Confidence, Decision-Making, and Skills: Vivianne Ianagui from Babbel & Yogeeta Chainani from Swaarm #BreakTheBias

From surviving 20th-century wars to being global leaders in the 21st century, women are conquering it all by simply focusing on what they want to do and making sure their voices are heard equally. Gender equality today translates to a sustainable tomorrow in cultural, political, and socio-economic domains of life. 

In this article, we interview Viviane lanagui, Head of Revenue Strategy & Operations, at Babbel & Yogeeta Chainani, CEO, Swaarm.com, to know about their experiences and their journey of achieving success. 

Vivianne Lanagui, Head of Revenue & Strategy, Babbel

Why is gender balance and having a more diverse workforce important, especially in senior management teams?

I believe that a diverse workforce, be it gender, ethnicity or background, helps you to approach a topic from different angles. As an example, Babbel –  the language learning platform where I currently work – counts with professionals from 65 nationalities. I experience how this fosters innovation and helps you to uncover blind spots, which wouldn’t be so natural if everyone thinks and acts the same. Also, being a Latin American woman with Asian background working in Germany, I know how much representation matters. At Babbel, we have women and expatriates in several leadership positions, including C-level positions and this is very inspiring to me.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the media/advertising/tech industry today? 

Be bold and understand your value. Several articles mention that, in general, men are bolder in negotiating salaries and positions, and applying to jobs where they might not be 100% matching. While women have the tendency to be shy on those topics, my advice would be to invest in learning negotiation skills, which will help you in your career, and to show the confidence level that matches your skills.

Name another woman in the digital marketing space that women should look out for and why

A dear friend of mine, Carolina de Oliveira, partner at KPMG South America, has been doing an amazing job connecting, discovering, and giving visibility to tech companies in Brazil. She also leads several tech and LGBT+ initiatives and she is proof that diversity is a tremendous asset for any business. I’ll recommend keeping an eye on her to get a glimpse of what’s going on in the Brazilian tech scene.

Do you have a specific book, podcast, publication, quote, or else you could recommend that we women in mobile & tech could learn from?

A bit more general, but I’ll tease you with this Forbes article. If you want to connect with other women in tech, Elpha is a great network.

Yogeeta Chainani, CEO, Swaarm.com (GER)

“Act like a man” Is this still what it takes to thrive as a woman in the marketing business arena?

I would say no. I think it has more to do with the qualities a person projects. Confidence is such a key quality that I would attribute to success in marketing. But I don’t think that this has got anything to do with gender.

What one piece of advice would you give any aspiring female business leaders reading this

Women can be held back in business for a variety of reasons, including a lack of recognition and trust from colleagues and peers. My most important piece of advice to them would be to shatter the glass ceiling of social norms and mindsets and to flaunt their self-assurance. No one else will believe in them if they do not believe in themselves.

Name other women in the digital marketing space that other women should look out for and why 

My product journey in Berlin began with my manager Orietta (former COO of the company where I started), who introduced me to startup life and said, “you like building tech products, go ahead and do that.” She provided me with the liberty, the mentorship, the guidance, and the visibility that helped me get recognized and opened up several opportunities for me. She has played a pivotal role in my journey and career.

Do you have a specific book, podcast, publication, quote, or else you could recommend that we women could learn from?

I recently discovered a very interesting read called ‘The Confidence Code’ by Claire Shipman and Katty Kay, where the authors talk about how we women often push ourselves towards decision paralysis by overthinking the situation. We need to be able to trust our instincts and go with the flow. In Katty’s words- “Having talent isn’t merely about being competent; confidence is actually a part of that talent.”

Conclusion

While women had a lot to fight for, there was also a lot to fight against. Nevertheless, they kept on moving and leading – leaving trails for many to follow. Even today, we, as a society, are progressing towards a future where stereotypes and biases will be mere words of history.