Introducing the Speakers at our Netherlands Virtual Graduate Careers Event

Our Autumn 2020 virtual event season will draw to a close with our Netherlands Graduate Careers event, taking place on Thursday 12^th November.

Our event will help female STEM students to connect with graduate employers, apply for opportunities and hear inspiring talks from a range of speakers.  During our speaker sessions, representatives will share their career journeys, offer advice, and provide an invaluable insight into what it’s like to work in a STEM-related industry.

Ahead of the event, we had a chat with our speakers to find out more about the topics they will be covering and what attendees can look forward to on the day!

Speakers

Optiver
Zuotian Tatum, Team lead, Infrastructure Data

Our speaker sessions will begin at 1pm with a presentation from Zuotian who works at Optiver. Zuotian will introduce Optiver and describe her role. She will discuss how she works with technology and what it takes to be a successful engineer at the company.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“Meeting the students and helping them to seek new challenges.”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Learn a bit about the companies ahead of the time so you can ask good questions. Not only focus on technical skill requirements, but also think about the soft skills.”

Why is encouraging more women to work within STEM industries important to you/your company?
“The combination of individual and diverse perspectives, experiences and abilities are the cornerstone of effective, high performing teams that help us drive forward. Diversity and inclusion are therefore essential to Optiver’s success. We want to create a company culture that enables any talent to be successful.”

Liberty Global/ Virgin
Nadia Howden, Senior Manager Connectivity CVP

Next, we will welcome Nadia from Liberty Global. She will be presenting her journey from graduate to Senior Manager, and will provide an insight into the fantastic graduate programmes that are available at Liberty Global.

What topics can attendees expect to hear from you on the event day?
“It was not long ago that I was in a very similar position, trying to figure out what to do after University. It can be exciting and daunting, so I will talk about my journey and hopefully share some useful learnings from my experience.”

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“I am looking forward to hearing from the attendees! I believe that graduate fairs are a two-way stream, and whilst I am here to talk about my journey and my company, I can’t wait to hear from inspiring students. What is it that students are looking for in terms of their future? What great ideas can I learn from you, that I can take back into my industry?”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Bring your energy and ask questions! As I mentioned, graduate fairs are a two-way event, so use the time to seek advice from each presenter. Make sure you have plenty of water and the odd snack within reach – it can be a lot of information to take in!”

Why is encouraging more women to work within STEM industries important to you/your company?
“Traditionally, gender stereotypes have played a role on what choices we make throughout our education, and as a result what fields men and women tend to go into. We believe that our industry needs both women and men to be the best we can be. The innovators and decision makers that make up our business, need to be as diverse and representative of the end users who will ultimately buy and use our products and services.

We, at Liberty Global, are dedicated to driving Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. One thing I love about working for this company, is that fact that we provide people from all walks of life, with different perspectives, an opportunity to come together and make an impact.”

Edwards Vacuum
Alena Slehoferova, Key Account Manager, Semiconductor Benelux

Lastly, Alena from Edwards Vacuum will present her speaker session. She will cover who Edwards are, her personal career journey and briefly describe the Inclusive Culture approach at Edwards.

What are you most looking forward to on the event day?
“I am looking forward to all the questions we will get from our audience and really hope to help a few people to start their career.”

Do you have any tips for attendees before the event?
“Come to the event with an open mind and don’t be shy to ask any questions or speak to one of the employers.”

Why is encouraging more women to work within STEM industries important to you/your company?
“Recent research has shown that mixed gender engineering groups are more productive and more creative than “standard” male only engineering groups.

I think this does not apply only to engineering groups but to any other teams, too. Women bring different ideas, and they look at the issues or problems from different ankle. I believe that the mixed groups deliver the best results.”

Alongside our speakers, attendees will also have the chance to network with IMC, PwC, Mercury Engineering, and Flow Traders.

At 2.30pm, attendees can gain fascinating first-hand insights from inspiring women working in STEM industries during our panel session.

If you’re interested in starting your career in a STEM industry and would like to attend a STEM Women event. Visit www.stemwomenevents.com and register for your free ticket today!

There are also still spaces available for employers looking to exhibit at our Netherlands event and our early 2021 events. Get in touch with Lauren at laurenj@stemwomen.co.uk for more information.