About 1 in 2 employees at CTE are women – Women in Tech
& Their Stories

China Telecom (Europe) celebrates the women in the business

Read women’s inspiring stories to celebrate International Women’s Day #WomenWhoLead

The Tech industry is leading global digital transformation, the drive to change how we work by optimising and accelerating work processes. It goes without saying that cultural change, such as gender equality, is an essential element of that transformation. Companies can no longer afford to ignore the power of women in the workforce. However, women are still underrepresented in the Tech industry. Until recently, they held only 25% of tech jobs, even though women make up almost half of the total workforce⁽¹⁾.When it comes to leadership overall, only 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women⁽²⁾.

There’s still a long way to go. 

It’s something we’re particularly aware of as we approach 8 March, when we celebrate International Women’s Day to highlight women’s social, economic and cultural achievements. This year, the theme is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.”  (UN Women)

Success for women leads to company success

So it’s the perfect time to reflect on our company culture. At China Telecom (Europe) (CTE), gender and cultural diversity is a key value. We believe that diversity brings out more creativity, innovation and competitive advantages for the company. Currently, more than 122 women work at CTE, representing 44% of all workforce in Europe, and 31% in management positions. But we wondered what more could be done to help women to fully realise their potential in the Tech industry. 

We’ve asked our most influential leaders who are women to give us their insights on how they achieved their professional goals, and rose to the top of their profession. They gave us their perspective on how diversity benefits the company and shared their experiences as inspiration for women just starting out in the tech industry. We also invited some of our winners of “Outstanding employees of the year” who are women to reveal their motivation and how they overcome challenges as a women in tech.

Read on to meet some of CTE’s #WomenInTech

More stories from women at CTE

“I try to think of myself as a superwoman every day to remind me that I can achieve my goals.”
– Justine Adzrakou (Business Manager, Germany)

We asked 9 “Outstanding female employees of 2020” across all departments and regions at CTE to share their advice and experience about motivation, self-confidence, challenges and career advices.

Q: How do you motivate yourself and stay motivated? 

I think it’s essential to be organised in my work, so I plan ahead with a precise timeline about my tasks. Focusing on the direction rather than the speed, I’m able to meet my expectations and stay motivated.

Roxane Hagege (Head of France MNC Sales, France)

Working in CTE, my main motivation is definitely the corporate culture. Being surrounded by great leaders and supportive colleagues from all around the world, I’m learning something new every day. Especially during the pandemic, people from different time-zones really came together and contributed to projects online. That was really inspiring for me.

Amy Yang (Sales Assistant, Czech Republic)

Passion is my main motivator in life. When you do what you enjoy, it is easier to motivate yourself, because you are full of energy and you do things with great pleasure.

Elena Bershanskaya (Legal Manager, Russia)

As Afro-German I sometimes face prejudice. Simply because young black women are often not seen in leading positions, especially not in tech industries. So, growing up in an immigrant household, I always had the strong desire to challenge myself and the urge to shift the mindset that society has about POC (people of colour). These prejudices have created something within me, that simply refuses to settle for average. That’s pretty much how I encourage and motivate myself.

Justine Adzrakou (Business Manager, Germany)

Q: How do you build your confidence at work?

Ask for feedback! Find your weakness, improve it. See your achievement, celebrate it.

You Liu (Admin & Human Resources, France)

I find it important to have a positive attitude in work and life. There’s a saying, “Fake it ’til you make it.” Confidence comes from an inner conviction that you will succeed no matter what. Meanwhile I’m not afraid of making mistakes because there’s always something valuable to learn from them.

Roxane Hagege (Head of France MNC Sales, France)

Through communication and commitment, you will come to a solution. Even when the solution isn’t perfect or entirely what you expected, you need to embrace and learn from it.

Amy Yang (Sales Assistant, Czech Republic)

It’s very exciting to work in the field of ICT because I get to continuously acquire knowledge of new technologies and to complete project after project. Exploring and learning something new has been my driving force and passion.

Yunting Wang (ICT Project Manager, UK)

For me the more new skills I learn the more confident I become. So I always try to enrol myself in training and seminars to update my skill set.

Maryia Kastsiuk (Accountant, Belarus)

I think to be confident in the work you choose to do, you should be align work with your values and it should be the things you are really good at. For example, I know that I am good at communications, coordinating people and I am well-organised. So I know my job will allow me to demonstrate my best performance and nobody can take that away from me.

Svetlana Bazhenova (HR & Administration Manager, Russia)

Q: What skills do you believe are innate or specific to women and how do they add value to a business? 

Generally speaking, employees who are women are very loyal to their work. When they gain seniority within the company, it usually brings great value to the company itself. There’s also a great level of resilience in women, so they wouldn’t give up easily when facing obstacles.

You Liu (Admin & Human Resources, France)

I think women are good at multitasking and prioritisation, which for me is a great quality for dealing with complex situations. On top of that, as a saleswoman myself, I think we often have this intuition and awareness of human interaction that contributes to business success. 

Roxane Hagege (Head of France MNC Sales, France)

According to some researchers, women have stronger non-verbal skills. As leaders, women can transform team members and affect their attitudes by inspiring them.

Maryia Kastsiuk (Accountant, Belarus)

I would say empathy – women tend to feel what others are feeling. So for example during a negotiation, women can open the conversation more easily.

Svetlana Bazhenova (HR & Administration Manager, Russia)

Q: What advice would you give a young woman starting out in her career?  

There’s a saying: “Choose a boss, not a job”. Your first boss is a significant influencer in your career, and I think this is the best advice I can give to young professionals. My first boss has empowered and encouraged me to have faith that I am “born to be in sales” and that I could become a “high flying superwoman” in the industry. 

Justine Adzrakou (Business Manager, Germany)

At the beginning of your career, you naturally want to gain more experience as quickly as possible and make a positive impression. However, I would recommend not trying to please everyone and setting boundaries to maintain a healthy balance and make sure you are taken seriously.

Elena Bershanskaya (Legal Manager, Russia)

I think it is important to continuously learn and seek advice from your seniors. Take each of your tasks seriously, get the job done quickly and efficiently, so you would leave an impression of being reliable on your colleagues and managers. Be aware that you are not doing your best for others, but doing this for yourself. 

Yu Liu (HR & Admin Manager, Germany)

Women have the same opportunities in life as men. I always remember the quote from Mark Twain that my parents taught me: “They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it.”

Roxane Hagege (Head of France MNC Sales, France)

Q: What do you do when you face challenges or setbacks? 

I think we shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes. You just have to draw the lessons to prevent them from happening again in the future.

Maryia Kastsiuk (Accountant, Belarus) 

Challenges you face at the beginning of your career might make you feel down sometimes. However, this negativity is not good for your team and can be contagious for everyone involved in the project. Try to actively and positively look for solutions, rather than complaining, because that doesn’t solve problems.

Amy Yang (Sales Assistant, Czech Republic)

I try to think of myself as a superwoman every day to remind me that I can achieve my goals. When I face an obstacle or have a bad day, I think back to where I started and reflect on where I am now. 

Justine Adzrakou (Business Manager, Germany)

Q: As an outstanding employee at China Telecom (Europe), what do you think of our company’s gender diversity and teamwork culture? 

My manager, the team and colleagues are all very supportive. Even those who are based in different time-zones and cannot see each other during the pandemic always provide us immediate support, no matter if your project is big or not.

Amy Yang (Sales Assistant, Czech Republic)

I feel that CTE has done a great job in gender equality, providing opportunities for women to showcase their talents while having many outstanding female leaders and employees. They are all worthy of my admiration and learning. 

Yu Liu (HR & Admin Manager, Germany)

Gender and cultural diversity is key. It makes us think differently, challenge ourselves and constantly innovate. I think my successful team at CTE is the perfect example of this.  

Roxane Hagege (Head of France MNC Sales, France)

Actually, I personally never felt the difference between men and women here at CTE. People are listening to what you are saying and pay attention to what you have done. That’s it. 

Svetlana Bazhenova (HR & Administration Manager, Russia)

At CTE we have a strong culture of solidarity. Whenever someone in the team needs help, everyone would kindly offer their assistance. Same for the newcomer, so they can fit right in. That’s how you build an unbreakable team.

You Liu (Admin & Human Resources, France)

As there is a great diversity among our customers and suppliers – they all belong to different age groups, cultural backgrounds and, of course, genders – our employees also need to be diverse to ensure better communication, both internal and external. 

Yunting Wang (ICT Project Manager, UK)

(1) The Latest Stats on Women in Tech https://bit.ly/37NvGlO 

(2) Catalyst, Women CEOs of the S&P 500 (February 9, 2021) Cheryl. (2014). Women CEOs of the S&P 500 https://bit.ly/2ZVaJ4m

About China Telecom (Europe) Ltd.:

China Telecom (Europe) Ltd. (CTE) provides integrated telecoms and communications services as a local solutions provider for Chinese companies and a global solutions provider for multinational corporations. CTE’s unrivalled knowledge of the Chinese market, and regional offices across Europe, make CTE an ideal partner for European and Asian businesses looking to work in Europe, China and Asia. To find out more about CTE business, go to www.chinatelecomeurope.com.