Sarah Matiuk joined the Sales Department at KIOXIA Europe GmbH in 2018, having gained prior work experience at Deloitte and DENSO.

Sarah studied and completed an MA in Political Science - East Asian Studies from Ruhr University Bochum, which included a sojourn at Keio University in Tokyo. She also holds a Bachelor's Degree in Media and Communication and Japanese from the University of Düsseldorf.

Tell us a little bit about what you do at KIOXIA.
My main task in the KIOXIA Sales Department is coordinating with our distribution partners, including handling daily business and organizing special events. I'm also involved in creating new business growth with our distributors and supporting them with existing projects. I appreciate the opportunities this creates for me to meet people from diverse backgrounds and gain insight into upcoming products and trends.

Tell us about your career journey and one of the accomplishments you are most proud of from your time at KIOXIA.
I come from a slightly different background than most of the people I meet in our industry. At KIOXIA, I was given the chance to learn something new and grow professionally. I'm proud of the work I do to build lasting relationships and prove that we are a reliable and competent partner.

Do you feel confident enough to raise your opinions at work?
Confidently, I can say yes. I value the fact that we have a working culture at KIOXIA that allows me to voice my thoughts and opinions.

What more can be done to achieve gender equality?
I believe that, as a society, we need to uncover the hidden barriers and stereotypes that still unconsciously shape our thinking. It seems that men still feel the need to justify themselves when choosing non-career-oriented jobs, while women often have to fight harder for career opportunities. There is still a widespread assumption that men naturally want to climb the career ladder, whereas this expectation is not as strong for women. As a result, women are given fewer opportunities.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Finding your purpose in life takes a lifetime, so stop worrying about it! Life is always changing and learning something new each day is an amazing achievement. So, concentrate on what you want to do at this point in your life and take it from there.

Andrea Junker has almost 40 years of experience in the international IT sector.

Starting her career in computer science and IT in the late 1980s, Andrea worked in several national and international companies as an IT developer, specialist and project manager. In addition, she is highly experienced in project management and trained in Six Sigma (Master Black Belt) and ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).

In 1997, Andrea joined Toshiba Electronics Europe as an external contractor and secured a permanent position as Senior IT Specialist two years later. She moved from Toshiba Electronics to Toshiba Memory, which became KIOXIA Europe GmbH in 2018.  Andrea has gained a lot of experience and skills in the supervision, motivation and management of various IT teams as a team leader.

Today, she is responsible for managing all IT at KIOXIA Europe GmbH and its other European offices, including IT infrastructure, architecture, and applications.

In addition, she is the acting Information Security Officer, which includes supervising the security of data and systems with the highest possible availability and alerting all employees to the daily dangers of cybercrime.

Tell us about your career journey and one of the accomplishments you are most proud of from your time at KIOXIA.
I became the Senior Manager and Head of Business Solutions & IT Application at KIOXIA Europe GmbH in 2018. At the same time, I took on the additional role of Information Security Officer.

I am very proud that, together with my great team, I have succeeded in managing the considerable challenge of building a complete and independent IT infrastructure and architecture within a very short time after the new foundation of the company.

What do you think is the biggest issue women in the workplace face today?
The engineering and science and technology sectors, like IT, for example, are still predominantly male. Unfortunately, women often face prejudices and limited career opportunities. Although this has often been publicised and discussed, women still earn less than men for the same or similar work, even when factors such as experience and education are accounted for.

The bar is set very high for women, they have to prove themselves more often and to a much greater extent than their male counterparts.

How do you balance your work life with your family life?
I don't think it is easy to achieve a perfect balance.

For me, this is more a matter of prioritisation, coupled with also having the flexibility to change priorities depending on the urgency in my professional or private life and communicating this accordingly in both areas.

It is important to me that this flexibility to change priorities is not taken for granted, especially at work. For me, balance is not about perfection, but about creating a certain harmony that is in line with my wishes and responsibilities.

What motivated you to step up and become a leader in the organisation?
I was very happy to accept the challenge of taking on a management position at KIOXIA and contributing all my experience to the company and especially to my team.

In my many years of professional experience, I have repeatedly experienced situations in which I thought: "If you had been responsible for this, you would have done it differently or better". My motivation today is putting this into practice, developing further and remaining open to new ideas. I currently manage a team that consists of eight male employees. None of them gives the slightest impression that they have a problem with having a woman boss, which motivates me and gives me hope that this will no longer be viewed as exceptional in the future.

Do you feel confident enough to raise your opinions at work?
Yes, I feel confident raising my opinion at work, especially when I believe that my point of view or idea can contribute to a better result or decision.

It’s important for me that I always endeavour to express my opinion with respect, reinforced by well-thought-out reasoning.

What more do you think can be done to achieve gender equality?
Companies can prioritise gender diversity by introducing transparent recruitment and promotion processes. More external visibility could help too. When successful companies show that women are thriving in different roles and leadership positions within their organisations, it can inspire others and make gender equality normal at all levels of society. Women in leadership positions should no longer be seen as the exception but as the norm.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?
Characteristics and qualities associated with leadership, such as assertiveness or determination, are often not attributed to women. On the other hand, women who display these qualities are generally labelled as aggressive or unsympathetic while for male co-workers these are accepted as natural and necessary to lead. I think these biases are significant barriers to female leadership.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
I would advise my 20-year-old self to trust in your abilities and articulate your opinions with respect. Seek out individuals who inspire and encourage you, but also present you with challenges. Have the courage to request guidance or support should you find yourself at an impasse. Remain authentic and faithful to your values, as these are the attributes that define you and underscore your strengths.

Li-Fan Bartsch has been a Product Manager at KIOXIA Europe GmbH since 2018. Her main role is making sure that KIOXIA products are positioned correctly in the company’s customer product portfolios.

She regularly provides guidance to the sales team and ensures the competitiveness of KIOXIA’s products in the European market. Identifying problems and providing solutions promptly is also part of her daily job.

Li-Fan was born and raised in Taiwan. She studied Business Administration (BA) in the US and the UK before moving to Germany.

A growing interest in the IT industry led to her completing a Master's degree in E-Business and Innovation, combining both Computer Science and Business. Today, this education allows Li-Fan to think like an engineer while maintaining the creativity and flexibility needed for sales. This is especially useful in enabling her to bridge the communication gap between the engineering and sales teams effectively.

What do you think is the biggest issue women in the workplace face today?
Women tend to be shyer about voicing opinions, especially in industries where the workforce is predominantly male. We should recognize that working in a male-dominated environment is already a big achievement. Women now need to build their confidence and express their own opinions.

How do you balance your work life with your family life?
I prioritize all incoming work and make sure that those tasks that have a higher urgency are completed first. I found that identifying the deadlines in advance ensures each one of the tasks can be finished on time without putting unnecessary pressure on myself. It is not always possible to prevent working overtime but luckily, I have a husband who fully supports my career and always gives me time and space to achieve my goals at KIOXIA. I also ensure I spend time on sports and for my family in the evenings and on weekends.

Do you feel confident enough to raise your opinions at work?  
Absolutely! I prepare myself well in advance, so I understand the topics and the goal of the discussion. Of course, I was not born with the confidence to speak up. Training myself not to be shy and to be prepared gradually enabled me to express my opinion naturally. Today, I have no problem raising my opinion when I see the necessity.

Alina is the General Administration Manager at KIOXIA Europe GmbH, responsible for overseeing office and safety management in the European subsidiaries. Her varied work includes, among other activities, mid-and long-term planning to ensure smooth operations within and across departments.

Joining Toshiba (later KIOXIA Europe GmbH) in 2016, Alina started in Customer Service looking after distribution customers and progressed to Finance and Administration and General Administration. In her current position, she applies her unique and valuable insights into different aspects of KIOXIA's business, simplifying and improving complex interdepartmental processes.

How do you balance your work life with your family life?
Organization is key! Blocking time for shared activities with the family, communication with all involved and self-care are important aspects of a successful work-life balance.

Do you feel confident enough to raise your opinions at work?
I am confident knowing that my expertise adds value and that my team is supportive.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership? 
Existing gender stereotypes often result in women being underestimated or overlooked for leadership roles. There is still a lack of female role models in leadership positions, which can make it challenging for other women to envision themselves in those roles.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Be confident. Believe in your abilities and stop doubting your worth.

Montse Neira has over 22 years of experience working with technology giants such as Fujitsu, Toshiba, Toshiba Memory and KIOXIA. Her many roles and responsibilities include 5 years as HDD and Retail External HDD Marketing Manager for EMEA at Fujitsu. At Toshiba, she handled the marketing operations for the sales team in Iberia and later became the Sales Manager for HDDs and SSDs in Iberia. During a sojourn in Marketing she was responsible for the SSD Retail Go-to-Market Strategy and Implementation for EMEA, and later adding the EMEA Distribution Go-to-Market for B2B Distribution to her proficiencies. In June 2024 she took over the SSD Retail Go-to-Market for EMEA once more.

Tell us about your career journey and one of the accomplishments you are most proud of from your time at KIOXIA.
I've held very different positions over time, working with various groups and people. What I'm most proud of is that, in all those positions, I was able to contribute to business growth and adapt to the new environment and people very well. I am humble and passionate about my work! Over the years I have maintained the same high level of energy and enthusiasm, motivating the people around me to participate and work together as a team to achieve all their professional and personal targets. When you are supported by the team and everyone is working towards a common goal, even the impossible becomes possible!

What do you think is the biggest issue women in the workplace face today?
I think one of the biggest issues still is that women have to put in twice the effort to gain recognition among their male colleagues. It is not easy to be heard. Over the years I have been lucky to have great managers who believed in me: "Latin mother located in Spain but handling EMEA business". I always worked very hard, but I always felt blessed to be part of this big family that supported me, be it at Fujitsu, Toshiba or KIOXIA.

How do you balance your work life with your family life?
It wasn't easy for me with two daughters and a lot of travelling involved, especially when my girls were small, but thanks to the great company and family support, I was able to handle it. I got the chance to work in a home office years ago and that made a difference. It sometimes involves very long days, but also gave me a lot of flexibility to have much more quality time with my family.

What motivated you to step up and become a leader in the organisation?
My biggest motivation is that I want to inspire new young female colleagues to voice their opinions and dream big. We can achieve everything we dream of if we can visualise what we want, stand our ground, and fight for it. I fully believe that leaders are not determined by gender, women have many great qualities that we can bring to leadership roles:

1. emotional intelligence and empathy, which allow us to build strong and trusting relationships in the work environment,
2. inclusion and collaboration, so we tend to include others in decision-making processes,
3. strong communication skills that help to build bridges when needed and to resolve conflicts,
4. resilience and perseverance to endure many challenges and overcome adversity,
5. last but not least, multitasking and adaptability, giving us the flexibility to thrive in today's fast-paced business environment and an uncertain world.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a woman in leadership?
One of the biggest challenges I have faced is how to lead as a woman, and how to defend my position and vision on a few occasions with male colleagues (not many😊) who wanted to push my ideas or motivation aside, just because I was a woman. Keeping a strong position and my motivation on those few occasions did not come easily, but for me it was a great lesson to learn.

Do you feel confident enough to raise your opinions at work?
I am very proud that I can always raise my opinions with great confidence. I don't feel that anybody treats me as a woman, I'm being seen and understood as Montse, not Monserrat, gender doesn’t matter at all, at least this is how I feel.

What more do you think can be done to achieve gender equality?
I think there should be a higher percentage of women (not necessarily 50%) in senior leadership positions.

What do you think is the most significant barrier to female leadership?
Many workplace cultures and structures are shaped by traditional male norms. Also, women often have less access to the same opportunities for mentorship, networking, and career advancement than their male colleagues. As women traditionally are more likely to be responsible for family and caregiving duties in the relationship, balancing a demanding career with personal obligations can be more challenging.

What advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
The same advice I'd give to all my young female colleagues: dream big in your professional and personal life! We are a reflection of both sides and both worlds are equally important.