Olga Malinkiewicz: “women can be surprised at how much they are able to accomplish” – Inclusion and Diversity campaign
photo 1: Olga Malinkiewicz, CTO and Co-Founder of Saule Technologies, as a face of the Inclusion and Diversity [Włączanie i Rożnorodność] campaign. 2022. source: Poradnik Biznesu.
A scientist, a business woman and the face of the "Inclusion and Diversity" campaign. CTO and Co-Founder of Saule, Dr. Olga Malinkiewicz: "Women can be surprised at how much they can achieve"
The Campaign Interview
Olga Malinkiewicz is a Polish physicist who developed a breakthrough method of manufacturing flexible, new generation perovskite-based photovoltaics using inkjet printing. How can one achieve such a technological success?
[Poradnik Biznesu]: -“You studied at the Faculty of Physics UW, which still seems an unusual direction among women. What inspired you the most, and motivated you to develop in such a strict field of science?
[Olga]: – Although like many young people, I had dilemmas about which field of study to choose, I have always been a scientist and I knew that my studies would be related to sciences. Initially, I was thinking about biology, but after reading the book by Michio Kaku, a theoretical physicist and popularizer of science, I became very interested in the issues he raised in it, e.g. time travel, teleportation and black holes. I decided that physics would be a great field of education for me. My choice, however, was not so obvious to my relatives and friends, because they wondered what would I do after such studies. As I did not see myself as a teacher at all, after a few semesters I thought that it would be great to invent something in the future and be able to make a living from it … However, what my life looks like now, how I use my knowledge and skills, and what I do on every day has completely exceeded my expectations.
– You’ve made a great scientific career, developed the printing technology for perovskite photovoltaic cells, and set up a company from scratch. How to meet so many challenges at the same time?
– Sometimes I wonder how it is possible, too… It seems to me that, first of all, I had a lot of luck with people. I was also ready to build teams. I’m not the type of “I know better” – I’ve never been afraid to ask for help. And so, my friends from the group helped me in my studies, and my promoter provided a lot of support, too. I have put a lot of trust in my business partners in matters related to the company, and the help of my family at home was irreplaceable. I am constantly in the process of learning – I try to be aware of my limitations, which I can eliminate by surrounding myself with people with specific, helpful, complementary competencies. For example, as a scientist, I had no idea how to raise funds or how to write applications, so my partners helped me. As a mother of two children, I also have to reconcile work and family life, which requires, among others, such an organization in the company that it would not be entirely dependent on me and my functioning. Everything requires a meticulous plan, but by delegating tasks, I am able to meet these numerous challenges successfully.”
photos: “Inclusion and Diversity” campaign interview with Olga Malinkiewicz. “To set up the bar so high, that is no longer in sight”, 2022. article source: Poradnik Biznesu.
– What character traits do you think have led you to such success? Do you think they are workable?
– I think I am, first of all, a very stubborn person. And although it is not always good, I believe that in my field and on the way to what I have achieved, stubbornness was very much needed. These successes are also the result of the fact that once I come up with something, it’s hard for me to get it out of my head – I consistently stick to my goal and it’s not easy to scare me with the inconvenience. I would like to emphasize that my professional path is not just a series of successes; I experienced fear many times, not everything was going my way, and the bank account did not show a dizzying balance. However, thanks to stubbornness, I was able to deny and act despite all that, overcoming difficulties. And can it be worked out? I think to a large extent – yes, but the character certainly matters a lot here.
– There is no doubt that you are a role model for many young people planning a career, especially for women and girls. What would you say to young students to give them the necessary courage to break stereotypes about women in the technological world?
– Most importantly: set the bar high. Even if something seems unattainable, it does not matter, because, in my opinion, we [women] do not realize what we are really capable of. Sometimes women can be surprised at how much they are able to accomplish. That’s why I’m in favour of setting the bar so high that it’s no longer in sight. In addition, I encourage you not to be afraid to travel. Going abroad helped me a lot in developing my professional career. I believe that at a young age when you are looking for your path, such trips allow you to gain a better starting position due to knowledge, experience and contacts. In my opinion, we can read the same books, but the experiences gained at foreign universities or other teaching centres are invaluable.
photos: Olga Malinkiewicz, CTO and Co-Founder of Saule Technologies, 2022.
The campaign display
Apart from the published interview, the campaign consist of a number of banners displayed on various sites – examples of which can be found below. Many thanks to MediaPlanet, Poradnik Biznesu: Kobieta w Biznesie, Gazeta Prawna and Gazeta Wyborcza for the partnership and execution of the campaign.
The online volume of Poradnik Biznesu, covering the interview with Olga Malinkiewicz, is available here [in Polish].
photo 3: Olga Malinkiewicz on the Inclusionand Diversity campaign banner, 2022. source: Poradnik Biznesu, Mediaplanet.
photo 4: Olga Malinkiewicz on the Inclusionand Diversity campaign banner, 2022. source: Gazeta Wyborcza.
photo 5: Olga Malinkiewicz on the Inclusionand Diversity campaign banner, 2022. source: Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
