“You need to not assume that things will happen to you. You have to say, ‘I want it, I need it and I love it.’” – Angie Ruan
When you think of certain occupations such as engineer, is there an image of what you think that person should look like? Today’s inspiring and deeply talented female tech leader recognized her own immense gifts and had the confidence and belief in herself to identify supportive environments that would allow her to pursue her ultimate dreams in the male-dominated field of technology.
Angie Ruan is a SVP of Technology at NASDAQ. Previously, she held various key executive positions at American Express, PayPal and eBay. She has successfully helped American Express, PayPal and eBay transform technology offerings and deliver incredible business results.
One of Angie’s passions is to contagiously inspire others to make a difference, especially in the community of women. She served as the President of eWIT (2012~2014), eBay-Women-in-Technology, a grassroots organization that promotes the interest of women in technology with 2000 members globally. She was recognized as a Woman of Influence in 2014 by Silicon Valley Business Journal.
After living in California for over 20 years, she relocated with her family to New York in 2015. She is a mother of two, an engineer by heart, a leader by training, a podcast fanatic, and a lifetime learner.
Angie’s story is an inspiring one for the next generation of women leadership and shows the importance of finding a culture that naturally supports women, and then having the confidence to pursue the available opportunities and speak up and rise up powerfully to do your best, most inspired work.
Highlights from this Episode:
- Today’s Finding Brave Tip on what having greater awareness will do for you [1:19]
- How the experience of growing up in China, and loving math, shaped who Angie is today [4:30]
- What the United States can learn from China when it comes to women in the technology field [7:07]
- Why having humility as a woman today is not always a good thing [10:01]
- How Angie has chosen the amazing positions she’s held in technology during her career [10:44]
- What she means when she says that you need to be the “purple cow”, and how to do it the right way [12:16]
- Angie’s thoughts on unconscious bias in the workplace and how she’s handled it [16:46]
- A memorable “failure” she’s had and the lessons learned from it [19:25]
- The reasons that Angie joined NASDAQ and the new perspectives she’s gained by being there [23:00]
- Her advice for teenage girls and why she feels that it isn’t just a glass ceiling but a sticky floor that’s holding back women [30:07]
For more information:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-ruan-2585aa/
Resources Mentioned:
Kathy’s Forbes Interview with Angie, Supporting The Growth Of Women In Tech
QUOTES:
“I think being aware is probably a number of things. I have been aware of myself, and I have been aware of my surroundings.” [11:44]
“The technique of how to raise your voice and how to describe what you want is also very important.” [15:58]
“Something that I’ve learned throughout the years is knowing I need to tell people what I want, but at the same time, being tactical about how to say it.” [17:01]
“I’m hoping that I can be the role model for anybody else, being a woman leader in technology.” [26:22]
“I had grown up in China, I’m a woman and I’m a leader. So with all of them, it’s really against the odds of who in the corporate world becomes a leader. I am here, and the reason I am here is because so many people helped me to be here. So I was really, really blessed.” [26:30]
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