Women in tech: In conversation with Fernanda Lambertucci

Welcome to the second edition of our ‘Women in Tech’ series.

We wanted to do this series to highlight some amazing women working in the SaaS industry, speaking to them about what it means to them to be a woman in tech, as well as their experiences in a space that’s long been more male-dominated.

All of these interviews were conducted by Dan Watson, who we welcomed into the team as a researcher over the summer whilst he was on break from university.

A huge thanks to every single woman who was happy to talk to us as part of this series, and to Dan for expertly coordinating the interviews and writing of these pieces. 

For the second edition, we had a wonderful conversation with Fernanda Lambertucci, the Head of Sales for unusuals, who has great experience solving complicated issues for companies in the digitilisation space. 

Her story to date

When asked about what initially sparked her interest in this industry, she recalled her time working for a company that was at the very centre of the development of nuclear technology in Brazil in 2011. It was this experience that made her realise just how much of a difference machine learning and software could make in the organisation of data.

She started actively seeking out software roles to further advance her career in this sector. Through these processes, this not only grew her passion for the space but also honed her skills in sales and communication, leading her to work for companies including Implico, eSmart Systems, and, most recently, unusuals.

The conversation carried on to her inspirations in the industry and whether there were any people in particular who supported her in her career journey. Cristina Palmaka was the name that instantly came to mind, an industry leader renowned for her work at HP, Microsoft, and as a board member for many industries within Brazil. Fernanda also praised the support she received from not only her peers at work, but also the wider kindness that sometimes came from strangers.

Equity at work

On the topic of inspirations, Fernanda stated how she thought that now, more than ever, young women have the encouragement, support, and opportunities they need to excel in their careers. She gave her sister as an example of someone whose upbringing meant she didn't have this level of support available to her, so she had to forge her own unique mindset to become a leader, rather than there being pre-existing avenues for this growth. In this internet age, there are more opportunities to become exposed to positive, impactful voices.

From inspirations, the conversation turned to the stigmas that still remain within the industry. Fernanda brought up some shocking examples of seeing male and female employees being fired due to their need to take time off to raise children. Outdated attitudes to equality in parenting have improved, but there are still some company notions that remain out of touch with this current age. She also criticised how certain companies can hire based on privilege rather than 'a career built with time, compassion, and hard work.' The only way to resolve these failings is to give people who would otherwise be disadvantaged the opportunity to create change.

The conversation ended with a discussion around gender imbalance. Namely, whether projections by companies around their diversity were true in reality. Fernanda's opinion is that many companies that list themselves as diverse and centred around equality may still lack diversity in key roles. In her view, this comes down to company values still being outdated and, much like issues previously mentioned, the way to combat these ideas could be by making sure more diversity is in place in positions to challenge them.

A final thanks to Fernanda

Our conversation with Fernanda made it clear how passionate she is about the industry and how she can be a prominent voice for those historically underrepresented groups. Her working journey can be a great example for all of how passion for your industry and hard work can go a long way towards building a successful career.

We’d like to thank Fernanda Lambertucci again for her time. We hope her words and story can be a source of inspiration to those looking to build a career in the ever-evolving SaaS space, regardless of gender. 

Look out for the next in the series

Our conversation with Fernanda was the second of five conversations we’ve carried out, so keep an eye out for three more stories from women who have pushed the boundaries in their industries.