In the spirit of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we are putting the spotlight on the women who every day contribute to Isovalent’s innovation and success. We’ve asked our colleagues to share a bit about themselves and their journeys, completing the sentence: “To any woman considering a career in tech… ”
Liz Rice
There is no end to the things that you can learn.
Liz Rice, Chief Open Source Officer, Isovalent at Cisco
I have the best job in the world at Isovalent. I get to work with an incredible and lovely team of world-class experts in what they do. I work on eBPF and Cilium and Cloud Native. And I have the privilege of getting to explain those things to other people, through presentations, writing books or putting together demos.
Outside of work, I really like putting together music and making my own songs. I also enjoy being out on my bike or running or walking.
We have this incredible diverse team, but I think the thing everyone has in common is being kind and everyone’s incredibly supportive. If you’re a woman considering a career in technology, I absolutely recommend it.
Aditi Ghag
We are passionate about fostering a technically rewarding yet respectful environment.
Aditi Ghag, Software Engineer at Isovalent
My role presents exciting challenges by integrating the control plane and data plane to advance cloud native networking.
I’m a strong advocate for how open source communities create opportunities for diverse voices to contribute, and I’m really fortunate to work at Isovalent where we are deeply committed to open source. I’ve also contributed patches to the BPF subsystem in the Linux kernel.
I spend my free time playing badminton and hiking. My colleagues share my love for the outdoors.
Make a move and let’s innovate together!
Carla Gaggini
There are so many people ready to support you and help you, I’m one of them.
Carla Gaggini, Head of Global Events at Isovalent
Obsessed with Japan and fashion, at Isovalent I lead the global events team. We oversee and organize all conferences and sponsorships from conception to full execution.
Since I joined the ecosystem, I’ve tried my best to contribute into making it as inclusive and welcoming as possible for everybody – with a special eye for the LGBTQ+ community, which is very close and dear to me.
When I’m not busy organizing events you’d find me probably booking my next trip to Japan or concert or an art exhibition, anything to keep my calendar full and exciting.
Take a step and join us, we will love to have you with us.
Beatriz Martínez
Stay true to your passions, and the right path will find you.
Beatriz Martínez, Head of Culture at Isovalent
I’ve always been very passionate about people and technology. With an engineering background, Isovalent has given me the amazing opportunity to combine both and develop a unique career path. My team takes care of the incredible Isovalent team, staying true to our open-source focus culture and values, enabling connections and a successful remote workspace, ensuring wellbeing through Mental Health initiatives and fostering an inclusive and respectful environment.
As a mom of two little ones, I love to spend quality family time enjoying outdoors as much as we can as well as traveling.
To any women thinking about joining Isovalent, you’d find a welcoming community ready to support and champion you on every aspect of the organization, with opportunities to help you thrive.
Erica Parker
You’re most powerful in your life and in your career when you’re your authentic self.
Erica Parker, Sr. Global Event Manager at Isovalent
I have always loved my job. I love the creativity about it, the collaboration across teams, the travel. Getting to see the event come together and just shine on the trade show floor.
One community I support is Latinos in Tech. I’d love to see it grow, have more communities on site and events that represent Latinos in Tech. I am the first generation Peruvian American for my family.
Outside of work, I am a mom of three boys, five, three, and eight months. I love being with them, traveling with my family, and getting to know new cultures together.
To any woman considering a career in tech or joining Isovalent, my advice to you is just always be yourself.
Iveta Babulenkova
We have a very unique culture that we spread across the industry, that we spread across Cisco.
Iveta Babulenkova, EMEA Ecosystem Lead at Isovalent
I really like building partnerships, bringing people together, and setting up connections to help the faster adoption of amazing technologies.
It’s a big privilege to be part of this amazing company, with really a very unique culture.
What I feel here, is that equality, inclusivity, diversity, fairness, openness, these are not buzzwords here, we feel that, people live it here, they trust it, and they really follow those principles.
Karla Feijoo
Being inclusive and having diverse opinions that helps innovate and create new ideas.
Karla Feijoo, Sr. Field Marketing Manager at Isovalent. KCD Organizer.
At Isovalent, I help build the strategy for the EMEA region, that is aligned with the sales & go-to-market plan. No day is the same. And my favorite thing about my position is probably the teamwork and collaboration, we have a lot of passionate experts; that is super cool.
If you’re thinking about joining Isovalent or tech, even if you don’t have a tech background, just do it! I made the jump from the nonprofit sector and I had quite some skills that I realized were transferable and have been super valuable, you’ll learn and contribute more than you can ever imagine.
Isovalent is a great place to work. Everyone here is very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very supportive.
Aline Horn
I’m really proud to work at a company where the health of each and every employee matters.
Aline Horn, Employee Experience Manager
As a Culture Bee, I organize team or company-wide gatherings, help new Isonauts on board to the hive, or do other administration tasks in the background.
As a yoga teacher and mother, I’m really passionate about mental health and finding the right work-life balance.
If you are a woman and mother looking for the right path, where you can combine your career and the family life, and your voice matters, you should consider joining us at Isovalent.
Sarah Corleissen
At Isovalent, being a transgender woman, it’s a non-issue. I don’t have to worry about it, but neither am I invisible, I can show up as my whole self and it’s really wonderful.
Sarah Corleissen, Head of Documentation at Isovalent
One of the things that I like about working at Isovalent is that all of my work is very much tied to the success of our customers.
Outside of work, I volunteer at our local medical school as a volunteer patient. I don’t want doctors to encounter their first transgender patient when they’ve already started practice.
Isovalent is a place you can absolutely bring yourself and your strengths as whoever you are, to work and be respected and be safe and be evaluated on the quality of your work rather than on the presentation of your gender.
Sejal Korenromp
Believe in your power to make a positive impact.
Sejal Korenromp, Global Marketing & GTM Strategy Specialist at Isovalent
At Isovalent, I’m focused on building and scaling the marketing team, refining processes, and crafting GTM strategies.
What I love most is the culture of experimentation. We are encouraged to try new ideas, learn from them, and continuously evolve. Feedback is not only welcomed, but celebrated.
Outside of work, I’m a travel enthusiast, you will also find me trying out new and diverse sports, from paddle boarding and wind surfing to reformer pilates and hot yoga!
To any women considering a career in tech—or thinking about joining us at Isovalent: Trust your instincts, take risks, embrace experimentation, and remember that vulnerability is a strength, not a weakness. There’s a place for you here, and the tech world absolutely needs your voice!
Donia Chaiehloudj
You don’t need to fit a mold to belong—your unique perspective is your strength!
Donia Chaiehloudj, Software Engineer
I work on the Network Policy team, focused on improving Cilium, as well as contributing to our enterprise product. I work on enhancing network security, policy enforcement, and scalability, making Kubernetes networking more efficient and secure.
I joined Isovalent two years ago—with a baby in the middle of my journey—and I’ve been incredibly grateful for the supportive and inclusive culture here.
Beyond my work, I love sharing knowledge through talks, organizing tech meetups and conferences, and advocating for diversity in tech.
If you’re thinking about joining Isovalent or stepping into the world of cloud-native networking, know that there’s a place for you here.
Suba Sriram
I strongly believe in fostering diversity and ensuring an inclusive hiring process that gives every candidate a fair opportunity to shine.
Suba Sriram, Talent Advisor with Isovalent @ Cisco
I have a deep passion for connecting talent with niche skills and ensuring a great candidate experience.
Beyond work, I love learning about new cultures and traveling, which fuels my curiosity and appreciation for diverse perspectives.
To all the incredible women in tech—or those considering joining us at Isovalent @ Cisco—my advice is this: Don’t hesitate to ask for help. You are not alone in your career journey. There is a strong community behind you, ready to support and uplift you. Lean into it, trust yourself, and know that the world needs your voice and your talent.
In order to watch the full stories, click on the embedded YouTube playlist below or access them directly on YouTube:
Be Bold. Be Brave. Be a Queen.
Beatriz is the Head of Culture at Isovalent and is responsible for growing Isovalent and its people in the spirit and with the open-source focused culture that has defined Isovalent since its early days. Beatriz has been with Isovalent since early on and helps us keeping Isovalent one of the best places to work for.
In her past role at IBM, she led cultural transformation that enabled a team of talented engineers to build scalable container platforms for global enterprise customers. Beatriz has contributed to numerous open source projects and is a regular speaker at events as well as an organizer of meetups, such as for the CNCF Madrid. Assiduous to the gym, Beatriz practices CrossFit, and also loves spending time outdoors, typically hiking.
