If you’ve heard the mumblings that women aren’t good at or are intimidated by technology, don’t believe the hype even for a minute. In fact, intelligent, driven and creative women are taking the high-tech platform and molding it to reflect the more compassionate and inclusive side of science. Cameroon-born Jeanne Ndome of the minority-owned Oledix Techonologies LLC in Baltimore, an advanced touch screen company, embraces cutting edge technology and inspires other young women to do the same. Rolling out spoke with her at DiversityBusiness.com’s annual conference at the Gaylord Hotel recently to talk about the business. –roz edward
How does technology impact our lives?
We need it, and we need it more than ever now with things in the world changing at such a rapid pace. It is continually improving, and our lives are better for it. At Oledix, we are always working on developing new things that will benefit people even more. All our systems are configured to best suit the needs of each client, whether it’s in a health care setting or military communication centers. Right now, we are doing some state-of-the-art work for a new hotel complex.
How has being a minority-owned firm affected your business operations?
It’s been positive and of great benefit to Oledix. We qualified for several grants because we are minority-owned. In addition, I am bilingual, and that works very well in this diverse [technology] space. I work with Caucasians, Asians, African Americans, all types of people. One of our partners is based in China, so speaking other languages is a big help. We target markets in countries all over the world, so we have to communicate with them — and we have to communicate well.
What do you look for in an employee?
I expect them to have passion for the technology. I also look for people with diverse backgrounds that can contribute their experiences to the company. Diversity is extremely important to us.
