Charlene helps improve the experience of sellers at Amazon
Charlene Sequeira graduated from the master’s programme in Embedded Systems in 2017. After some years of working in Stockholm as a consultant at Cybercom Group she moved to France to do her MBA at INSEAD. She is now working as a Senior Product Manager at Amazon in London.
Hi Charlene, what are you doing at the moment?
I am a Product Manager (PM) at Amazon in London, working to improve the experience of our sellers on Amazon. As a PM, I work with our customers to understand their pain points, own the vision and strategy of my products, and work with tech teams to make them a reality.
Before moving to London I worked for 5 years in Stockholm as a consultant towards building radio software solutions for Ericsson’s 4G and 5G radios.
What can a regular day look like at your job?
A regular day at my job involves a lot of stakeholder management, product backlog planning, and planning and running pilots for products in our backlog.
Why did you choose this programme at KTH?
I chose this programme at KTH because of its wide range of options. In the first year you can choose between four different tracks of Embedded Systems. Further on you also had the opportunity to pick courses that were dedicated mandatory courses for those Embedded Systems tracks that you didn’t pick. When I was looking for a master’s programme, I not only looked at the quality and reputation of the university (where KTH shines), but also at the flexibility.
Are there any insights you acquired during your studies that have been particularly useful for you in your career?
I remember after my first project-based course way back in 2015, I always picked a course where the final grade was a project! This gave me the chance to work with a group of different people every time. It taught me how people differ in their thinking process, how they handle conflict, how they plan. How despite it all, we work together to achieve one common goal. These are the skills that I was able to develop a lot before I started my career, and they are the backbone of any professional life.
What were the best aspects of your studies at KTH?
I would say the best thing about KTH is the professors, and their willingness to help you out. You can always email them your questions, or even book appointments to meet and discuss further. You are never met with a negative response. I remember emailing and asking a professor of mine a question one evening before the exam, and I still got a reply with a very detailed explanation! I believe it’s this kind of support that helps the students of KTH to thrive!
What is your best memory from your time at the university?
Hmmm.. my best memory! I would say was the language cafés with fika! I really like that the library at the main campus would host language cafés. I think that is where I learned a lot of the Swedish I know (albeit, my Swedish is not the best, but I am getting there)
What would you say to a student thinking of applying for this programme?
The Embedded Systems Programme has a good course base, the professors are great and, most importantly, it allows you to be free and make your own decisions about what you would like to study! I think moving to Sweden and studying at KTH was the best decision I’ve ever made!
