Spicy Mangos head of engineering discusses her role, and why attitudes around women in tech need to change
By Jenny Priestley
Published: March 5, 2021
Spicy Mango's head of engineering discusses her role, and why attitudes around women in tech need to change
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin> Spicy Mango's head of engineering discusses her role, and why attitudes around women in tech need to change
https://www.tvbeurope.com/business/changing-the-stigma-around-women-in-technology title=Share via Email class=share-email>
To mark International Women's Day 2021, TVBEurope talks to Spicy Mango's head of engineering Angelika Podlinska about the importance of encouraging younger generations, especially women, to pursue a career in tech.
Tell us a little bit about your background before joining Spicy Mango Before leaving school and starting an apprenticeship with British Airways, I had never come across coding because my sixth form didn't even teach IT. So my first role as a junior software engineer was my first introduction to coding, and it was a bit of a jump into the unknown.
In sixth form I completed Biology, Maths and Geography A-Levels. Although I wasn't sure which career path I wanted to take, university didn't feel like the right path for me because I didn't want to commit to four years when I wasn't fully certain of which subject I wanted to study. The apprenticeship at British Airways for two years seemed a great alternative, and when it finished I joined Spicy Mango.
What was the beginning of your time at Spicy Mango like? I came to Spicy Mango as its first employee, which was just over four years ago. I started as a software engineer after deciding it would be best to explore other engineering opportunities. It was great timing because Spicy Mango was just hiring and after a few interviews and technical tasks, I was thrilled to be offered the job. Being the first employee made it both an exciting and challenging experience something I have loved about Spicy Mango since the outset.
How has your role evolved over time? As the company has grown, I have grown with it. We now have four full time developers and this year I was incredibly pleased to be promoted to head of engineering. My role now involves managing the engineering team, planning projects and completing new project estimates, taking responsibility for the timelines and requirements this entails.
What are your favourite aspects of your job? One of the best parts of my job is all of the interesting projects that I have had the pleasure of working on. Most of the projects are innovative software solutions that we develop for our clients. Working from home is also a bonus because I believe I am more productive and it is a benefit saving the time travelling back and forth from an office. It is always thrilling when we go live with software solutions. I love being able to see the solution develop from an idea on a piece of paper through the development cycle, testing and then going live. I feel very proud, as it's a huge achievement in itself!
What are the biggest challenges you face specifically in your role, and within the tech industry as a whole? Sometimes you have to take risks and evaluating if it is a good risk or a bad risk can be difficult, and having all the responsibility to make the choice is sometimes daunting. Another challenge I have found is that people are often surprised when I say I am head of engineering because of the stigma that surrounds women in technology, despite the changes of the 21st century with women moving into traditionally male dominated' career paths.
In regards to the tech industry as a whole, it's amazing how many aspects of life now rely on the technology industry compared to twenty years ago. It is therefore crucial that we keep up with all the technology changes on a yearly basis, which can be overwhelming at times.
Do you have any future goals that you would like to achieve within your tech career? I would love to experiment with new programming languages and tools, which can be tricky when we have tight deadlines to work against, although I am hoping to do more of this next year. My current role is mainly involved in back-end engineering, project planning and the design phase and I would like to get more hands on with front-end engineering in the future. I would also like to get involved with the security side of software products, for example white hat hacking.
What advice would you give others who are looking to make a career in tech? The most important piece of advice I could give is do not be afraid of any challenge. It is essential to remember that you don't have to go to university to have a career in technology. Apprenticeships are a great alternative and they provide the opportunity to get practical, hands-on experience with real projects and earn while you are learning.
For anyone looking to begin a career in technology, a great place to start is the wide variety of online resources available, from coding to security, project planning and such for all levels. There is a wealth of resources available nowadays and you can begin learning whenever you want online.
What are your views on women in tech' initiatives? Why do you think it's important to highlight women in the tech industry? From my experience the technology industry is still unfortunately viewed as largely a male dominated' sphere. But everything today revolves around technology in our daily lives and tech is an exciting and important sector to be involved in.
For this reason I think it is so important to teach IT/STEM subjects in early education years and throughout school to make sure every individual has access to all the different opportunities ahead of them from an early age. This will be so impo
Europe Stories
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
09/06/2026
Last month, Spotify hosted PURE FLOWERS LIVE, a special event celebrating the re...
09/06/2026
Last month, RADAR U.K. artist Skye Newman took the stage in East London for a sp...
09/06/2026
Company to cease operating on 30 June 2026
Australian loudspeaker and amplifier manufacturer Wayne Jones Audio have announced that after much consideration,...
09/06/2026
Increases low-end weight and character
The latest plug-in release from Sheffield-based fedDSP aims to offer an all-in-one solution for users in search of mo...
09/06/2026
Introduces AI Studio Assistant, Moises Studio integration & more
Fender Studio have just announced the launch a significant update that brings an array of n...
09/06/2026
The BBC has found its Hercule Poirot.
After Deadline revealed last month that t...
09/06/2026
X-Rite Pantone Launches Offset360 to Modernize Color Control Across Existing Pre...
09/06/2026
09 Jun 2026
VEON Appoints Serkan Ozturk as Chief of Staff & Strategy Officer Dubai and New York, June 9, 2026 - VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON), a global digital oper...
09/06/2026
Tuesday 9 June 2026
Katie Price: Nothing to Hide, a candid and unfiltered accou...
09/06/2026
Enni Continues to Rely on Arvato Systems - And Will Be Using AEP.EnerS4 Billing Solution
Arvato Systems to implement transformation project for SAP S/4HANA Ut...
09/06/2026
These special programmes will highlight RT 's connection with the Irish diaspora
This year, RT is marking 100 years of public broadcasting in Ireland with...
08/06/2026
At Spotify, our commitment to the LGBTQIA community is year-round. Through GLOW, our global music program, we celebrate and amplify the contributions of queer ...
08/06/2026
Get Hands-on With Keyboard & Synth Brands
GearExpo UK wouldn't be complete without some synth action, and we've got some of the industry's most ...
08/06/2026
50 popular in-ear monitoring system profiles added
The latest update for IK Multimedia's headphone-correction system has just arrived, and introduces ca...
08/06/2026
Manny Marroquin signature cans upgraded with SLAM Technology
The flagship model in Audeze's Manny Marroquin Signature Series has just been treated to an...
08/06/2026
Air domain supremacy redefined - New counter UAS, space solutions and directiona...
08/06/2026
he BBC and BritBox have announced that Edward Bluemel (We Might Regret This, My ...
08/06/2026
Plus, 20% off TVs ahead of kick-offMonday 8 June 2026
Sky introduces Real Time...
08/06/2026
FOX Secures Live NFL Game Package in Mexico Starting in Fall 2026 Agreement Features Thursday Night Football, Sunday Games Package, Thanksgiving Day Games, al...
08/06/2026
FOX One, FOX Sports and Indeed Name Austin Franklin and Kevin Akoto as FOX One C...
08/06/2026
Meet us on the show floor
Stand #286310 Discover Nara, the media management tool used by major facilities including Harbor and Molinare.
Nara v2 introduces re...
08/06/2026
L'art de l'Image dans Reflet dans un diamant mort' Une conversation avec le directeur de la photographie Manuel Dacosse, SBC et l' talonneur Pe...
08/06/2026
Embracing today's modern media workflows: FilmLight presents Nara 2.0, with FilmLight API Designed to support the growing demands of today's production ...
08/06/2026
Moderated by Andy Minuth, FilmLight's Colour Workflow Specialist
Wednesday 18 February
6:00pm / Doors open
7:00pm / Presentation in German
8:00pm / Drin...
08/06/2026
Join us on April 14 at 10:00am for a technical roundtable with the Filmlight dev...
08/06/2026
You're invited to FLAPI Classroom The fundamentals of coding and machine-assisted development
These sessions will help you build the skills needed to cre...
08/06/2026
With Sylvain Canaux (St Louis, Paris) and J r me Cloutier (MELS, Montreal)
Wednesday 6 May
Pick your time: 1:00PM / 5:00PM
Note: The presentation will be hel...
08/06/2026
FilmLight, 1107 N El Centro Ave, Los Angeles
Doors open at 3:30pm
Join the FilmLight team on June 9th at 4pm to learn how FilmLight products and APIs can stre...
08/06/2026
The Creators List launched to Help Brands Connect With Top Creators In CannesThe curated directory launched by Tubefilter, Comscore, Whalar Group and Gospel Sta...
08/06/2026
Irish YouTube star DavidMC joins Aisling O'Reilly to tackle all things socce...
07/06/2026
Company introduce 21 new protective covers
Decksaver have just announced their Sping 2026 Drop, which sees a total of 21 new models added to their ever-grow...
07/06/2026
Sunday 7 June 2026
Dynamo Vs Houdini comes to Sky later this year
The last time the world saw Dynamo, he buried himself alive. This weekend, he returned.
Mom...
06/06/2026
Check Out Leading Monitor Brands
We'll have monitors of all shapes and sizes at GearExpo UK, so whether you're looking to upgrade or expand your set...
06/06/2026
Two Originals offerings join MPC line-up
Following on from their partnership announcement at NAMM 2026, Spitfire Audio and Akai Pro have announced the relea...
05/06/2026
Built from the same recordings as flagship library
Sonuscore's LUX Orchestral Strings has been met with widespread praise since its launch in late 2025,...
05/06/2026
High-end converter, interface & headphone amp upgraded
Said to represent the next evolution of RME's all-in-one reference converter concept, the all-new...
05/06/2026
Win a Soundgas Type 636P & Type G preamps
Soundgas, one of the UK's leading vintage and boutique audio equipment specialists have just announced the lau...
05/06/2026
New leadership of Technology Systems Division at Rohde & Schwarz On July 1, 2026, Hansj rg Herrbold and Andreas H gele will take over as Executive Vice Presid...
05/06/2026
Hitachi and Intel announced a strategic collaboration to explore opportunities t...
05/06/2026
05 Jun 2026
VEON's Kyivstar to Expand Digital Mobility Ecosystem with Acqui...
05/06/2026
RT Radio 1 Folk Awards to take place on Tuesday 10th November 2026, Vicar Street, Dublin
Moya Brennan, D nal Lunny, Mary Black and Christy Moore among previou...
04/06/2026
Steinberg DAWs now boast in-depth Tonalic integration
Celemony's innovative virtual session musician plug-in has just received an update that brings ARA...
04/06/2026
Get Hands-On With Over 20 Mic Brands
GearExpo UK is fast approaching, and if you've been looking for a chance to check out some new mics, then you'r...
04/06/2026
Combos feature new Amplifier Intelligence engine
Positive Grid's latest release sees the company introduce two new combo amplifiers that promise to offe...
04/06/2026
BackStory follows four Irish young people as they travel back to their parents' homelands
Modern Irish identity is enriched by cultures and influences from...
03/06/2026
Step sequencer-style panning tool revealed
Alongside their flagship self-titled sound-design platform, Sound Particles offer an array of creative effects an...
Spicy Mangos head of engineering discusses her role, and why attitudes around women in tech need to change
