Rising to the challenge: How Adelina Radoi makes a difference in IT at Microsoft

As a young woman forging an IT career in Romania, Adelina Radoi faced plenty of doubt and bias. She heard questions about her nationality, her gender, her age, and even her height.

But Radoi didn’t let it faze her. Even though she grew up without a computer in her home and studied criminal law in college, she found herself drawn toward a career in technology. After about a dozen years of working in IT roles for different companies, she was invited to apply at Microsoft Romania.

So, she interviewed and received an offer. At the exact same time, she learned (to her surprise) that she was pregnant. With this twist, she thought maybe that her offer would be withdrawn.

“I was pretty afraid to tell Microsoft about the pregnancy, because my experience with other companies in Romania is that they are not always supportive of women with children,” Radoi says.

But instead of uncertainty or rejection, she was met with support and understanding.

“It was amazing,” Radoi said of her future Microsoft manager’s reaction to her disclosure. “After a quick conversation with HR, he just said, ‘Welcome to Microsoft. We want you as part of our team, and this pregnancy doesn’t change that. It’s not an issue for us.’ It was the first time I’d received that kind of professional support and encouragement as a woman in IT.”

In the eight years since that conversation, Radoi has thrived in the supportive Microsoft culture and forged a successful career here.

“I really love what I’m doing here at Microsoft. I love my leaders, and I trust them. That’s huge for me. It’s allowed me to grow and do my best work.”

Adelina Radoi, senior IT field manager, Microsoft Digital

She now serves as a senior IT field manager for Microsoft Digital—the company’s IT organization—based in Bucharest. It’s been a great match, and she continues to learn and develop as a professional.

“I really love what I’m doing here at Microsoft,” Radoi says. “I love my leaders, and I trust them. That’s huge for me. It’s allowed me to grow and do my best work.”

Having a growth mindset

From the beginning, Radoi stood out for her ability to learn quickly and take on new challenges—even without a traditional technical background.

“Adelina is one of those people that consistently models what we call a growth mindset,” says Simon Price, who works with Radoi as a senior director of IT Field Management in Microsoft Digital. “She’s a resilient, energized individual who is always looking for opportunities to drive improvements. And she sees the wider picture really well.”

Radoi enjoys the collaborative aspect of her job, and she works seamlessly with her both her coworkers in Romania and Microsoft employees in other regions around the globe. Her strong communication skills really allow her to shine in this area.

“Her default mode is to collaborate with others and partner with them; she’s built a strong network in Microsoft Romania but also at a global scale, reaching out and building new connections.”

Simon Price, senior director, IT Field Management, Microsoft Digital

Radoi is a people person who speaks three languages—Romanian, French, and English—while understanding Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese (and is working on her Japanese). These traits and skills have allowed her to make a strong impression across Microsoft Digital.

“Her default mode is to collaborate with others and partner with them; she’s built a strong network in Microsoft Romania but also at a global scale, reaching out and building new connections,” Price says. “Others constantly talk about how great a partner she is, and how she’s willing to speak up and share her perspective.”

One project on which Radoi exemplified this mindset was I Am New, a portal for brand-new Microsoft employees where they can get up and running technically with minimal assistance. She helped come up with the concept and worked on the team that drove the initial development of the portal.

“I’m incredibly proud of I Am New,” she says. “The idea grew from a challenge many of us were seeing across Microsoft: How do we create the best Day 1 experience for new hires? Romania was one of the early voices raising this need, and the feedback we received locally closely mirrored insights from colleagues across other Microsoft countries. What started as a shared challenge became a collaborative solution that now helps new hires feel connected, informed, and empowered from day one.”

Price says that the project showed the kind of outsized impact that Radoi has had in her work.

“It gave her the opportunity to work within a global team and develop a solution that would help every new Microsoft employee,” he says. “She embraced the challenge, partnered effectively with others, and had a large-scale impact on the effort.”

Serving as a mentor and role model

After going through her own challenges as a woman breaking into the IT field, Radoi knew she wanted to help mentor others in the same situation. That’s why she has played a pivotal role in several women-in-tech groups at the company.

“I’ve really enjoyed being a leader in these groups and serving as a mentor for other women,” she says. “As someone who faced unconscious bias in her career, I want to foster a nurturing environment and create a more inclusive workplace. I mentor new graduates and speak at various diversity events to contribute to the growth and empowerment of women in the field.”

One of Radoi’s own female mentors at the company is Silvina Olkies, a senior director of Global End User Support Services and Employee Experience.

“Adelina’s very genuine and brings a real warmth to the workplace. She’s proactive and is always focused on giving back in different ways. And she’s gone through complex challenges and embraced transformation throughout her career.”

Silvina Olkies, senior director of Global End User Support Services and Employee Experience, Microsoft Digital

Olkies has gotten to know Radoi by working with her on various employee resource group initiatives over the years. She admires how Radoi brings her authentic self to her job and strives for human connection and community.

“Adelina’s very genuine and brings a real warmth to the workplace,” Olkies says. “She’s proactive and is always focused on giving back in different ways. She’s gone through complex challenges and embraced transformation throughout her career.”

Olkies remembered fondly that Radoi even composed and performed a special song to celebrate her 25^th anniversary at the company, exhibiting some of her many talents. (Radoi also studied ballet seriously in her youth and credits this experience with contributing to her discipline and work ethic.)

“She’s the only field manager I know that has had an office project going on just about every day of her entire time on the job. Her site has grown almost double in size during her time here, and it’s kept her extremely busy.”

Anders Jepsen, director, Field IT Management, Microsoft Digital

Connecting Microsoft with the world

Microsoft Romania is growing fast, and that has given Radoi plenty of challenges during her first eight years with the company. Part of her role involves coordinating the technology aspects of new buildings, and she has had an extraordinary number of those to handle so far.

“She’s the only field manager I know that has had an office project going on just about every day of her entire time on the job,” says Anders Jepsen, who has been Radoi’s manager since she started with the company. “Her site has grown almost double in size during her time here, and it’s kept her extremely busy.”

As a rising star in the tech field, Radoi has had offers to move to jobs in other parts of the world. It would be a natural step for an ambitious career professional.

“I’m so happy that Microsoft Romania exists. For me, it’s very important to remain in my country. I love my people; I love Romania.”

Adelina Radoi, senior IT field manager, Microsoft Digital

But she’s decided to stay in Romania, where she’s raising her daughter and doing all she can to bring new technologies—such as AI—to her native country.

“I’m so happy that Microsoft Romania exists. For me, it’s very important to remain in my country. I love my people; I love Romania,” she says. “A lot of the best Romanian minds are going overseas. But if we are all leaving Romania, who is going to do something for this country? So I’ve turned down the offers to leave.”

She’s further demonstrated this commitment with her outreach work for Microsoft. She has served as the Microsoft representative at various government meetings and discussion panels in Romania, dealing with issues such as privacy, child safety, and AI. She’s also done podcasts and other engagements.

“She’s constantly looking for new opportunities to widen her scope,” Jepsen says. “Whether it’s traditional customer engagements, diversity and inclusion events, speaking at universities, or other outreach, she’s a role model for the field manager position. Her biggest challenge is knowing her own limits.”

As a mother, the work on child safety and AI is particularly close to Radoi’s heart.

“Children are really curious and excited about AI, and it’s everywhere,” she says. “As a country, I think we need to do more to teach about AI, and to make sure the digital world is safe for our kids. So I’ve gotten involved in that work, brainstorming how to develop the best technology safeguards for our children.”

And her advice when she speaks to young people about careers in technology, or mentors others who aim to follow in her footsteps? She tells them to set ambitious goals and remain true to themselves.

“Follow your heart and instincts—believe in yourself and create your own image,” she says. “Compare yourself with who you were one, two, or three years ago. What you have you learned? How have you improved yourself? If you like the answer, then you are on the right path.”