A bridge to the future

RightBrains warmly welcomes Reine Nader as our new Digital Marketing and Communications Manager. With a decade of experience in marketing, gained internationally from Dubai to the US, from Armenia to Georgia, Reine brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise to support RightBrains’ mission: to empower women in tech and to bridge the gender gap in the digital field. As well as sharp and ever-expanding marketing skills, Reine joins the team equipped with a commitment to equality for women, a keen interest in working impactfully, and huge enthusiasm for learning together. She shares with us her inspiration and goals for RightBrains 

Knowledge is an ongoing process

After graduating Reine began working in the creative communications field. She was busy with content writing and offline marketing, but it soon became clear that in order to take her work further, she needed to make the move to digital. “I needed to learn about SEO and social media strategies, as well as to understand Google’s standards; I had to expand my skill set, so I just got straight into it. I took some courses, and began introducing what I was learning to the companies I was working with to help them better sell their products or services.” Now, after almost ten years in the field, Reine is very familiar with adapting to changes and updating her capabilities. “Things are always changing in this line of work; there are new updates, new things to learn about every single day, and that’s what I really enjoy. For example Google updates keep you on your feet the whole time, and it’s important to keep learning. That’s what makes it fun. Knowledge is an ongoing process that doesn’t end at university, we can also learn from many places; from children, webinars, people we have just met, so we need to always keep an open mind.”

Paying it forward

Reine explains the psychologically proven fact that when you pass on something you’ve learned to somebody else, the knowledge stays with you more deeply. “Not only are you helping another person by sharing, but you’re helping yourself, you’re paying the knowledge forward. I love the connection that sharing knowledge brings, in an environment where everybody wants to learn, everybody wants to improve, and where we can help each other grow on a professional and personal level.” 

Inspiring others inspires the self

This desire to help and share with others is an important part of Reine’s character, and something that brings her great fulfilment. Some years ago, during a period of self-reflection, Reine began volunteering with non-profit organisations and soon found Edu-Futuro, an organisation that helps first-generation university students from various backgrounds to gain a place in college. “It was all about empowering young students; I would give myself and my time, including the weekends, to guide them through their university application process, and assist them with learning certain skills they needed to attain to empower themselves. It was really inspiring for me to be able to mentor them.” Having seen first-hand the benefits of exchanging with others, Reine is particularly excited about RightBrains’ mentorship platform. 

Reine feels that the reciprocity inherent to mentoring, where both parties are inspired by and learn from one another, is an important pillar for building a healthy professional future in our sometimes chaotic environment. “Things can be very hard today in this dog-eat-dog world. Everywhere you look, people are stepping on one another for gain, so to be able to access a safe environment where you can really connect with a mentor or a mentee is a privilege, and is something to nurture. We need to be kind and empathic with one another in the creation of our networks.”

Making an impact for women

Reine still receives messages of gratitude from her former mentees: “I didn’t think I was doing so much at the time, but I still hear from these young women today, telling me how inspired they were and how much fun they had in the process. It felt great to make a difference, even if it was small. It was that experience that made me say, “Okay, I’m done just working for work, a dollar sign can only go so far. I want to make an impact in this world as a career.”

Hoping to continue working impactfully, Reine looks forward to the connections she can build for women through her work on the RightBrains platform, website, and activities. She is excited about using her marketing and communication background to act as the bridge that connects people together, strengthening the foundations on which women can support one another throughout their careers; “There are so many women out there who are so willing to give their time to help somebody out, and it’s amazing to see that, because time is such a valuable thing! I want to empower as many women as possible to connect with other powerful women; to be the bridge.” 

Take the good things and leave the bad

Impactful networking can be as simple as sharing your struggles in order to help others learn from them. Reine considers herself a confident person, but she has still experienced what it feels like to work in an environment where being a woman causes difficulty. Feelings of insecurity and inferiority amongst women, and experiences of intimidation in male-dominated workplaces, can become easier to practically manage with help from the right connections. “Having a network of people who have been there, done that, is powerful, that is knowledge in itself.” Reine shares a few tips: “When it’s clear that there is a problem with the culture of your workplace, look inwards and use the time to try and learn, rather than trying to change something that is unlikely to change. Use your time there to learn and grow, to improve your skill set. Then try again, and if you’re not heard, move on to something that serves you and your career better. Take the good things and leave the bad.” 

Leading women into the (digital) future

Reine is an advocate for women’s equality, and believes that women should access the same opportunities as their male counterparts. In a male-dominated industry such as the tech field, it’s more important than ever to nurture connections and developments amongst women professionals, and to open the field up to new and inspiring talent of all backgrounds. “I want to help young women, professional women, women who have taken a break in their career, women who have families, university students, and I want to motivate them to join the techverse. This is the future, and we need more women to be ready for this. We want them to represent us as females. The old narrative that women are emotional, that they can’t handle this line of work, that is not correct, it’s not fact, and it no longer stands. This is what RightBrains is about; it’s about empowering women and equipping them with the right skills and connections so that they are ready to face the future.”

More inspiring stories, you can read here.