Did she face any prejudice at the beginning of her career?
“Yes, as a woman I encountered a pretty clear expectation that I was to achieve the same results as my male colleague. Did I succeed? Naturally, I did!”
Diana found that competence and the right attitude were a powerful combination for fighting outdated stereotypes.
Another example she gives is related to motherhood.
“When I became a mother, everyone expected that I would stop growing as a professional, because it was assumed that this was a natural time for a woman to give up her career and focus on family and parenting. And there is, of course, nothing wrong with that.”
In her case, however, she was convinced that she could be a mother while also expanding her professional life.
“Having a baby did not disqualify me from contributing to the business. I just needed to organize my surroundings and spend quality time with my family.“
Luckily, she was not alone.
“My husband was there to support me and share responsibility for our family. He wanted me to advance in my career because he believed in me and my abilities.”
Curiosity and a strong desire to contribute to business development empowered Diana to successfully reconcile the two roles and, over time, to grow in several companies and in various roles, such as R&D Engineer, Product Manager, and – currently – Lead for the industry segments in Business Line Instrumentation at ABB.