corporate insights
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corporate insights
occur. I was always supported by
my parents and loved physics and
chemistry experiments at school!
Leitner: In my case, my computer
science teachers said: “You are a girl,
you will never use this knowledge.”
That is when I thought: “Now more
than ever!” However, this negativi-
ty was demotivating for most of the
other learners. Nearly no one chose
a career in technology.
focus: What challenges did you
face, especially in male-dominat-
ed environments?
Leitner: In meetings, sometimes peo-
ple assume you are someone’s assis-
tant. You have to establish yourself,
especially when you are young.
Segura Carrasco: By the time you get
to the first introductory round, it
becomes clear what one is respon-
sible for. But Andrea is right, at the
beginning of your career, colleagues
look at you like: “What is this wom-
an doing here?”
focus: What do you think is the
biggest obstacle to success for
women? Or is the female defini-
tion of success different to men’s?
Segura Carrasco: I think, if someone
goes to work and is happy, that is
success – no matter whether it is
a woman or a man. And as far as
building a career is concerned: It is
difficult for women to have a strong
network and a good mentor because
there are not many women in higher
positions. Female networks are, un-
fortunately, not as influential as male
networks – and that is exactly where
you need someone to support you.
focus: Why do you think more
women are needed in the techno-
logical industry?
Leitner: It is extremely important
that women get involved in inno-
vation and engineering topics as
they convey other aspects and think
differently. This generates a lot of
creativity, which is very enriching.
focus: What advice do you wish
you had received at the beginning
of your career?
Segura Carrasco: At the beginning of
my career, what I needed most was
encouragement: “Believe in your-
self! Be daring!” It is important
that somebody supports you and
believes in you.
Leitner: “Dare to ask questions,” is
what comes to mind. In my early
days, I often had to deal with elo-
quent colleagues, and I would think
to myself, that sounds right, but it
makes no sense to me. Back then I
did not dare to ask questions: Okay,
why is it like this? Or: How can
you make an argument for that?
It would have helped if somebody
had encouraged me to express my
thoughts.
I N T E R V I E W
M A R I A S E G U R A C A R R A S C O studied Mechanical
Engineering in Spain, majoring in internal combustion engines. She completed her
Master’s degree in renewable energies, and started as a Development Engineer
at AVL more than 22 years ago. Here she led the team for Fuel Injection Systems
and has been the Product Manager and Key Account Manager for High-Power
Systems since 2020. She is responsible for business development, market evalu-
ation and R&D planning in the field.
A N D R E A L E I T N E R studied at the Graz University
of Technology. After completing her doctorate in Information
and Communication Engineering, she started working in the
research section of The Virtual Vehicle Competence Centre nine
years ago and shortly afterwards joined AVL as a Project Manager
and Research Engineer. Since May 2022, she has been Head of
Development ADAS/AD Testing Solutions, which mainly involves
test systems for the safety around autonomous driving.
AVL managers Maria Segura Carrasco
and Andrea Leitner discuss how to awak-
en an interest in tech among young girls,
how to assert oneself as an expert in meet-
ings, and why women need to be involved
in innovation and engineering.
focus: Which career moment shaped you
the most? What are you most proud of?
Segura Carrasco: A turning point in my career
was my first project as a project manager at
AVL, and I saw how satisfied the customer
was at the final meeting. Later, I was respon-
sible for the Fuel Injection Systems team;
there, too, I really enjoyed working with
the technical team. Since 2019 I have been
Product Manager for High-Power Systems
– a challenging but amazing task.
Leitner: While I worked in the AVL research
section, a European research project coordi-
nated by AVL began, focusing on safeguard-
ing and testing automated driver functions.
My boss asked me to take on the overall
project coordination. At first, I thought I
knew too little about the subject, and be-
sides, I was very young and had never led a
research project before. But then I thought,
let me try! I had to coordinate 70 partners
from diverse fields and was invited to con-
ferences to introduce the project. In the end,
it was a huge success.
Female Powered
Innovation
focus: How do we encourage more
girls into technical careers?
Segura Carrasco: We need to start
early in kindergarten or primary
school. Very young girls are often
interested in technology, especially
when it comes to experiments. But
in secondary school or even earlier,
they lose interest. Later, when
companies look for talent in high
schools, it is too late for most girls
who were once tech-savvy. Had
they been supported through the
years, this disjuncture would not
The importance and value of increasing gender
diversity in the tech-industry is a well-known topic,
yet women are still underrepresented in tech-
focused roles