Our guest in this episode is Joice Tae Ozaki, VP of Product at Controlant. Joice was born in Japan but grew up in different countries including France, Brazil, and the United States. She has been working in tech for over 20 years, starting her career as a Web Designer, and eventually finding a deep love for UX and Product Management.
Joice has a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. She is also the 2023 Icelandic Finalist in the Nordic Women in Tech Awards for Innovator of the Year category.
In their discussion, Hildur and Joice cover a range of topics, including:
The normalization of frequently switching schools and adapting to new countries
How her passion for animation led her to study at the California Institute of the Arts
Her career at Nickelodeon
Her role in a startup company created by women to make games for women
What brought her to Iceland and her initial job-seeking experiences here
Her career trajectory at Controlant and the company's dynamic atmosphere
The evolving role of a Product Manager and potential future developments in this role
The significance of fostering an inclusive company culture to create better products
How starting her day early with exercise helps her maintain focus and balance
Apps, Podcasts and books that Joice recommends:
Bearable (self care) app
No stupid questions (podcast)
Grit: Why passion and resilience are the secrets to success by Angela Duckworth (book)
Books by Adam Grant (LinkedIn profile)
The show is sponsored by: Sýn, Geko and Advania 🙌
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Hosted by Hildur Óskarsdóttir