Claudia Gärtner - 2016-17 SPIE Women in Optics Planner
CEO, microfluidic ChipShop GmbH, Germany
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Country of Birth: Germany
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Together with my entrepreneurial background from my parents, I ended up where I am: with my own company in a multidisciplinary high-tech field covering life sciences, engineering, optics and a lot of enthusiasm in an international surrounding.
Being founder, owner and CEO of a small 80-person high-tech company leaves you in the position of being responsible for everything. My job includes providing the overall strategy for the company, decision on R&D topics, strategic partners, and being in charge for the solid financial situation of the company. The overall team makes it happen so that we can achieve all this. I am more than happy that the young scientists who started with microfluidic ChipShop during their studies or as young coworkers now take over leading positions in the company and are dealing with our customers all over the world.
Science and technology, as well as engineering, offer a perfect base for any career since you will be equipped with a profound knowledge base combined with analytical thinking. Whatever you will create from this - an academic perspective, a management career, your own company - it is up to you, but with your education you have a good toolbox at hand. And finally: There is no difference if you are a man or a woman - you simply have to do a great job.
Figure out for yourself how things will work out - not why they will not.