AVL Focus - Issue 2023

THE AVL MOBILITY TREND MAGAZINE - No. 1 2023

corporate insights

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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.  ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

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.

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