Femmegineering: Podcast

From Fintech to Diamonds: Reinvention, Risk, and Starting Over (S1 E15)

In this episode of Femmegineering: Podcast, our host, ⁠Hanna AbdelHamid⁠, speaks with ⁠Raiha Buchanan⁠ — entrepreneur, fintech executive, founder of Carateu, and classically trained violinist. Raiha shares her journey from growing up in New Zealand and studying performance music to building a career in fintech, co-founding a global payments company, and eventually stepping away to start something entirely new. Together, they discuss reinvention, taking calculated risks, identity beyond career, and the courage to leave behind something successful in pursuit of something that feels more meaningful. They also talk about women in tech, entrepreneurship, and why asking yourself “What’s the worst that could happen?” can sometimes be the first step toward making a change. An honest conversation about ambition, growth, and allowing yourself to start again.

Velocity of Change: Women, Tech, and Leadership in Saudi Arabia (S1 E14)

In this episode of Femmegineering: Podcast, host Hanna Abdelhamid speaks with Alanood Essa Alessa, a systems thinker and digital strategist based in Riyadh. She recently completed her master’s in Digital Transformation and Innovation Leadership and currently manages Digital CX at SAL (Saudi Logistics Services). With digital experience across the public, banking, and logistics sectors, Alanood works at the intersection of technical logic and human psychology, translating complex real-world challenges into seamless digital solutions. In this conversation, she shares her journey from marketing to IT, the six-year period after graduation when structural barriers limited mobility, and the mindset shift that helped her treat that time as preparation rather than failure. The episode also explores leadership in male-dominated environments, the practical difference between mentorship and sponsorship, and how organisations can better amplify women’s expertise. It is a grounded discussion about resilience, long-term thinking, and building a career in STEM without waiting for perfect conditions.

Chief in Tech Mindset: Travel, Community, and Owning Your Worth (S1 E13)

In this episode of Femmegineering: Podcast, host Hanna Abdel Hamid sits down with Anna Radulovski, an investor, founder of WomenTech Network and author of 'Chief in Tech.' They talk about how travel shapes leadership and perspective, why there’s no one-size-fits-all leadership style across cultures, and what it really takes to build and sustain a global community. Anna shares what sparked the creation of WomenTech Network, why women often need to unlearn limiting patterns, and how community, mentoring, and role models help people stay in tech and step into leadership. The conversation also gets practical: networking without the awkwardness, building a personal brand one small step at a time, and negotiating beyond salary — from titles and resources to flexibility and boundaries. Throughout, Anna comes back to one core idea: being 'Chief in Tech' is a mindset, not a job title.

Leading Without Shrinking: Identity, Power, and Growth in Tech (S1 E12)

In this episode of Femmegineering: Podcast, our host Hanna Abdel Hamid is joined by Elaine Montilla — technology executive, author, TEDx speaker, and founder of 5xMinority. Elaine shares her journey from starting in IT at the help desk to leading large-scale transformations as a CIO and CTO. The conversation explores what it means to build a career strategically, invest in yourself, and grow into leadership without losing your identity. They discuss inclusive leadership, navigating bias, sponsorship versus mentorship, personal branding, and why psychological safety and representation matter in tech. This episode is an honest, grounded conversation about confidence, visibility, and leading with empathy — especially for women and underrepresented voices shaping the future of technology.

Power, Policy, and AI: Building More Inclusive Innovation Systems (S1 E11)

In this episode of Femmegineering:Podcast, Hanna Abdel Hamid is joined by Moa Persdotter, a gender equality expert and innovation strategist at Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency. Moa shares how she moved from political science into the innovation ecosystem, why “women in tech” should include more than just coders, and what it takes to embed inclusion into funding and innovation policy. They discuss Vinnova’s programme AI to Promote Gender Equality, with real examples of AI tools designed to detect or counter bias, from fairer venture funding decisions and recruitment to spotting bias in children’s books and meeting dynamics. Moa also reflects on why diverse teams matter because AI reflects the values of its creators, what Sweden gets right (and where challenges remain), and what happens when organisations pull back from DEI. The conversation closes with Moa’s work on the Just Tech Think Tank, her role with the Kofi Annan Foundation’s leadership initiative, and her new chapter in Silicon Valley supporting Nordic deep tech while helping build the Women in Tech Diplomacy Network.