From Art Class to Engineering: OneWoman's Unconventional Tech Journey

Rarely does a tech career story begin witha parent in arts, a social science detour, and Taylor Swift as a role model,but Emelie Emanuelsson's path into engineering is exactly that refreshing.

Emelie, a Swedish engineer now based inSwitzerland, found her way into mechanical engineering only after a universityprep year in mathematics. She had previously studied social science in highschool, which is not exactly the typical engineering origin story. Sheeventually landed at Siemens as a sustainability manager focused oncircularity, and co-founded the Womengineer Foundation in Sweden alongside her bestfriend from university with whom she went through many difficulties. Theirannual "Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day" has now inspired over10,000 participants.

What makes Emelie's perspectiveparticularly compelling is her insistence that tech is inherently creative,pushing back against the persistent misconception that engineering andcreativity are somehow opposites. In Swedish engineering programs,approximately 34 percent of graduates are now women, a meaningful sign ofprogress.

Could the way we talk about tech careers belimiting who pursues them?

Emelie thinks so, and she advocates forauthentic representation, showing real workplaces instead of glamorizedversions. An early and long-time mentor of hers offered advice she stillcarries – listen to this episode to find out what the advice was.

Tune in to hear Emelie's full story,including her thoughts on AI, cybersecurity, and circularity.

Links:
https://womengineer.org/en/
https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/

Can you love rockets, dresses, data pipelines and pop concerts, and still become a CTO who shapes meaningful technology?

The answer is a clear Yes! In this episode of Tech Inspired, TechFace Managing Director Priska Burkard speaks with CarolynO’Brien, German‑American engineer and CTO of Weytec. Weytec ia a Swiss “hidden champion” building human‑centric control room tech used in transport, energy and security. Carolyn’s path runs from aerospace engineering at MIT to beingone of only two women in a 250‑person mechanical engineering cohort at ETH, through 14 years in med‑tech startups, an industry PhD and, today, leading product and platforms across hardware and software.

You’ll discover how an all‑girls rocketry team called “The Valkyries” sparked Carolyn’s belief that women fully belong in STEM, and why that early community still shapes how she leads. You’ll hear how she handled the shift from gender‑balanced MIT lecture halls to being “the foreign woman in a dress” at ETH, and how she refused to drop her identity just to be “one of the guys.” Carolyn also shares why she chose an industry PhD to get into rooms she was previously excluded from, and what it took to move from hands‑on mechanical engineering to managing DevOps, IT, UX and platform teams.

We explore how to be honest about what you really enjoy at work, avoid becoming the “office mommy,” and decide whetheryour next step is deep expertise or people leadership. We also touch on the future of tech, from AI to evolving infrastructure, and why staying curious and regularly learning uncomfortable new tools might be your biggest career advantage.

Hit play to hear how Carolyn builds a career on purpose, resilience and growth, and to ask yourself: what could change if you stopped waiting for permission and started backing your own potential?

Connect with Carolyn O’Brien
https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolyn-o-obrien

Information about Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Dorothy-Hodgkin

Robots aren’t coming “someday", they’re already building the world around you.

In this final episode of our Tech Inspired Physical AI & Robotics series, Andie Zhang joins Priska Burkard for a grounded, eye-opening conversation on the real future of robotics - beyond the viral humanoid headlines.

From collaborative robots assembling your everyday products to AI-powered automation transforming factories, labs, and logistics, Andie takes us inside the world where physical AI is already driving impact at scale.

And spoiler - the future of robotics isn’t just about machines, it’s about people.

In this episode, we unpack:

- What physical AI actually means beyond the buzzwords

- Why industrial robots are evolving faster than most people realise

- The hidden challenges behind “smart” robots - from precision to trust

- How AI is changing manufacturing, automation, and the future of work

- Why diversity and human-centred design are critical to building better technology

And perhaps most importantly:

👉 Automation is not only about replacing tasks.

👉 It’s about empowering humans to focus on more meaningful work.

👉 And building technology that works with people - not against them.

Andie also shares her own unconventional path into robotics - from engineering to business, product strategy, and global innovation leadership - proving there’s no single way into tech.

Whether you're curious about robotics, exploring a future in AI, or wondering how physical AI will reshape industries over the next decade, this episode gives you a sharp, realistic, and surprisingly human perspective on what’s next.

🎧 Tune in for a conversation that cuts through the hype and gets real about the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities of building the future.

🔗 Connect with Andie Zhang and follow her work.

🤖 This episode closes our April focus series on Physical AI & Robotics.

Over the past weeks, we’ve spoken with leading experts, founders, researchers, and innovators shaping the future of intelligent machines - bringing you the hottest takes, practical insights, and real-world perspectives on what comes next.

Did you catch the previous episodes?