Meet the Mentors

Winter 2022 mentors

Marie Louise van Deutekom

Global HRBP for GCO

"I am inspired by Catherine II, the Great, empress of Russia in the 18th century - she was a girl from a modest noble family who became the most powerful ruler in the world through strength, self-confidence and ruthlessness (although her methods may not all be fit for purpose in the 21st century).."

Deepthi Yadabettu Venkatachala

Automation Engineer

"Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam is my great inspiration. He was an accomplished Indian aerospace scientist, professor and he was also elected as a president of the country. He loved sharing knowledge and motivating people. of all ages.

I think when I was little, I wanted to be a classical dancer."

Patricia Gautry

Technology Partner Manager EMEA

"When I decided to become a coach, I met a well-known coach in Paris who really inspired me and reinforced my desire to start this activity. She also inspired me to create a women club in my city where we met on a monthly basis around a specific subject. It was a great experience to connect these women from many different horizons"

Amber Washington

Services Engagement Manager

"My oldest son inspires me. He has multiple health problems, including bi-polar, depression, and ADHD. He has been suicidal and every time he is feeling like he cannot take more, he comes to me and asks for help. He is the strongest person I know."

Marina Latini

Maintenance Release Coordination Engineer

"I can only say thanks to my teacher when I was 11-13 years old. I am inspired by him. He was considering me like all the other kids, without the assumption that a female can't be interested in technology or good at it at all. I would like to tell him thanks, showing him where I am now."

Bernard Hecker

Head of Public Affairs, Europe

"I am inspired by Cawa Younosi - the Head of HR at SAP Germany. He's managed to have the probably lowest employee churn rate in Germany, wins almost every price for integration, diversity, inclusion, and more, and still is probably the friendliest down-to-earth guy you could meet."

Jeremy Moffitt

Manager of Software Engineering

"I've always been inspired by my Dad. He grew up in poverty and put himself through college, then went on to a successful career in the Insurance industry. Thanks to his hard work I got to grow up as a somewhat spoiled upper middle class kid. Dad managed teams at his company and I tried to learn as much as I could from him about treating employees like human beings and being patient with people."

Keith Berger

Software Systems Engineer

"My father inspired me as he was always able to fix anything around our house.

I knew from an early age I wanted to be an Electrical Engineer. While getting my Masters degree, I discovered the internet and that began my journey into Software and the Tech Sector."

Kinara Shah

Staff Software Engineer

"My mother inspires me. I come from a middle class patriarchal family back in India where my grandparents didn't even want me to continue studying in English. My mother not only convinced them, but spent time learning English herself and then teaching me so I'd never fall behind. She understood the importance of education, the freedom that comes with it and strived to get me every opportunity she could think of. I've come a far way from home and changed a lot when it comes to core values but she continues to inspire me every time I talk to her. "

Charlie Metz

VP Enterprise Program Management and Integration Management Office

"I have several people in my life who have inspired me, but the first to come to mind is my father. His work ethic was unparalleled, and actually unhealthy. But my father instilled many values in me, hard work, treating people the way you want to be treated, all people are equal and deserve fairness, and many other things."

Josh Smith

Sales Director - US South

"My mother inspires me - she is a small business owner, and entrepreneur. She worked to support me growing up as a single mother ensuring I always had the tools, clothes, and food to be successful growing up.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Funeral Director. "

Andrew Gracey

Product Manager for Developer Experience

"Recently, Scott Hanselman inspires me. He's so good at welcoming people into the industry and shutting down gatekeepers with (the appropriate amount of) tact. I don't know how he makes time for all of the outreach he does because it's always well done.

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a Pilot. I am working on my private pilot license now!"

Jennifer Bakrude

Global eCommerce Manager / Partner Automation - Channel Sales

"Leilani Munter inspires me - she's a biology graduate turned race car driver and environmental activist. Her journey inspires me, the way she approaches live and how she strives to make herself and the world a better place by following her truth and beliefs."

Jennifer Justesen

Product/Program Manager

"When I was a kid, I wanted to study foreign language and work for a US Embassy in Eastern Europe or Russia. I am inspired by a fictional character - Leslie Knope from Parks & Rec. She's driven, successful, always prepared, and attacks everything head on with a chipper attitude and smile on her face!"

Kathy Tran

Technical Project Manager

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher. When I was little, my hero was my father until I ended up having kids and realized that they are now my motivation and I need to do better to inspire them."

Sonja Carmen Brendes

Customer Success Manager

"I cannot pinpoint it to one person who inspires me. I am inspired by everyone around me. Everyone carries their own package and we oftentimes underestimate what people go through. Just because we seem happy from the outside, does not mean that we do not fight our own battles internally."

Past Mentors

Stacey Miller

Sr. Product Marketing Manager

"I wanted to be a Social Worker or a Teacher. Women who have overcome obstacles with grace inspire me. Women who are curious about their potential and do things that scare them."

Cristabel Ortega

Account Executive

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be an Archaeologist. I was and still am fascinated with our past and the ancient world. Now, I visit and explore the ancient sites as part of my vacation. I have been to 3 of the 7 ancient wonders of the world and hope to complete all 7 in the next 5 years."

Rama Diop

Sr. HR Business Partner

"I wanted to be a Politician. I always wanted to work for the United Nations due to my language skills and my interests in global affairs. However, somehow, that career never took place and instead I ended up in tech since graduated from graduate school."

Jenny Lindstaedt

Business Manager

"I wanted to be a vet or a lawyer, but while I was working at lululemon as a senior in college, I was kind to the right person - that guy ended up offering me my first internship which turned into a full-time job at SAP where I worked for 6+ years."

Andrea Fernandez

Global Social Media Manager

"I wanted to be an astronaut, a scientist, or an FBI agent. However, my communications career kicked off in Spanish language media. Later, during one of my vacations in Europe, I met Kellie Drenner, by pure fate, or coincidence, in Barcelona. That was the first place I had ever heard about SUSE and open source!"

Imogen Ashcroft

EMEA Consulting Manager

"I wanted to be a Journalist or TV News Reporter. When I left university, I didn't have a clear idea of what I wanted to do professionally. I replied to a job advert for a Graduate Trainee Project Manager for a small software company, because it sounded like something I was capable of doing and which might be interesting. I got the job, I really liked it, and I have stayed in the tech sector ever since (22 years now)!"

Helen Smith

Tax Director for EMEA & APJ

"When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a teacher. As a teenager, I wanted to be a doctor! However, after passing my solicitor/lawyer exams in England, I decided not to practice law. I had really enjoyed the business modules on my course and decided to join an accounting firm where I studied to be a chartered tax advisor."

Felicia Ismail

IMO Program Manager

"I wanted to be a Marine Biologist - I love animals. But, I started off my career in working in the health care setting specifically in data management. Although my foundation was in healthcare, it was difficult to narrow down what area to pursue. Shortly after I went back to school to receive my masters in Information Systems where then I developed a passion to resolve data + business issues."

Josue Briseno

HR Director - Americas

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a people executive. Jeff Bezos inspires me. He started Amazon selling books in his garage and now it's one of the most incredible global organizations."

Daire Moynihan

Worldwide Revenue Controller

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a scientist and develop artificial intelligence. Alan Turing inspires me. He was one of the early contributor to modern computing, with the creation of one of the earliest computers designed to break the enigma machine during WWII, he also theorised the turning test which is still consider the key test in identifying true artificial intelligence."

Emiel Brok

EMEA Training & Certification Lead

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be a shop owner and entrepreneur. Roger Federer inspires me. The way he plays tennis and the way he is a gentleman in- and outside the courts is something I really admire. He makes it look so easy. But plying tennis myself I know it is not easy at all."

Patricia Gautry

Technology Partner Manager EMEA

Bernard Hecker

Head of Public Affairs, Europe

"I am inspired by Cawa Younosi - the Head of HR at SAP Germany. He's managed to have the probably lowest employee churn rate in Germany, wins almost every price for integration, diversity, inclusion, and more, and still is probably the friendliest down-to-earth guy you could meet."

Anna Maresova

Team Lead for Technical Project Managers

"First I wanted to become a doctor. But as soon as I discovered computers, I immediately wished to do something with them. One person who inspires me is sir Tim Berners-Lee, the author of World Wide Web. Thanks to his great decision to open source all his work we can use the Internet as we know it today."

Anna Minou

QA Automation Engineer

"When I was young, I wanted to have my own bookstore with new or second-handed books. I am inspired by my dad! He is an amazing person and a retired hair-dresser. He is the person who taught me how to be strong, how to respect and support the people around me and how to never give up. He likes minimalism, he creates and learns new things on his own."

Marie Louise van Deutekom

Global HRBP for GCO

"I am inspired by Catherine II, the Great, empress of Russia in the 18th century - she was a girl from a modest noble family who became the most powerful ruler in the world through strength, self-confidence and ruthlessness (although her methods may not all be fit for purpose in the 21st century).."

Petr Spirik

Vice President of Information Security / CISO

"In my early years, I wanted to be the nature protector (to spend time outside), which later turned to the network administrator (to play games over LAN at work - the only option available at that time). Jeff Bezos inspires me. Not only for him building up the AWS and deciding to use it internally in full to "eat their own dogfood", but also for his stance, when he got blackmailed. I highly recommend to google that story."

Denise Schannon

Director of Engineering

"When I was growing up, I knew I wanted to be an engineer (after some thoughts of being a lawyer, trying out for mock trial and disliking it). Both my parents were software engineer, so I was lucky enough to get access to a computer early on when they were still new. I learned how to do some basic programming and always loved problem solving."

Marina Latini

Maintenance Release Coordination Engineer

Jennifer Justesen

Product/Program Manager

"When I was a kid, I wanted to study foreign language and work for a US Embassy in Eastern Europe or Russia. I am inspired by a fictional character - Leslie Knope from Parks & Rec. She's driven, successful, always prepared, and attacks everything head on with a chipper attitude and smile on her face!"

Anna Blendermann

Software Engineer

"When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. Ever since I saw Hidden Figures (2016) and learned about Katherine Johnson, she instantly inspired me. She was a mathematician at NASA who was critical towards the success of spaceflights in the 80s, and worked in all male groups with bravery and tenacity."

Nic Bennett

Global HR Business Partner

"When I was a kid, I wanted to be an athlete or sports scientist. Harry Turner - my grandad - inspires me. He was born homeless in a poor house, had little education, grew up in poverty during the war in a single parent family, yet educated himself, had a successful career, wrote a book about his life, was warm, funny, endlessly kind and inspired in me my love of nature and adventure."