More than numbers and tech: How Carmen puts people first as a leader at BE-terna

Can you tell us about your professional journey and the experiences that shaped your career?

Summed up: my passion for people.
I always try to make decisions consciously and with a holistic approach. For example, a degree in the humanities is not generally considered particularly promising for an ambitious professional career, but it suited my interests. It was then that I learned to extract relevant details from large amounts of data, to thrive in chaos and build my own structures, to identify potential and define measures to achieve it.
I began my personal development journey early, during my studies, as I recognized the need to broaden my job market options. To achieve this, I supplemented my core studies with courses in law and business administration. I also took classes in burnout prevention, diversity, and gender-competence counseling, obtained practitioner and master certifications in neuro-linguistic programming, and realized it all comes back to people as the common factor in everything.

What first sparked your interest in IT?

I didn’t follow a traditional IT career path. My background in language and communication shaped my human-centric approach to technology. I wrote my diploma thesis about the human-coded aspects in the Terminator series. Later on, it was the intersection of structure, logic, and potential for real-world impact that drew me in. I’ve always been passionate about transformation, personal and systemic (being a life coach in my second career path), so discovering how tech can be a vehicle for that was a key turning point.

What challenges have you faced as a woman in the IT industry, and what advice would you give?

My experiences aren’t limited to the IT industry alone; I’ve consistently worked in environments or leadership levels where men were the majority. Being the only woman, and often the youngest, in boardrooms became a familiar setting. This shaped my ability to adapt quickly, communicate strategically, navigate complex structures, and deliver high-quality outcomes under pressure.
As for the IT industry specifically, I can only speak from my time at BE-terna, where I’ve experienced a culture of support, enablement, and recognition of potential.

My advice to anyone in general, and women in particular:

Don’t shrink to fit. Know your value, set clear boundaries, and surround yourself with people who reflect your strengths, not your doubts.

How do you experience BE-terna’s company culture regarding diversity and equal opportunities?

BE-terna has been on a path of evolution; there is a growing awareness of the need for structural inclusion. It’s important to recognize that past missteps and historical biases may have existed, and this awareness is key to creating lasting change. I see it as the responsibility of both management and HR to actively promote fairness and foster open communication, especially by listening to those whose voices may not have been heard in the past.
What I find most helpful are informal alliances, coaching programs, and opportunities to step into decision-making roles. Representation matters, and having women visibly lead complex initiatives, especially in male-dominated areas like ERP, sends a powerful message.

What values guide you in your leadership role?

I lead with transparency, empathy, and purpose. I believe in creating psychological safety so that my team feels confident to question, co-create, and grow.

I’m driven by the principle that leadership is less about control and more about enabling and creating the right conditions for others to thrive.

That means actively listening, giving credit generously, and being clear about where we’re headed and why.

Which trends are you following, and how can BE-terna help shape them?

Through my early contact with gender and diversity management, this is relevant for any topic. I’m particularly interested, though, in the intersection of technology and ethics, human-centered design, and digital upskilling, especially as they relate to inclusion.
As AI becomes embedded into our workflows, we have a responsibility to ensure it reflects diverse needs and avoids reinforcing bias. BE-terna can lead by example, not only through responsible innovation but also by making space for women and also marginalized groups (of which I would like to see more within BE-terna) to lead in shaping how AI is applied across industries.