Are we doing enough?
We need to broadly think about the life cycle of young women wanting to go into tech. What are the barriers they face at different stages of their lives? Does our primary, secondary and tertiary education system need to put more mentoring and sponsorship programmes in place? When women enter the workforce, do our organisational policies support new women recruits? If women choose to take parental leave, are we supporting them to stay connected to our incredibly fast-moving industry?
Companies must prioritise flexible working arrangements and address unconscious bias in the hiring and promotion. To retain good talent, we need to be thinking about how we can invest in continuous learning and development of our women. A great article and podcast I came across recently was in the Financial Times about women going on parental leave and the stigma around it. The world of tech moves fast and women on career breaks or parental leave can often feel like they might be missing out. My advice would be to constantly keep learning, think about how you are developing yourself professionally while on break, so you can come back and hit the ground running. Talk to your employer on how they can potentially support you on this journey.
As a society we need to think about how we market the tech fields for young women better, at every stage of their lives.
Making an impact
I was recently awarded the IDC/Brightstar 2023 CIO of the Year, and when I reflect back on my time in the industry, data and digital technology have come a long way. What started as a by-product of activity has now become the building block and foundation of everything we do. The rapid advancements in data technology have fundamentally changed business models around the world.
When I look out at the industry, as a woman running tech teams, you have the potential to make someone’s day easy or difficult. You must always remember why you are there and the impact you can have on people. We deal with complex topics that people may not understand and the impact of what the IT teams can touch every day can either be disruptive or helpful. That’s why I am always reminding my teams, to be mindful of the impact they are making today.
My biggest advice to young women is to not be afraid. If someone offers an opportunity that feels right, take it. If someone opens a door, run through it. If someone asks for a volunteer, put your hand up – just don’t be afraid. Don’t sit there in the corner saying I don’t have enough – you are enough. Self-belief is your biggest superpower. Don’t be afraid to take your space in the room.
