Marta Nieto

It's a cold morning in Madrid and María Martínez Martín, Head of the Threats Intelligence Operations team at Telefónica Tech, welcomes us at the Telefónica building. Wearing a blue blazer and smiling, María laughingly confesses that she doesn't see herself being interviewed as a female hacker because when she was a child, she dreamed of being a marine biologist. And now 'Look where I've ended up', she says. A telecommunications engineer, María has been with Telefónica for more than seven years, where she currently leads a team of almost 50 professionals. She is, without a doubt, a great ambassador for #LadyHackers for being a female reference in the world of technology. What does it mean to you to be a female hacker? To be a #LadyHacker is to contribute everything you have inside you to a sector that needs people to help make us all safer and more secure. In the end, within the world of technology, cyber security is something very incipient and important where women can contribute a lot. We have a different vision to men, we each bring something different to the table and, in the end, it's the mix that makes it all good. Which woman has been or is your technological reference? María admits that she has not been a person who has wanted to work in technology since she was a child, but she finally decided to go into Telecommunications. A field in which she has found great references in her colleagues and friends. Idoia Ochoa, a researcher focused on the field of medicine, who has developed her work at Stanford University and is currently at the University of Navarra; María Ángeles Santos, RVP of SalesForce working with Iberia; Andrea, María ..... All of them are very young and are contributing a lot to the world of technology. They are all very young and are contributing a lot to the world of technology. They are also references within Telefónica Tech: Svetlana, Mercedes, Martina Matarí, Ester Tejedor, Marta, Lydia, Andrea, Susana... They are people who are contributing a lot to the teams, they work tirelessly and they also have the complexity of being mothers. They know a lot about security and they combine it with the other life that is their family. I admire them and I think they are role models for any of us to follow. Is cybersecurity an increasingly inclusive world? Yes, absolutely, is the resounding answer he gives us before going on to tell us the calculations he has made. 36% of the people on my team are women. In this sector, the cyber security sector, there are many female profiles, although in the hacking part they are scarcer, says María. We have a lot to contribute, another vision that leads us to do things differently from the way we are doing them in order to keep moving forward. 36% of the people on my team are women. In the cyber security sector there are many female profiles Why is it still surprising to find a woman in leadership positions? I think it draws less and less attention to myself, she says, saying that this has never been the case for her. Since I started, I have never noticed that I have attracted attention for being a girl and being in a position of responsibility, perhaps because of my youth. Maria also reflects on why this is still sometimes surprising: it is only recently that women have been entering the labour market with skilled and valuable jobs. There are more and more of us and we are taking on more and more positions of responsibility. I understand that in a few years it will no longer attract attention. New generations are coming along and they see it as normal, although there is still work to be done to get more women to opt for technological careers. What does a telecommunications engineer do? We do a lot of things, engineering has many opportunities, but people don't know about them. The problem is that there is a lack of information about the opportunities available in these types of careers. How do you see the presence of female profiles in the technological field evolving? I think we are evolving towards professions that are genderless. It is true that, perhaps because of the way we are, we may tend more towards one profession or another, but that is changing. Young people are changing and it is very rare for a woman, nowadays, not to think about not working. I don't think that women's profiles stand out, which there are, but perhaps they are not so well publicised, and that's why people don't know what it's like to end up studying a career in telecommunications. Any advice for girls and young women who are thinking of pursuing a career in the world of technology? I would tell them to do their research and go for it because they can make a huge contribution. Technological careers are not just for men. They are beautiful and in this environment, there is a lot of support, great colleagues and friends who bring a lot to the table. Take the step forward because you have a lot to give us.

They say that passion for a profession is forged at an early age. Our parents are our first and most important role models. So, it is not surprising that Carmen Alonso is so passionate about what she does. Since she was a child, she has always been privileged to have technology close to her. “You could feel a change taking place, it was something innovative that transformed people's lives” she confesses, remembering her father and how, because of his work, she was lucky enough to have technology present early in her life. Did you ever imagine when you were a child that you would be working in what you do today? “I wanted to be so many things when I was a kid. I loved the woman on the news, but I also wanted to be an astronomer, a dancer...”, she laughs. Now, as she tells us, she does all sorts of things: many customers, different industries, different problems to solve... “In this aspirational desire to be many things, I have a lot of fun in my job because every day I am a different person”. And it is this joy for what she does that leads her to speak with real passion when we ask her about her job. Something that makes her a genuine lady hacker. What does it mean to you to be a lady hacker? “To be a hacker in life is a way of being, of being passionate about transforming the world around us into something different, fairer, simpler and more humane, but at the same time sophisticated,” she says after shyly telling us that she has given this answer a lot of thought. “My tool for changing society is technology and data, that's my field.” A technological field where there is an increasing number of women and where Carmen has not noticed any inequality in her professional career. Is the tech world becoming more inclusive? She answers with a quick “I think so" because “nowadays in technology we need profiles of all kinds, multidisciplinary: sociologists, linguists, architects...” A series of very diverse profiles that, as Carmen assures us, “will equalise the quotas” of women and men who choose technological careers. Technology and humanities are progressively going hand in hand, contributing joint value to society, something that will make a difference for our interviewee who, she is also sure that women “right now we have visibility, and we want to be there”. A thought that she expresses with confidence, as well as another reality that for her is of great value: her colleagues. “There are excellent managers at Telefónica who value work and effort and are committed to giving it visibility. They see the value and promote it”. When asked about inequality in technology careers, Carmen assures us that she has only felt it in terms of her age, but not in terms of gender. “In the end, meritocracy and effort must prevail, and in certain positions of responsibility you have to be willing to make certain sacrifices. Now women are free to choose and decide their priorities. It is the circumstances of life that allow your choices to be one way or another, but there is a great deal of female talent…” Who has been or is your female technological reference? She tells us that, for her, having just one point of reference is very complicated, because throughout her career she has met people who have influenced her a lot, but if she has to choose a point of reference in her life, she has no doubts. “For me, the person who has given me the values that need to be reflected in technology has been my mother: a transparent, fair, responsible, ethical woman...”, she describes proudly. At this point, Carmen also reflects on the importance of knowing how to be in the background, contributing so much to society and transforming the world from behind, as many women have done throughout history. “Albert Einstein's wife comes to mind”, creator of the mathematical basis used by her husband. On this 8th March, International Women's Day, we are also looking at future generations. Students who are passionate about technology and who find in profiles like Carmen Alonso's an example to follow. On Women's Day, what advice would you give to girls and young women thinking of going into the world of technology? “You have to dedicate yourself to what you consider to be different and, at the same time, what you are passionate about. If you are not having fun, you are not going to be good”, she assures us first of all. Carmen believes that “the professional world is going to be completely transformed, new models of much more collaborative relationships where technology will be an essential part”, so, as a piece of advice, she considers that it is necessary to know it in its broadest scope and, above all, “learn a lot about a specific discipline and do not forget to understand the business”, always keeping your mind ready to continue learning. “In the end it's all about passion, instinct, going for what you like, selecting and having a broad mind. You have to learn and relearn a lot. You have to be able to adapt to whatever comes your way.”