Business & Innovation
- March 9, 2022

Role Models: Women in Tech

At Delivery Hero, we often speak about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. But we don’t just want to talk about the importance of representation, we also want to hear directly from our Heroes about their own experiences. To celebrate International Women’s Day, we are shining the spotlight on three incredible women from our Tech & Product teams.

We chatted with Jenny Warnke (Senior Engineering Manager), Federica Coscia (Product Manager), and Shery Brauner (Director, Site Reliability) about being women in tech. In particular, how leaders and organizations can foster a workplace that embraces diversity at every level and where everyone is welcome and feels they belong. Read on to hear what they had to say.

Jenny Warnke, Senior Engineering Manager, Delivery Hero

Jenny Warnke, Senior Engineering Manager

Who are you and what do you do at Delivery Hero?

I joined Delivery Hero in 2021 as a Senior Engineering Manager and Domain Lead in our FinTech division. My job is to empower our local regions and platforms by providing a Global Wallet ecosystem and by fostering technical excellence. Prior to Delivery Hero, I worked as a Software Engineer for over 10 years in a mix of Berlin tech companies, including PayPal. At school, I was always interested in science, math, and chemistry. I always loved solving problems in an analytical way.

Do you think being a woman in tech has changed in recent years?

In terms of increasing representation in the industry, I would say that companies like Delivery Hero are now really starting to focus on meaningful ways to foster more inclusion, diversity, and belonging. This is super important to see as the products we are building are for diverse customers, so the teams building the products need to reflect this innate diversity and bring diverse perspectives. It helps us to solve problems more creatively and from different angles. There’s also a lot more education and training readily available on the topic of D&I.

What can leaders do to enhance diversity in the tech industry?

I believe it’s about leading by example. Providing a really empowering, inclusive first working experience is crucial to growing and developing tech talent over time. In the end, it really depends on the leaders, the team, and the company. D&I needs to be part of the company and leadership values, and it needs to extend beyond just women to all kinds of underrepresented groups and minorities. Education and unconscious bias training can certainly help. Additionally, ensuring people are treated and paid fairly and becoming aware of our biases can help to promote diversity in the industry and create a safe work environment.

Any advice for women looking to enter the industry?

Just do it! It’s a great place to grow and learn as the tech industry is always changing. So it can be really exciting if you love solving problems. My second piece of advice is to make sure to look for a great company culture when searching for a job – it’s really important to enjoy the work that you do in an environment that supports you.

Federica Coscia, Product Manager, Delivery Hero

Federica Coscia, Product Manager

Who are you and what do you do at Delivery Hero?

I’m originally from Italy and started my career at Delivery Hero as an analyst and data scientist. I recently transitioned into a new role as a product manager and now I am developing experimentation solutions for quick commerce. My job is to create the foundations and get the basics right to empower our local teams to do more in this field.

Do you think being a woman in tech has changed in recent years?

Being a woman in tech always came naturally to me. I come from a scientific background (both my parents have PHDs in physics) and studied statistics at university. When I was working as a data scientist, I was actually very lucky that most of my team consisted of women. This has changed slightly now in my new team, but it’s not a problem. At Delivery Hero, I don’t feel like a woman in tech, rather just a person in tech.

What can leaders do to enhance diversity in the tech industry?

My advice goes beyond the tech industry. I think leaders need to make space for everyone to feel welcome, safe, and empowered at work. You should never have to feel worried about being too “emotional”, “outspoken”, or “opinionated” just for speaking what’s on your mind. At Delivery Hero, I feel like inclusivity is always top of mind within our teams. Whether you’re a woman or a member of the LGBTQ+ community, you are always made to feel welcome and invited to share your perspective. I’ve also been so lucky to have good managers over the course of my career – it really makes a difference.

Any advice for women looking to enter the industry?

There are so many great women out there doing great things in tech and other industries – you just need to look around. I found so many leaders and mentors for myself by doing exactly this. My other advice is just go for it. Sometimes the barriers we put up exist only in our own minds. 

Finally, I know this sounds cheesy, but whoever you are – a man or a woman – do what you love. You don’t need to be in tech to show that you’re a strong woman who can do anything. If you’re a strong woman, you’re going to be a strong woman no matter what you do.

Shery Brauner, Director Site Reliability

Shery Brauner, Director Site Reliability

Who are you and what do you do at Delivery Hero?

Originally from Iran, I moved to Berlin 11 years ago. I have a background in network back-end and front-end engineering. Currently, I am the Director of Site Reliability (SRE) at Delivery Hero. In platform SRE, our mission is to reduce the impact of incidents while supporting engineers to always aim higher and deliver solutions reliably and confidently. For me, working with a great team is always very important. Wherever I am, my main driver is impact.

Do you think being a woman in tech has changed in recent years?

I’ve always been a subconscious advocate for women in tech, but in recent years I’ve become much more vocal and proactive. It’s difficult to see our unconscious biases, but I believe that the industry is changing right now to become more aware. When we are conscious, we are able to create a more supportive environment for not just women in tech, but all kinds of diverse and underrepresented groups.

What can leaders do to enhance diversity in the tech industry?

As a leader and manager, it’s important to keep the bar the same. We shouldn’t lower the bar just to increase diversity. However, what we can strive to do is ensure we are providing the best possible support to develop junior engineers and support their career trajectory. This way, we are ensuring more diversity within senior leadership positions. Supporting the team, in particular junior developers, is key – otherwise, we are setting them up for failure. They need mentorship, and ongoing guidance and support to ultimately succeed and create a more diverse industry.

Any advice for women looking to enter the industry?

My best advice is to be patient and really learn the foundations, theory, and basics at the beginning. Initially, it might feel slow and boring, but this foundational knowledge is crucial to becoming a great developer. Otherwise, you will find that down the line you cannot keep up and are lacking the technical knowledge to excel.

Written by


Lena Carlson

Manager, Corporate Communications Delivery Hero

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