{"id":1464,"date":"2019-02-26T11:24:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T10:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpethzprd.ethz.ch\/its\/?p=1464"},"modified":"2019-05-06T10:24:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T08:24:25","slug":"interview-with-dordaneh-arangeh-head-of-it-procurement-and-portfolio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ethz.ch\/its\/2019\/02\/26\/interview-with-dordaneh-arangeh-head-of-it-procurement-and-portfolio\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Dordaneh Arangeh, Head of IT Procurement and Portfolio"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201eMoving ahead with full innovative power!\u201c Title story of the magazine \u201eDie Wirtschaftsfrau\u201c \/ die-wirtschaftsfrau.ch | from 22\/01\/2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dordaneh Arangeh, Head of IT Procurement & Portfolio (ITS PPF) discussed and provided answers in an interview with the magazine \u201eDie Wirtschaftsfrau\u201c [\u201eThe Businesswoman\u201c]. Quote from the editors: \u201eHer career path reflects her unique personality. She made her way to the very top with a large helping of endurance\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\""Die
«Die Wirtschaftsfrau» issue No. 7 \/ 2019<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

IT Women Wanted<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Information technology is a field dominated by men. Unfortunately, that is still the case today. Women hold only around 13% of all ICT positions: Out of approximately 300 people working in IT Services (ITS), around 40 of them are IT women. ITS would like to see more women in its team. That is why Yvonne Zilio, who is responsible for HR at IT Services, started initiatives to increase the number of women at IT Services of ETH Zurich in 2018. During her research, she encountered the job platform \u201efrauenjobs.ch\u201c, which has advertised amongst others the ITS vacancies since early summer 2018. Now some of the ITS vacancies are also advertised in the magazine \u201eDie Wirtschaftsfrau\u201c, which is published on a quarterly basis. This connection gave ITS a chance to illustrate the career path of one woman at ETH in a personal interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201eETH Zurich does a lot to promote women\u201c <\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Dordaneh
Dordaneh Arangeh, Head of IT Procurement & Portfolio Management at ETH Zurich. (Photo: Daniel Winkler)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dordaneh Arangeh, Head of IT-Procurement & Portfolio Management at ETH Zurich. (Photo: Daniel Winkler)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahead with full innovative power!<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hello, Ms Arangeh. You have been working at ETH Zurich since 2000 and have been Head of IT Procurement & Portfolio Management since 2012. What exactly does that involve?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tasks we perform in this division\nand the services we offer are quite diverse. We are responsible for all IT\nprocurement at ETH worth 10,000 Swiss francs and above. That includes not only\nsoftware and hardware but also services. We are also in charge of IT Portfolio\nManagement. We are responsible for the IT service catalogue, reporting and the\nService Management Office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In senior project management, we take care of complicated, cross-department IT projects.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We are also responsible for quality\nassurance for all of the IT services, as well as financial controlling. In\naddition, we offer IT training at ETH. Almost 3,000 people participated in\noffered courses at ETH. Another important activity is the IT vocational training\nlab. Every year, we train seven or eight trainees in IT, and they spend the\nentire first year of their education in this lab. The section has 38 employees,\nincluding the trainees. As you can see, our area of activity is large and\ndiverse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And how did\nyou come to occupy this position?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I studied electrical engineering at ETH Zurich and completed my studies in 1998. After that, I started working at ABB Schweiz AG, where I completed my master thesis. I worked in various business units there. At the end of 2000, I returned to the ETH as a network engineer. Later on and after completing my master of economics and management at ETH, I changed my field to the business administration. At the end of 2008, the executive board at ETH was restructured, and I applied to work as the staff of Vice President of Personnel and Resources. Once again, this was a completely different task area at the strategic level. We implemented several changes in the overall IT organisation in this area, one of which was introducing IT Portfolio Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back\nthen, ETH Zurich was the first university in Europe to introduce something like\nthat.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I played an important role in structuring this division, and when the strategic position as Head of Portfolio Management was created in 2012, I it was interests to occupy the position and lead  IT Portfolio Management into an operational level by merging it with IT Procurement. I was involved in setting up this division from the very beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT is a\nfield that is still often dominated by men. Is that also the case at ETH\nZurich?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it is also the case here.\nHowever, things have changed in the last 20 years quite remarkably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ETH\nZurich has done a lot to catalyse this change and motivate young women to study\nand work at ETH Zurich.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The situation has already improved considerably, but we are still in a field dominated by men. My division has the most number of females: They account for 8 out of 38 employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is the\nsituation with students? Have you noticed an increase in the number of female\nstudents in programmes relating to information technology?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared to when I was studying,\nthere are definitely more women in the lecture halls. There were four women at\nthe beginning of my programme, and in the end, there were only two of us. The\nnumber in electrical engineering has quintupled. In information technology,\nwomen account for around 12.3% of bachelor students and 18.8% of master\nstudents. That is certainly not a lot, but the trend is heading in the right\ndirection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which\nmeasures is ETH Zurich taking to promote the gender balance in areas where the\nnumber of women still falls short of the target figure?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were one of the first\nuniversities to become involved in \u201eFuture Day \/ Nationaler Zukunftstag\u201c. ETH\nZurich has initiated many programmes for young girls to familiarise them with\nstudies at ETH and information technology in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, an Equal Opportunities\nOffice has existed at ETH Zurich for a long time. It is responsible for\npromoting young female researchers. And there is also a women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s community in\ninformation technology. You can also see the results in the number of female\nprofessors. It has increased considerably compared to the situation ten years\nago. There is still potential for more, but at least we are on the right track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We should bear in mind that ETH\nZurich is an institute of technology, an area which was anchored in the male\nworld for a long time. That is why it is difficult to compete with universities\nfocusing on the social sciences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is that also\nwhy you decided to work for ETH Zurich?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, that is one of the reasons, but\nnot the only one. At ETH we are daily in touch with wonderful young people.\nThis is a unique environment, which I personally value a lot.Because we serve a\nvery discerning clientele, we have to stay fit technically; this makes our\nprofession quite attractive. Moreover, I see a good purpose in what I do. We all\ncontribute to shape the future of many young people here. Although my\ncontribution might be a small one,  yet\nit is an important contribution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young\npeople study here and build their futures.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Helping these people with my work means\na lot to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s turn\nto the issue of the economy: What role do universities play in the Swiss\neconomy?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ETH Zurich is a very valuable part\nof our society. Its employees are proud of that. As a small country with few\nnatural resources, Switzerland depends on innovation to make headway for a long\ntime, and ETH Zurich is one of the top players when it comes to the innovation.\nIn short, its significance for the success of the Swiss economy is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three main tasks of ETH Zurich are teaching, researching and technology transfer. All of them are equally important.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 25 spin-off companies are founded at ETH Z\u00fcrich every year, and there are already more than 330 of them in total. Even if people say that only three or four of these companies are at the forefront, they are still at the forefront and making a valuable contribution. Usually, they involve what are referred to as \u201ebleeding edge\u201c technologies, which we introduce to the economy and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ETH Zurich\nranked 11th in the World University Rankings 2019, making it the only Swiss\nuniversity in the top 20. Which factors do you hold responsible for this good\nresult?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ETH Zurich has upheld academic freedom since it was founded. This freedom is vital to allow researchers to unfold maximum innovation in t heir research. Another important factor for our success is the basic funding provided by the federal government. It provides ETH  more independence from private sponsors in compare to other top universities. In addition, thanks to its attractive location in Zurich, ETH Zurich has managed to acquire the best people from around the globe. And they make the difference in the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, more\nand more young people are studying instead of doing apprenticeships.\nEconomically speaking, do you believe this development entails any negative\naspects?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switzerland offers young people many\ndifferent opportunities to use their talent for the benefit of society. That is\na good thing. However, it is also important for the economy to be flexible. It\nneeds to stop earmarking certain jobs for people who have certain educations..\nAcademics can also perform technical or manual tasks and are not predestined\nfor only theoretical, conceptional work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A change in\nperspective for our conclusion: Do you think your career path would have been\neasier if you had been a man?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cannot say; I never asked myself\nthat question during my career. Of course, I had setbacks, but when I think about\nthe matter in a fair and open manner, I have to admit that my male colleagues\nalso experienced such setbacks. Would things have been different if I had been\na man? Who can say? Anyone who tries hard enough will move forward. Personally,\nI have never seen the difference between men and women in my surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source article online: https:\/\/die-wirtschaftsfrau.ch\/mit-voller-innovationskraft-voraus\/<\/a> (German)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT\nServices at ETH Zurich<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The IT Services department (ITS) supports\nteaching, research, and administration by providing services in the field of\ninformation and communication technologies. It operates the necessary\ncomprehensive infrastructures, information systems and applications to this\nend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ITS is divided into nine sections:\nITS ICT Networks (ITS NET), ITS System Services (SD), ITS User Services (BD),\nITS Software Services (SWS), ITS Multimedia Services (MMS), ITS Service\nDelivery (SDL), ITS Services for Departments (S4D), ITS IT Procurement &\nPortfolio (PPF) and ITS Scientific IT Services (SIS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n