Amplification for All
CMU alumna works to make Amazon and its technologies more inclusive
By Kristy Locklin
As country manager for Alexa Canada, alumna Celine Lee is giving women a voice in the tech world.
“Amazon is making the work environment more inclusive,” says Celine, who received her MBA in industrial administration and operations systems from Tepper School of Business in 2013. “There’s lots of work still left to do to help women get promoted, especially women of color.”
“Amazon is making progress in that direction by setting and reaching concrete goals like increasing the number of women (at senior principal, director, vice president and distinguished engineer levels) in tech and science roles by 30% year-over-year and increasing the hiring of U.S. Black employees by at least 30% year-over-year.”
Like many households around the world, Celine’s Seattle, Washington, home relies on Alexa, a voice service, to help with minutiae of day-to-day life.
From alarms and announcements to music streaming and tailored news reports, the device’s dulcet tones echo through the hallways. Even her two, young children embrace Alexa as just another member of the family.
Celine works to make Alexa’s content uniquely Canadian. Alexa needs to understand different dialects and accents — and even humor — to dole out local information that’s relevant to users.
“Amazon is making progress in [workplace inclusivity] by setting and reaching concrete goals like increasing the number of women (at senior principal, director, vice president and distinguished engineer levels) in tech and science roles by 30% year-over-year and increasing the hiring of U.S. Black employees by at least 30% year-over-year.”
During the pandemic, when folks quarantined in nursing homes were using Alexa to stay connected to friends and family, she knew the technology wasn’t just a novelty — it had the power to positively affect people’s lives.
“The pace at which this technology is evolving is incredible,” she says. “But we want it to be even smarter, so that Alexa is there when you need it and fades into the background when you don’t.”
Celine grew up in Switzerland, where her dad was an engineer.
She inherited his love of math and problem-solving but didn’t want to fall into traditional engineering roles in her homeland. She wanted to travel abroad and tackle new challenges.
A yearlong internship in Japan turned into a four-year stint as a research engineer at Nissan, where she built algorithms for self-driving cars. Although she learned a lot, she was frustrated by the Japanese approach to careers, which are directed by the company.
“I wanted to choose what I wanted to do and when,” Celine says. “That wasn’t possible in Japan. I wanted to go into product management, and I knew an MBA would be a really good way to make that switch, so I looked in Europe and the United States.”
Celine received offers from a few different schools and traveled to each city to see which one would be the right fit. Pittsburgh is where she felt most at ease thanks to CMU’s smaller programs that took a more community-based approach to learning.
“I’m extremely proud of the work my team does — from launching new innovative devices to ensuring Alexa’s jokes and cultural references are unique to Canada including which sports teams Alexa’s rooting for!”
At Carnegie Mellon, she was able to work with Amy Villeneuve, COO and president of Kiva Systems, which Amazon had just acquired. Amy soon became a mentor, and Celine’s internship with Amazon led to a full-time role.
“I used to work in research and development, far away from the actual customer product,” she says. “You don’t get to shape that much. Now I’m involved in decisions that directly shape what customers will use.”
“I’m extremely proud of the work my team does — from launching new innovative devices to ensuring Alexa’s jokes and cultural references are unique to Canada including which sports teams Alexa’s rooting for!”
Although the tech world is a historically male-dominated field, Celine says she never felt like she was at a disadvantage because of her gender, even after she started a family.
“One myth I think many tend to believe is that to be a successful woman — especially a woman in a leadership role — you must sacrifice personal goals like growing a family,” Celine says.
“Many businesses, especially those in the technology sector, have become increasingly flexible with their workforce across aspects like remote work, alternative hours and more.”
As a passionate engineer and an equally passionate mother, sacrificing one or the other just wasn’t an option for Celine.
“I’ve been lucky enough to work at a company that’s given me the needed flexibility to succeed at both, and I think it’s important for women to know they don’t need to limit themselves to one path in order to achieve their goals.”
