Irina Dumanyan: “It’s a matter of choice to live a quiet life or to assume commitments and responsibilities”…

“I am an optimistic person in my essence. Now that I’m looking back, I understand that the difficulties I’ve met have not stopped me, but even have been enhanced me. I’m trying to never be discouraged, which is sometimes difficult, but I’m not giving up, “says our interlocutor Irina Dumanyan, who thanks to her optimism, diligence and persistence, has become a linguist-interpreter, then a human resources manager and then Director of the Armenian branch of the American Mentor Graphics General company, known in IT sphere. “Mentor Graphics” is one of the world’s leading companies in electronic design automation and software solutions, has branches in Europe, Japan, India, Egypt, Pakistan, Armenia, etc.

“I cannot limit myself to just one thing. The process of learning is of continuous nature for me. I can say that I work 24 hours a day, because the company is American and makes the difference in time zones. Of course, this is too complicated for a woman because you have a family, children you need to care for,” says Irina Dumanyan and adds smiling: the difficulties at the same time make you stronger and keep you in tone.

According to Irina Dumanyan, being a woman head, it’s not so easy, especially in IT. “Being a woman is so complicated that men are everywhere and it’s still unusual to imagine the opposite. I think the difficulties in this regard are the same in Armenia as in the whole world, “says Irina Dumanyan, adding that women do not need special skills to be leaders, – you either have leadership skills or you do not.

During her career Irina Dumanyan herself faced obstacles. According to her, in our society, there is a prejudice towards the female leader. “First, they are skeptical, they are checking out if you are smart or not. You should not be broken, you just have to realize that there is a majority and a minority in which you are. With your work and knowledge you must be able to prove  your peculiarity”, – says Irina Dumanyan.

By the way, Siemens company, which bought Mentor Graphics, offered Irina Dumanyan to be involved in the women’s information network inside the company to help boost female employees and help them solve their problems. According to her, the existence of this network itself indicates that the problem of gender balance exists around the world.

35% of Mentor Graphics employees are women. In this regard, the company is the leader in the field of IT. According to Irina Dumanyan, the number of women in the IT sector in Armenia has increased dramatically over the last five years. “We encourage women, they are no less competent professionals and have a very important feature: women are loyal and stable. A woman does not change jobs easily, she wants to grow and develop where she works, “says our interlocutor.

Irina Dumanyan is convinced that problems in different spheres, including management, will be solved more efficiently if the male-female ratio is balanced.

To be honest, to work clean, and to wait nothing from anyone. This is the secret of Irina Dumanyan’s success. She is a mother of 2 children and says that the primary mission is to be a mother and the rest is a matter of choice – to live a relatively quiet life or to assume commitments and responsibilities that require great effort, energy, time and work.

Full text in Armenian