Iliada Evangelia Kothra – Managing Director of Living Postcards

The best decisions in my career were the ones that always made me quit jobs I no longer loved.

Iliada Evangelia Kothra is a business consultant, a keynote speaker, and the managing director of the global platform www.living-postcards.com a project started in 2012, at a time of deep economic and political crisis, out of the need to change the world’s perspective of Greece. She is also the founder of #dontacceptit campaign against domestic violence. She has organised 20 networking events in order to empower women to follow their own business dream. She has published two books.

In a Nutshell: Tell us a bit about your job and what role technology plays in it?

My job has to do with digital marketing. I love to create stories for brands in order to make them stand out from the rest.
It is a great reward to trust me and my team for their digital image, so technology plays a big role in all our projects. I have to admit I love technology and I love dealing with social media. As a writer and a digital creator I find inspiration 24/7 in things that many people can not. What I see around, can be transformed into digital text for a client, for my books, or articles.

Where did your professional journey start and how did you get to where you are now?

But above all, Ι was lucky enough to work under dynamic female managers who taught me that there are no limits to an ambitious woman.

My journey started 20 years ago. Αfter my studies in advertising and marketing, I started working for various companies in the field of sales and merchandising, but after a while I realised that the internet was the ultimate leader of the future, because I was tired of working in places like offices and big stores, I needed freedom. I saw an opportunity to work in a nomadic style, which I still do. I think that failures got me where I am right now. Experience. Mistakes. But above all, Ι was lucky enough to work under dynamic female managers who taught me that there are no limits to an ambitious woman. Those women were the absolute role models for me, this is the reason I like to collaborate with women.

What is the greatest transformation in technology you’ve witnessed in your career?

Social media. Without a doubt. It was the most revolutionary technology could bring and the impact in society is huge. I am sure that in the future the impact will be even bigger. 

When you think about ‘women’ and ‘technology’ what comes to your mind first?

Τhe word ”technology” in the Greek language, is a feminine noun. So for me technology is perfectly connected with women.
Basically this noun is a mix of two ancient words: Techno (Art) and Logy (words). ”Leadership” is also a feminine noun, so in this world we need a lot of women who will be leaders in technology. We need all women to succeed and we want tech business to thrive at the same time.

We always hear there are not enough women working in Tech. What needs to happen to change that, which steps should be done to achieve gender equality in tech?

It is true. Statistics reveal that only 3% of females say a career in technology is their first choice, and 5% of leadership positions in the technology sector are held by women. The gender gap is big, so social institutions and politicians should support and encourage girls to deal with technology. 

Unfortunately, stereotypes of boys being better at science and mathematics can discourage girls to choose this path. 
Women are also under-represented in the tech sector. They’re underpaid, and they have to face sexism. It’s no wonder women are more likely to leave the industry within a year compared to their male counterparts. Of course, stereotypes often start in the family itself, so we as women must not set limits on what our girls can achieve in the future. So for me the right steps are: Improve education. Create female role models. Encourage entrepreneurship.

Which was the best decision in your career?

The best decisions were the ones that always made me quit jobs I no longer loved. This is the biggest lesson of my life. You can never be successful If you are not in love with everything you do.

If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your 14-year-old self?

To do what she wants fast, because time will not always be an ally. Time flies. One life. Live it well.

Iliada Evangelia Kothra is a business consultant, a keynote speaker, and the managing director of the global platform www.living-postcards.com a project started in 2012, at a time of deep economic and political crisis, out of the need to change the world’s perspective of Greece. She is also the founder of #dontacceptit campaign against domestic violence. She has organised 20 networking events in order to empower women to follow their own business dream. She has published two books.

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