In this episode of the Critical Careers podcast, Joyce Wady is joined by Natascha Geraedts from Eversheds Sutherland, Louise Sharp from Mace Construct, and Mariah Naeem from Paroc Panels.com for a conversation about what it means to stop trying to fit into someone else’s definition of success and start building a career that genuinely aligns with who you are.
Across the discussion, each guest shares a different perspective on career paths, confidence, authenticity and finding the right environment to thrive.
Together, the conversation explores resilience, transferable skills, moral compass, intuition, visibility, values-led leadership and the importance of being in an industry where people feel able to be themselves.
“What it has taught me is being resilient and adapt to different situations.” — Natascha Geraedts
“I never wanted to be in the room because of my gender or because I’m a woman. I wanted to be there because I was good at my job.” —
Louise Sharp “You can find your niche and career at any point in your life.” — Mariah Naeem
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Key Takeaways
- Many women in data centres have reached a point where they stop following someone else’s definition of success and begin building careers around their own strengths, values and interests.
- Natascha Geraedts’ career path has not been conventional, but her time abroad helped shape her resilience, adaptability and confidence to build something new.
- Returning to the Netherlands gave Natascha the opportunity to reset her career, establish her own law firm and create a path that better aligned with who she had become.
- Louise Sharp’s family structure reflects the same philosophy she brings to work: recognising strengths over stereotypes.
- The data centre industry gave Louise an environment where she felt professionally settled and able to apply her technical, commercial and leadership strengths.
- Mariah Naeem’s move from interior design and architecture into construction and data centres shows how unexpected career turns can lead to meaningful opportunities.
- Being encouraged by others to recognise skills she had not seen in herself helped Mariah move into business development and discover a new career direction.
- Understanding personal drivers can make career decisions clearer and help people find roles that genuinely energise them. - Values-led leadership is not about saying everything unfiltered; it is about being thoughtful, fair, honest and aware of the impact you have on others.
- Trust is built through consistency, transparency and openness, especially when difficult messages need to be delivered.
- The data centre industry’s pace, pressure and sense of community can create a space where people feel able to be authentic.
- Career paths do not have to be linear. Different experiences, pivots and decisions can all build transferable skills that help people find their niche.
- Visibility and community play an important role in helping people feel a sense of belonging, especially when they are new to the industry.
- The conversation is a reminder that being yourself at work is not separate from professional success — it can be the foundation of it.
To learn more about Critical Careers, or to get involved with the Critical Careers community, head to the Critical Careers website or search “Critical Careers”.
Thank you to our founding partner, Kao Data, and our season sponsors: CBRE, AVK, JLL, Eversheds Sutherland and Mace Construct.
