotiable. The panel  emphasized agility and continuous learning as the most critical future skills. Leaders benefit from a broader, meta-level awareness of social, historical, and political contexts. The panel encouraged women to approach modern technologies with a can-do attitude, knowing that no one person has all the answers in such a fast-moving landscape. Flexible work models such as remote work and job sharing are critical to supporting
long-term career paths for both women and men during the family rearing stage.

Leading in a Male-Dominated Industry

Leadership in traditionally male-dominated spaces was a central theme and shared experience of the panelists. Embracing challenges is key to building competence and visibility. When a leader asks if you can do something, say yes, then learn how to do it. This echoes the panelists advice that women often need to take bold steps as their male counterparts do, to be even more assertive, embracing a healthy “fake it till you make it” mentality to claim their space. At the same time, leaders managing diverse team must recognize internal barriers as much as external ones and support environments for authentic communication.

The discussion closed with thoughts on shared leadership models, which can support flexible career paths – though panelists noted the importance of tight alignment for these models to succeed, especially in management roles.

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About IGEL4Women in Tech

The IGEL4Women in Tech employee resource group is a visionary and vibrant group of employees who seek to empower women at IGEL to drive our business goals. The group offers a platform for all employees to exchange knowledge, skills, and experiences and connect with international Women in Tech networks. In doing so we aim to attract, empower, and retain female talent to careers at IGEL and show up as role models for girls and women looking to work in the technology sector.

We thank each member of the panel for sharing their experience and practical strategies for career progression and leadership. This blog, written by Britta Loew, Catherine Gallagher at IGEL4Women shares the valuable take-aways from the panel discussion with the wider Tech audience. We thank Divya Saggar and Patrizia Fioretti for organizing and moderating the panel discussion.

Learn more about exciting tech careers at Igel.com/careers