Annamarie C. Krcmar
"Fortune favors the bold." If you had told me that in a year's time I would be living and working in Shanghai in a tech startup, I would have said you've gone crazy. However, I believe when life throws you unexpected opportunities, you've got to grab them and run, girl. That's how I ended up in China where I've been living since early March.
My new life in Shanghai is interesting, but also frustrating at times from a feminist perspective: firstly, I am a member of a male-dominated management team and secondly, I am living in a country that perpetuates a high level of masculinity and where girls are confused with pretty accessories. These challenges only underline the motives for Carolin and me founding the organization "women2business": to support young women in their private and professional choices and create a network of support and guidance.
My passion for women in business was sparked many years ago by my parents: my mother is a feminist American medical writer who doesn't have much good to say about traditional (German) housewives. My father is German professor for for business information systems who has always encouraged women in his IT-driven field. I like reading about successful women in business and I am a huge fan of Sheryl Sandberg and her book "Lean In", which played a major role in the founding process of our organization and continues to today.
Besides reading about successful business women, I give my all everyday to be one myself: I "lean in" whenever we have a meeting, no matter whether internal or with a client, I communicate openly and honestly with my colleagues, I support and speak out for my female colleagues, I comment on sexist remarks that my male colleagues drop without even realizing it. My goal is that at some point in time, changes will be happening at our company for the benefit of women without people even having to make an effort.
Besides working hard, I like to run and ski (which is a bit of a challenge in Shanghai it seems), so I have resorted to a gym. I am indulging in the crazy life in China with all it has to offer from delicious food to sparkling night lights.
My new life in Shanghai is interesting, but also frustrating at times from a feminist perspective: firstly, I am a member of a male-dominated management team and secondly, I am living in a country that perpetuates a high level of masculinity and where girls are confused with pretty accessories. These challenges only underline the motives for Carolin and me founding the organization "women2business": to support young women in their private and professional choices and create a network of support and guidance.
My passion for women in business was sparked many years ago by my parents: my mother is a feminist American medical writer who doesn't have much good to say about traditional (German) housewives. My father is German professor for for business information systems who has always encouraged women in his IT-driven field. I like reading about successful women in business and I am a huge fan of Sheryl Sandberg and her book "Lean In", which played a major role in the founding process of our organization and continues to today.
Besides reading about successful business women, I give my all everyday to be one myself: I "lean in" whenever we have a meeting, no matter whether internal or with a client, I communicate openly and honestly with my colleagues, I support and speak out for my female colleagues, I comment on sexist remarks that my male colleagues drop without even realizing it. My goal is that at some point in time, changes will be happening at our company for the benefit of women without people even having to make an effort.
Besides working hard, I like to run and ski (which is a bit of a challenge in Shanghai it seems), so I have resorted to a gym. I am indulging in the crazy life in China with all it has to offer from delicious food to sparkling night lights.
Carolin A. Scharnagl
Two questions that I have been asked
after I tell people about my future plans for a successful career in business
are if I will forget about my dreams of a prosperous career once I meet my
“true love” and if I think I will need to give up part of my femininity in
order to achieve success in a challenging (masculine) business environment.
My acknowledgement of my aspirations and the reaction of others to my
plans led to founding women2business together with my best friend. With
women2business it is our intention to share our experiences to help other young
women to shape their professional and private future lives!
Founding w2b is just the tip of the
iceberg when it comes to my interest in women and business. I am the first one
in my family to attend university and to pursue a degree in Business
Administration. I have also just completed a semester abroad in the US. These
accomplishments at the age of 21 are definitely something I am proud of -- but
I also know that I wouldn’t be where I am today without the encouragement of my
family. Realizing that not all young women are as fortunate as I was and am to
have a supportive family, one of my key areas of interest is women from
the working class who have “made it” on their own effort. I love to figure out
what helped these women to overcome obstacles and to never give up on their
aspirations.
Right after finishing my Bachelor’s
degree, my next career move will take me abroad again. I fell in love with the
idea of living in another country, experiencing a new culture and making many
international friends. It may sometimes be a huge challenge, but most of the
time living abroad is an incredibly rewarding experience for my personal
development. Therefore, the first stop for my Master in Management is Lisbon,
before I move to Warsaw for the second year of the degree. I am excited to make
many new contacts and develop personally as well as professionally.
Of course I do enjoy my free time
whenever possible. You’ll never encounter me saying no to a good cup of java.
Exploring new cities has always been one of my favorite activities and studying
a semester abroad has only increased my love for travelling. So, whenever I
have the chance to go somewhere new, I am happy to do so. Marveling at famous
art work must be something I inherited from my parents and I try to visit art
museums in each new city I travel to. But if there is a new James Bond movie
showing in the cinema, I’ll more than likely forgo a stroll through a museum in
favor watching my favorite movie hero while sitting on the edge of my
seat!
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