It’s Woman Power Wednesday in San Diego, CA and day two of Autodesk University 2024. AU is the place to be if you, like me, believe the future is bright and we can all work together to Make Anything with less waste and more efficiency. It’s also a good place for an inspirational AWN reception.
One of my favourite things about Autodesk University is the incredible networking opportunity to see colleagues, clients, and friends from around the globe. My impromptu breakfast with Michelle (Shiner) Rasmussen and Ramona Biehn yesterday is a case in point.
Autodesk Women’s Network (AWN)
Ramona is in the orange blazer in the featured image above. She is a Senior Manager of EMEA Client Services at Autodesk and a leader in the company in extraordinary ways. She currently chairs the Autodesk Women’s Network or AWN. Last night, I attended the AWN networking event where I heard a fabulous interview by Ramona of Shirine Boukli, Paris Olympian and Judo Athlete. Shirine (center in the photo) spoke candidly about her love of her sport, her path to success, which included a supportive father, and her journey into what will be next, beyond competing at the highest level. This topic fascinates me as I continue to work on my book project, RELEVANCE: From Beginning to End.
[Also pictured, Nancy Jalal, Autodesk HR executive based in the US.]
Michelle (not pictured) was equally dynamic as Ramona and Shirine – a former Autodesk employee with a people-coaching business. Michelle now helps individuals on their journeys to success. She works with conference speakers who want to be more dynamic on stage. Michelle also has a passion for mentoring young professionals and seems to have a unique grasp of how to help people overcome the challenges that might be holding them back. While at Autodesk, Michelle was the chair of The Autodesk Veterans’ Network, an employee resource group for military veterans and allies.
As I often say, working for Autodesk has been one of the greatest joys of my career. This conference and these remarkable women illuminate many reasons I feel so fortunate.
