While the gender gap in IT is indeed narrowing, women in tech still have a long way to go in terms of equal representation, particularly in leadership positions. This is why devmio wants to give inspiring women the opportunity to introduce themselves and share their stories about why they chose a career in technology.

Every Wednesday, devmio celebrates inspirational and powerful women in the tech world. This week, we bring you Celestine Bahr, IT and Data Privacy Lawyer at Compliance & Data Privacy Usercentrics.

Today’s Woman in Tech: Celestine Bahr, IT and Data Privacy Lawyer at Compliance & Data Privacy Usercentrics

Celestine Bahr works at Compliance & Data Privacy Usercentrics as an IT and data protection lawyer. She has worked in the legal departments of STRATO and Deutsche Telekom, among others, in the areas of hosting, cloud, IT, SaaS, and data protection.

Let's start with a simple question: Which technical device is the most useful to you?

I probably feel the same as many others: My mobile phone! It contains my appointments, contacts, birthdays, my email and banking apps, shopping apps, to-do lists, and much more. So I can sort out all the essentials quickly and conveniently while I'm on the move.

When did you first get interested in tech?

Actually, I came into contact with tech surprisingly late. In my family, at school, and even during my studies, it wasn't really an issue. I didn't have a mobile phone until late - in my early/mid-20s. Many people used to feel that way because mobile phones were simply not yet so widespread.

I only used my computer for research on the internet, managing emails, and homework during my studies. When I finished my studies, I started looking for a job. It was clear to me right away that I really wanted to work for a company. At that time, I didn't necessarily have tech in mind. But then, by chance, I applied to a tech company and was accepted. That's how my path into the tech world began.

How did you get to your current job? What various career paths have you taken?

I took my first steps into the tech world in the first eight years of my career. As an in-house lawyer, I first worked for four years in the legal department of Strato, a large German hosting provider in Berlin. This is also where my specialisation in IT and data protection law began. I first completed the specialist lawyer training courses in IT and labour law and the training as a data protection officer at TÜV.

After that, I was Senior Legal Counsel at Deutsche Telekom. There, I also provided legal support to a start-up in the field of big data that emerged from Deutsche Telekom's Innovation Hub. During this time, I also trained as a mediator and completed a twelve-month management training course. And all of that then led to the desire to try my hand at management. At the time, however, there were no opportunities to become a department head in the legal field at Deutsche Telekom.

And the other medium-sized companies were all looking for managers with experience. So I decided to move to a start-up in the food sector and took over as head of legal, HR, and administration at Veganz. That was an exciting time for me. I was a manager for the first time, built up a legal department including a data protection and compliance organisation, and managed two non-specialist areas.

I then worked as Director of Legal, Compliance & Data Privacy at Amorelie, where I built up a legal, compliance, and data protection organisation in close cooperation with the Pro7 parent company. Legal advice on the sale of love toys in an online shop is not that different from other legal advice. After all, e-commerce and data protection issues were my daily bread here as well. Sexual orientations, for example, which could be inferred from the purchase of love toys, are very sensitive data, and since there are also love toys that are controlled remotely (for example, by mobile phone), there was always the proximity to IT and data protection law. I was all the more pleased when the opportunity arose for me to switch back to the tech world.

Everyone should be treated equally, no matter what gender they are, what creed or culture they belong to, what skin colour they have, or what their sexual orientation is.

Who are the people that encouraged you to succeed? Do you have a role model?

I often have the impression that women meet each other with a certain elbow mentality and work against each other rather than together. I have also been following many debates on social media lately. It seems to be an underlying mood of the past years that many feel. But fortunately, something is increasingly changing here as well. It is important to me to be part of this change. That's why I see one of the most important tasks in my role as promoting and coaching young female colleagues, but also male colleagues, and supporting them on their way in the best possible way.

My role models are strong, professional women who can do something but don't brag about it and don't need to belittle others in order to be successful themselves. Authenticity also plays a very big role for me here.

My last CEO has not only become a very dear friend to me, but also a great role model for me. She has earned all her successes herself, made it from a farm in England to the top of big companies like Adidas and Apple, and has not allowed herself to be bent, is passionate, human, and authentic. That's what I really appreciate about her. The way she behaves is one-to-one with my beliefs.

What is your current position and company? What exactly do you do and what does your typical day look like?

Since June 2022, I have been Director of Legal, Compliance & Data Privacy at Usercentrics and am thus returning to the tech world full time, which makes me incredibly happy. In this role, I am responsible for all legal issues of the company, especially in the areas of IT and data protection law, compliance, contract law, employment law, and competition law.

In my day-to-day work, I naturally encounter IT law and data protection issues of all kinds, partly routine, of course, but also challenging, as these areas of law are constantly changing. In addition, the legal department is in charge of international contract negotiations of all kinds with clients and partners. In my day-to-day work, however, I also encounter competition law cases, customer enquiries, trademark and patent law, tenancy law, and many other areas of law.

In my position, I also regularly attend leadership meetings, jour fixe, and strategy meetings. What is new for me is the participation in talks and summits, which are also part of my daily work. This varied and challenging combination of topics makes working as an in-house lawyer in the legal department of a tech company, and especially at Usercentrics, something very special for me and a lot of fun.

You work in the field of IT law. Why is data so powerful?

The potential of collected data is almost infinite. All the more so because many are very careless with otheir data. Quickly registered here to receive supposedly free or discounted benefits. Signed up again there to receive the newsletter, and so on. Based on the information gained through the collected data, new, disruptive, innovative, digital business models can be developed, competitive advantages over the competition can be achieved and, through the possibility of precise predictions, the right business decisions can be made. But this is only possible if the data is of the right quality and granularity and the know-how exists to evaluate it correctly and efficiently.

In my view, data is the currency of the future. Unfortunately, however, data is often misused and not used in a legally compliant manner to harm others or to harass them with offers - keywords phishing or spam. I would like the collection of data to be minimised in the future, to be done in a legally compliant manner, and for the data collected to be used sensibly and profitably for everyone.

Stay true to yourself in everything you do and don't let others bend you if it doesn't suit you.

Which topics are currently exciting from your point of view in the area of IT and data protection law?

There is so much happening now and it's not going to change anytime soon, both technically and legally. Take topics like international data transfers (especially to the US), new technologies like e-mobility, drones, cloud and SaaS offerings, paying with data, tech compliance in companies, tracking in the future, and much more.

IT law as a separate law does not exist in this form and the GDPR is so flexible and open that it leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Almost every day there are new complaints, lawsuits, or statements from supervisory authorities on current topics. There really is a lot of music in here. That's what makes it so incredibly exciting and challenging for me as a lawyer in these areas. Everything is moving, many things are not yet fixed and we can be at the forefront of discussions and shaping things with our legal tools.

What stereotypes or clichés have you encountered in relation to women in tech? What problems arise from this?

Oh, I could fill a whole book on that. The very fact that we have to highlight, almost promote women in tech shows the fundamental problem, which by the way is also part of the whole diversity and gender debate. Why do we still seem to assume that women in tech are special? Are we less capable, not as smart, do we have to prove ourselves first until we are recognised? Why do women sometimes underestimate themselves? I don't know, but I don't take it personally, because that doesn't help anyone.

However, I have met many colleagues and superiors in the past who have at least - consciously or subconsciously - conveyed this. Every woman in tech, but also every woman in general who is underestimated or treated differently, has to think of her own strategy. I always try to deal with such situations with a professional sense of humour that shows the other person that he was wrong in his behaviour. Usually, something like that happens once and never again and with increasing professional experience it becomes less frequent as if I had proven through my many years of professional experience in these areas that I can do something.

In the meantime, a lot is already happening to counter the existing problems: from various mentoring programmes for "Girls in Tech" (here I was also once a mentor in the "Jump in Mint" area), diversity values in companies, lessons in schools that teach girls and boys that each and every one of us can later become anything he or she wants. Nevertheless, I hope that change is finally gaining more momentum - and I am happy to be part of it.

Will the diversity debate become history in the near future?

From my point of view, "diversity" is actually just a modern term for general equal treatment, which has long been legally regulated in Germany, in particular in the General Equal Treatment Act. According to this, everyone should be treated equally, no matter what gender they are, what creed or culture they belong to, what skin colour they have, or what their sexual orientation is.

However, the past shows that unfortunately little has changed in recent years, making the debate more relevant than ever. We see and feel the importance of this issue in all of our daily lives, for example, when we look at social media posts in which only men in black suits can be seen (be it in companies or politics) and women counter with posts.

This is also evident in the discussions about the women's quota in DAX companies, gender discussions, internal company values, and much more. Companies are also becoming more and more international, so a lot is already happening here. I can only hope that so much is currently happening that this debate will soon be history. At the moment, however, I assume that this will still take quite a while. It is all well and good to lay down certain rules, such as a code of conduct, values, quotas, and so on. But this has to be anchored in people's basic values and lives.

Don't let anyone tell you that passion and profession don't go together.

What was the best advice you ever received during your career?

That's not so easy to answer. I would like to name several:

As part of my leadership development training at Deutsche Telekom, I had the exciting opportunity to find a business mentor with whom I met regularly for a year. At that time, I chose a very experienced CEO of a DAX company whom I hold in high esteem and with whom I am still well connected today. He gave me a very important tip that I have not forgotten to this day and always take to heart: "Managers don't want to hear about problems. They appreciate it when the information about a problem is summarised in a condensed and understandable way and the solution is included right away. That way you put yourself in good stead with management, they appreciate problem solvers."

The classic "He who writes, stays!" has already saved me a lot of trouble in one situation or another. I can only recommend proper documentation.

In my many years of professional practice, I, like probably many others, had to learn some things the "hard way". This has resulted in tips that I have developed for myself and am happy to pass on to others. For one thing, what others say or think does not always have to be right. These are often opinions that have arisen from my own experiences. Therefore, the following tip: "Always question whether something is right for you personally. Be smart enough to accept good advice, but also brave enough to reject what is unsuitable for you. Stay true to yourself in everything you do and don't let others bend you if it doesn't suit you." And secondly. "Don't let anyone tell you that passion and profession don't go together - be it in terms of the professional, but also in terms of your role as a leader. We leaders are also allowed to have emotions and bring passion."