Deutsche Telekom is sponsoring the “IT-Tech” category of the Digital Female Leader Awards (DFLA) and is thus supporting the initiative, which this year has the motto “Elevate the Game”. These digital heroines drive innovation, sustainability and inclusion within the company and in society. Lejla Pandzi, Zoe Nogai, Sarah Lauer and Beate Michel inspired the DFLA jury. The prizes in a total of 16 categories will be awarded on 7th and 8th November in Karlsruhe.
The Digital Female Leader awards not only recognize professional skills, but also leadership qualities, innovation and social commitment. Out of 36 Telekom nominations, four female digital heroes particularly impressed the jury:
Lejla Pandzi: Bridge to sustainability
Lejla, Business Development Manager and Program Lead Sustainability at Telekom subsidiary T-Systems International GmbH, has made it her mission to establish sustainability as a priority within Telekom.
With her initiative “X-Creation for Sustainability”, she regularly brings together representatives from different industries to work together on sustainability aspects and create synergies. “In my role as Program Lead Sustainability, I drive the spirit of innovation and the desire for creative activities,” explains Lejla. Her work helps to ensure that sustainability is actively integrated into the corporate strategy.
Zoe Nogai: Diversity in the mind and on paper
Zoe, author and project manager for fiber processes at Telekom Deutschland GmbH, is committed to a diverse specialist book landscape. Her books offer insights into social, economic and political topics from a U30 female expert perspective. “Everyone talks about diversity in the workplace, but what about the diversity in our heads?” asks Zoe.
With her publications, Zoe wants to create a more diverse specialist book landscape, provide well-founded insights for decision-makers into the ideas of the U30 generation and inspire young readers and make young people's opinions transparent.
Sarah Lauer: A community for neurodiversity
Sarah is a Solution Engineer Gigabit at Deutsche Telekom IT and founded the Neurodiversity Community in summer 2023. Her goal is to create an inclusive working environment in which neurodivergent people are given the right framework conditions. “Neurodivergent people are much more likely to be affected by unemployment and mental health crises,” explains Sarah.
Since its foundation, the community has gained 427 members, including Telekom's Labor Director Birgit Bohle as patron. The community offers a safe space for exchange and promotes a better understanding of neurobiological differences.
Beate Michel: The customer’s advocate
Beate is Head of Service Interface Technology at Deutsche Telekom Service GmbH and leads the “Flood Taskforce”, an initiative to deal with the copper cable disruptions caused by flooding.
With a particular focus on customers with critical infrastructure such as the police, fire department and doctors, Beate has developed pragmatic solutions to effectively reduce waiting times. “It's about bringing stakeholders with different objectives to the table,” explains Beate. Her ability to overcome resistance and unite different interests makes her an advocate for customers.
We congratulate them on their nomination and keep our fingers crossed for the awards ceremony on November 7 and 8 in Karlsruhe. There are awards in 16 categories, including Innovation, Diversity, Social Impact, Sustainability, New Work, Business Influencer Next Gen and IT-Tech. In this category, Deutsche Telekom is providing Nadine Junker, People Lead Architects & UX at T-Systems as a juror, who will give the laudatory speech for the winner of this category.
