Ana Kraft joins Robin on this episode of the Innovation of Work podcast.
Ana Kraft is the Founder and CEO of Xena Workwear – a company that creates fashionable safety shoes and functional apparel for women in STEM and the Trades. This new category of workwear helps professional women be safe and feel confident in any work environment. Transitioning between the office, to the manufacturing floor or construction site has never been so easy.
Ana holds a degree in International Project Engineering from Reutlingen University in Germany and currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The causes that drive her include sustainable development, education and maximizing the opportunities for women.
Content Timeline
00:56t – Xena Workwear and Ana’s origin story.
03:38 – From idea to founding a company. “A lot of companies… take a men’s boot or a men’s jacket and make it smaller and make it pink. That’s not what professional women want to wear in a professional setting.”
06:20 – Empowering women in STEM careers and the impact of appearance.
09:20 – Getting women’s PPE right is important for safety.
15:00 – Leveraging engineering background to get the product right.
18:40 – Support, mentors, and groups while staring out.
21:46 – Coming up on the Xena Workwear product line.
27:30 – Feedback and customer requests.
29:06 – PPE Trends.
31:30 – Tech for frontline workers and embracing change.
35:27 – Looking to innovation in the future.
