Loredana Armanu: What it takes to become the first woman VP within CGM

She never saw herself working in IT. She wanted to become a doctor since she was a little girl and she even wanted to apply for the University of Medicine, but her parents had a different plan for her. Now, after an IT University degree, a Master on Computational Linguistics, 10 years in the IT field and more than 5 years in CGM, Loredana Armanu became, from 1st of August, the first woman VP within CGM. She`s not doing medicine, but she is excelling at doing IT in the medical field. And, of course, she continues to watch movies about medicine, because she simply loves this domain.  

It is time for you to find Loredana`s story and get inspired by her amazing attitude.

Let`s begin with the story of your career path in IT and let`s share it with the rest of the world.  

I began working in this field in 2012, as a BackEnd Developer. At some point, my partner, who is a chef, had the opportunity to work in London, so he asked me if I want to go with him and find something to work in IT there. I went and I started everything from scratch. I applied for a job as a Full Stack on Angular and .NET, I went to a 4 and a half hours interview, and I got hired.  

After a few years, I came back to Romania to organize our wedding. And while I was planning and organizing the wedding, I wondered how the IT market in Romania is. I clicked on some websites, and I found the CGM Software Romania website. I liked a lot what I saw, so I applied. After 10 minutes, I received a call from Corina Matei from HR, and the next day I went for the interview.  

My first day at CGM was on May 23rd 2017, and I started as a Xamarin Developer. After half a year I switched to Angular for a year on a project that was moved to Germany. At some point, I received the offer to work from Germany for over a year. But after I accepted and one month before I should have gone there, I found out that I was pregnant. Then I began my work on CLICKDOC Web, where I put the basis of Angular 7.  

After I gave birth to my son, I stayed home a year and 4 months, and I came back to work in January 2021. This time the project was CLICKDOC Pro V3. It was pretty chaos and it really needed someone with good organizational skills to put it on the right track. I`ve managed to do it and since then I am working on this project, coordinating activities and leading people as Functional Lead Area on FrontEnd.  

What was your reaction when you were proposed as VP?  

I wanted so bad to be a Functional Lead. And when it happened, I thought that it was the maximum for me. When Chris first told me if I wanted to be a VP, I said no. Because I loved what I was doing, and it felt right. Then, I talked to Adi Barna, one of the VPs, and he told me all the advantages and the disadvantages of being a VP. After some time, Chris asked me again if I wanted to be a VP and this time I said „Yes, let`s give it a try”.  

What did your husband say when you told him that you will be a VP?  

His first reaction was: „Ok, but you will still wash the dishes”. And I said „Yes” again. Leaving the joke aside, he was very supportive, he encouraged me to choose whatever suits me and he told me that he is proud of me. He understands my passion for what I do, because he is one of the most passionate people I know.  

So, have you figured out yet how it is like to be a VP in this month, since you became VP? What is different now?  

The easy part is that I already knew the people and the projects. The hard part is that now my calendar is full of meetings established by other people, and it`s driving me crazy because I am used to have the control. Another thing is that I don`t get to communicate as much as I did before with my team, and I really miss that.  

Loredana, what inspires you? What motivates you to go on?  

I like to see results. That is what motivates me. I can never let something unfinished. I have been working since college and I worked a lot really hard. I am used to be responsible and totally engaged in my work.  

I am inspired by people who are passionate, who know what they want and who love what they do. Their passion is feeding my motivation. That is why I also felt in love with my husband, who is simply breathing passion for what he is doing.  

And what keeps me active and motivated in IT is that each day is different. I do not get bored, and I get to enjoy all the diversity that my job has to offer. 

„I will never forget the first thing that Loredana told me. I can hear it even now… “Hello”. Joking aside, that was actually the beginning of our first interaction, right in the interview room. It was then when with her incredibly positive energy and chill attitude she convinced me that this was a team worth being a part of. And I’m not only talking about CGM as a team, but her actual team where she was a team lead at the time. Long story short, I was not wrong to feel that way and I still do. And all this is in the greatest part because of Loredana. She has been the most supportive colleague throughout every single challenge that we, as a team, but also I, have faced. And on top of it all, she has worked so tirelessly hard to build a great working environment in which we have been able to become the best team in CGM (sorry everyone else, but it’s true).” - Denis Iuga, FrontEnd Developer, speaking about his colleague, Loredana Armanu 

Looking back to your life, what would you say it is the most important lesson that you learned?  

I think the most important lesson I learned was during my 10 years as a gymnast. Yes, I did gymnastics since I was 7, for 10 years straight. It helped me being extremely responsible and organized.  

I was pretty shy until the 5th grade. My mother was sending me outside to play with other children and I just wanted to stay inside and read my books.  

After I grow up, another lesson that I learned was to speak out and to express my point of view.  

And one more important lesson was to always try new things and to get out my comfort zone.  

You have 5 years at CGM Software Romania. What do you like most about working at CGM?  

Many people asked me this question and I answer everytime the same: at CGM, I feel like home. You always have the opportunity to grow, of course, if you want to grow. I also appreciate the fact that there is a huge budget for education & learning for the CGMers and that there are many trainings and workshops organized, both technically and on soft skills.  

Another thing that I like working at CGM is that if you want to do something, people will not tell you NO. More than that, you are encouraged to do it, while you receive their support.  

And, of course, I like that the feedback is encouraged and appreciated, because I am the woman of feedback all the time.  

Let`s talk a little about the project that you work on and your amazing team.  

The project is called CLICKDOC Pro V3 and it manages the appointments for doctors in the hospitals from Germany and France. It is a big and complex project, which has integration with Videoconsultation and CLICKDOC Web and we love working on it.  

My team? My team is super-great. I love working with them and I trust them completely.  

What does a successful team mean to you?  

It means that there is a team of motivated people, who are doing what they like. Because when you are motivated, you can do anything.  

I follow that principle that your people should need you less and less and to be independent. Each time I leave somewhere, or I am busy with other tasks, I have no stress about them, because I know that they can handle it without me.

„I met Loredana in March 2021 when I was looking to find more about the project where I was going to fill the Product Owner role. My first impression of her was that she was an example of professionalism and integrity. With the time passing and closely working together in creating the right mindset in the team, my first impression got filled with a tenacious ‘can do’ attitude that meant she was willing to take on additional work and looks to be of help on every occasion in solving the problems encountered. Her experience, positivity, creativity, seriousness, decisional capacity makes her an important player in complex and long-term projects. She has an enthusiastic, energetic, and professional disposition and adds great value to everything in which she becomes involved.  

She is open to new challenges and tackles with professionalism and seriousness her day-to-day activities. I am really proud of her that she encouraged and accepted to be a VP as she is going to make great things for the projects and for CGM as a company, being a result-oriented person with a constant concern towards the teams that makes out of every situation an experience and an opportunity for improvement.” - Adriana Mînăstireanu, Agile Product Owner and Doctor in Artificial Intelligence, talking about her colleague, Loredana Armanu

This year is almost ready. What are your plans for 2023, especially as a new VP? 

Next year, I want to get involved more on the technical part, to help more my colleagues in this area. I want to continue being a Functional Lead on FrontEnd Area and to make presentations, because I love this socially technical part.  

As a VP... I am still adapting, so we will speak more soon about the strategies for 2023.  

You are not only a VP, you are also the first and the only woman VP within CGM until now. How does it feel? Is it challenging?  

When I entered the IT field, I encountered some misogyny cases. But they only motivated me to be better and better and to show what I can do. I was the only woman developer in London and I got used to be looked at differently and also proving that I am totally capable of doing my job at the highest level.  

Being the first woman VP within CGM it feels like a good inspiration for all the women in CGM that they can also achieve this role and all the things that they wish for. Of course, it needs hard work and dedication, but the opportunity is out there within CGM and you can all have it.  

Loredana is a true source of inspiration and a mountain of good energy. She is an example of how a strong capable woman should evolve in her career, so, if you want to receive more of her great advice, follow her on LinkedIn. Along with our LinkedIn company page, of course, so you can see what it is like to be a CGMer.  This year is almost ready. What are your plans for 2023, especially as a new VP?