Inspiration. Discussion. Networking. By and for women in tech.

Laila Alawneh is an architect, urbanist and a regional planning leader across Scandinavia and the Middle East. She holds a Master of Arts from the University of the Arts London, where she focused on smart building design in collaboration with research partner VTT Finland, and a Master of Science in Sustainable Building Architecture and Urban Design from Aalborg University, Denmark. Her award-winning work has been showcased at the Royal Danish Academy and Birmingham Wood Expo in 2016 among various publications. Laila worked at various consultancy firms and developers from 2005 such as Ramboll Finland, Dorte Mandrup, AECOM, ARADA Developers, and currently works at NEOM. Laila’s approach is rooted in iterative design processes that she adopted during her time at AAU, blending technical performance with a deep sensitivity to context and aesthetics.

Dr. Sarah Crosby is the managing director of the Zero Carbon Building Systems Lab at the Chair of Architecture and Building Systems at ETH Zürich. Before joining ETH, she was a postdoctoral research scientist at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where she led an EU-funded project focused on low-carbon retrofits for European residential and heritage buildings. Addressing key challenges such as energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and occupants’ health and comfort, all while maintaining a human-centric approach to building design and renovation. Dr. Crosby received her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, Canada, where she also worked as a researcher at the Building Decisions Research Group. Specialising in building thermophysics, ventilation, and indoor environmental design conditions, Dr. Crosby explores the intricate relationships between these domains.

Patrizia Laeri is passionate about women and finance. She is an experienced and award-winning fintech entrepreneur. In 2007, she became the first female business news anchor on Swiss television. During her time on air, she noticed a significant gender gap when it came to investing—an insight that sparked the idea for a financial platform tailored to women. In 2021, she co-founded ellexx, which has since grown into the largest financial community for women in Switzerland. Over the years, Patrizia has received numerous accolades. As an economist, being named Business Journalist of the Year in both 2019 and 2022 was a particular highlight. In 2022, she also received the Swiss Diversity Award. In Germany, she was honored with the Digital Female Leader Award and has repeatedly been recognized as a LinkedIn Top Voice DACH. People appreciate her ability to translate complex topics into clear, compelling stories.

SVIN is committed to the interests of the female engineering profession. It aims to demonstrate the attractiveness of the engineering profession and promote its reputation in the public eye, improve the working and general conditions for women and network and cooperate with female engineers, companies and institutions.

Visit svin website