How She Got There: Women in AI
At Credit Suisse we look to take advantage of technological changes. Find out how your creativity helps us grow and the exciting opportunities offered by empowered engineering.
The fast-paced, constantly evolving field of AI requires creative minds to navigate challenges, inspire change and apply better solutions that make a meaningful difference around the world. To keep us innovating and embracing new technologies we need diverse people within our engineering culture at Credit Suisse.
Today we're shining a spotlight on two colleagues with very different stories, but who share a common vision: pioneering new AI solutions and fostering change. Meet Angeliki and Anastasia – both innovators, whose innate curiosity is only matched by their desire to find solutions.
Discover Angeliki's story
"I started writing code when I was 17 years old, and I knew from the beginning that this was what I wanted to do."
Angeliki begins her story. She quickly found an outlet for her creativity in programming, realizing that:
"every time I code… [I] can achieve the same result in many ways; there is room for creativity, and it is up to the developer to provide an optimal solution, based on the requirements."
Since then, she has developed code in many programming languages, including high-level, hardware and assembly languages. She enjoys the fluency in technical challenges, technologies and frameworks this variety provides.
Angeliki is a Lead Data Scientist at Credit Suisse. She joined in 2017 through the Career Start program after completing a master's degree in Computer Engineering and a second master's degree in Computer Science and AI. Like other Career Starters, Angeliki also had previous work experience, in her case, she worked for two years at an IT firm. Once she joined, she immediately engaged with the bank's various initiatives.
"During my Career Start program, I was very proactive and enjoyed the variety of getting involved in many projects across the bank, but also in internal and external events, presentations and hackathons."
Her senior colleagues quickly recognized Angeliki’s talents, and just three years after joining the bank she was given responsibility to lead a team of Data Scientists. She is keen to attract other fresh talent after their studies so they can experience the same opportunities.
Angeliki is most excited about Data Science projects, especially those that have a significant impact across different divisions and functions. For example, she presented her Machine Learning project at the IBM Think Conference 2019 in San Francisco, demonstrating the combination of cutting-edge solutions in the bank and leveraging open source tools. Her project captured the interest of external audiences and gave her the chance to show what she can do.
What also fires Angeliki up is the trust and creative freedom she has been given. She explains that leading her own team while remaining a hands-on Senior Data Scientist stretched and motivated her.
"It was a great challenge for me, that helped me realize how much I liked interacting with people"
In fact, she loves collaborating so much that, in addition to her work, she has also organized hackathons, set up expos and meet-ups and run events promoting women in tech leadership. Angeliki's passion and efforts do not go unnoticed: she made the list of 30 Under 30 Leaders in Data and the Credit Suisse Global Employee Award for Meritocracy in 2021.
Her advice to women embarking on a career in a large, international firm?
"Make the most of the programs organizations like Credit Suisse offer. Meet as many people as you can to develop your network. Develop your soft skills. Consider how you can have an impact and bring value to the bank."
Anastasia's leadership journey
Anastasia embarked on an interesting journey before finally joining Credit Suisse. Anastasia studied Computer Science for her Bachelor in Greece and then specialized in Data Engineering and Analytics for her Master studies in Germany. She started her professional career in research. Her first stop was at CERN, a top research organization where she collaborated with scientists around the globe. Later, she joined a Munich based AI-consulting company before joining Credit Suisse as a Full Stack Data Scientist. Anastasia believes that no matter which university you attended, how many big names you pepper your CV with, or where you were born, nothing should stop you achieving what you want:
"Work hard, be persistent and you can achieve anything."
Her role at Credit Suisse gives her the opportunity not only to develop her technical skills but also to hone her leadership. From a technical perspective, Anastasia believes that the value of Machine Learning solutions is maximized when developing them end-to-end and by deploying them to production.
"Designing and implementing viable and well-engineered machine learning pipelines is of high importance to me… It is also the way to make AI accessible in day-to-day businesses within the organization."
From a leadership perspective, Anastasia loves putting structure in unstructured things, improving processes, thinking big and driving the organization ahead with responsibility. Currently, Anastasia is leading one of the 6 strategic projects within the Generation Now initiative that aims to transform the organization through the fresh perspectives of young talent. For Anastasia, such early leadership experience is inspiring, particularly as a woman:
"From the executive board down to the beginning of the ladder you will always find a woman in a position requiring accountability, trust, dynamic decisions and innovation."
Whether you're switching to a new field, or a self-starter making a move overseas, Credit Suisse provides opportunities for you to thrive in an innovative, exciting and supportive environment.
