INTERVIEW / ELSA BERGER

Elsa Berger was one of just five women in a class of 65 studying sports equipment technology at university in Vienna. She’s now the product manager at Duotone and believes there are no barriers for women who want to pursue a career in kiteboarding hardware. Jim Gaunt hears how she found her feet in the business
INTERVEW / ELSA BERGER

Elsa Berger was one of just five women in a class of 65 studying sports equipment technology at university in Vienna. She’s now the product manager at Duotone and believes there are no barriers for women who want to pursue a career in kiteboarding hardware. Jim Gaunt hears how she found her feet in the business
EXTRACT:
How do you think more women could be encouraged to pursue a career in design / product management? I don’t think there is a barrier as such; it’s more a lack of motivation in most women to work in this field. Of the seven team members working in the Duotone R&D department, three are women; Xuerao Zhang is a designer / developer, Julia Keller is our intern working on testing materials, plus myself. I think that’s a healthy average.
Were you always interested in product design? My dad is a hobby carpenter, so from an early age I had experience of working with wood. The first time product design had a more profound effect on me was when I got my first pair of sandwich construction skis aged 12; the moment I suddenly became a way better skier.
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FULL feature IN THE WINTER ISSUE
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR TWO SPECIAL BI-ANNUAL PRINT EDITIONS
DIGITAL (ON ZINIO): £5 PRINT: £12 PRINT & DIGITAL: £15
Winter Issue - Out Now Summer Issue - Released early May '21