Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini has received an award for her commitment to MINT. The robotics expert received first prize in the Engineer Powerwoman Award. The "WomenPower" career congress honors women who are particularly committed to mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (MINT). The award was presented during the Hanover Fair.
"I am delighted to receive this award," explained Telekom employee Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini after the award ceremony. "It is proof that my work is bearing fruit." On Thursday evening at the WomenPower Networking Night in Hanover, the 38-year-old prevailed against two fellow finalists. The special feature: The audience contributed to the jury's decision by voting. The career congress "WomenPower" awarded the prize for the seventh time this year. It rewards women for their commitment to the MINT sector.
"The award motivates me to continue to stand up for my convictions in the future"
Born in Morocco, she has been working for Telekom since 2011. At that time, she started as an IT project manager in the Group. "Kenza always brings new perspectives to her work. That's very inspiring. Just like her passion for innovative products," says Stefan Schloter, SVP Digital Transformations and Operations of DT IT. According to Schloter, she is particularly keen to encourage other women to participate actively in IT. Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini now works as Senior Manager "Robotics and Artificial Intelligence". "My job is to make other areas fit for digitization", she explains. "I advise them on the introduction of Artificial Intelligence and build the right AI and automation solutions for them. She also devotes herself to Group-wide knowledge transfer in this area.
"The award", says the studied engineer, "motivates me to continue to stand up for my convictions.” Her commitment extends far beyond her work. In addition to her job, she heads the women's network Women@T, which promotes equal opportunities for women at Deutsche Telekom through various initiatives. She also organized the AI Hackathon for Ladies ONLY last year.
The goal of the hackathon was to develop new solutions in the field of artificial intelligence. But much more than that, it aimed at getting women excited about the technology trends of the future. Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini was also a member of the jury for the Women's MINT Award 2019, which honors the best theses of female MINT students from all over the world. "Kenza is a huge role model for us", explains Stefan Schloter. "Above all, she's an inspiration for the next generation."
Engineer Powerwoman Award: Commitment pays off
Going new ways, stepping out of your own comfort zone and trying things out: Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini wants to inspire people to do this at Deutsche Telekom, too. "I think the wide range of topics at Deutsche Telekom is great. And I think it's great when employees take on new topics. That must be the case much more often in the future." Women are still clearly under-represented in the MINT area. The WomenPower career congress fights for equal opportunities. That's exactly what Kenza Ait Si Abbou Lyadini does, too. Being awarded with the Engineer Powerwoman Award shows one thing: She should not stop!