Conference watch: Much to applaud but a long way to go for women in tech

A recent conference for women in tech I attended in Manchester was a day of contrasts. It was inspiring to hear success stories from women in leadership roles in the tech sector; but there was also a reality check that more needs to be done.

The conference promised new Insights to inspire and upskill the careers of women in tech with empowering career advancement strategies.

My favourite session was presented by Jigisha Lock, Head of Platform Strategy, Portfolio, ESG Solutions at NatWest.

Lock said women in tech needed to own their emotions better.

“Don’t just have emotional quotient, deploy it to your advantage,” she said. “Emotional is not a dirty word, it about being passionate.”

She also believed in the value of amplification theory, giving credit to other women where it is due.

“When a woman makes a key point other women should repeat it or recognise the contributor and the contribution to stop men from adopting the idea,” she said.

Lock added, “Don’t apologise for your views, vision or opinion. If you have something to say, and the data to back it up, say it, don’t say sorry.”

Yet the statistics shared on the day show just how big the mountain that women in tech have to climb really is.

They revealed that just 3% of women at university asked whether they wanted a role in tech said yes. It is perhaps little wonder then that 77% of director-level roles in technology are currently filled by men, even higher than the 71% of all roles in tech held by men.

For women who do choose to go into tech, half of them leave before the age of 35 citing non-inclusive cultures at their workplaces.

I am proud to work for an organisation that has inclusivity in its DNA and hires the right people for the role, regardless of gender. Procode have even been recognised in the UK’s Top 50 Best Workplaces for Women 2024, a testament to our staff and company culture.

Amy Taaffe-Evans, Head of IT controls for DVLA, meanwhile, had some sage advice in her session on career progression and empowerment strategies, including the importance of understanding your value and why strategic networking is so important. She summarised her advice in five points:

• Be clear about what you want
• Be clear about your gaps
• Ask questions
• Build networks
• Pay it forward

There was also a fascinating Q&A panel session on developing soft skills with Sam Bagulay, Statistical & Model Improvement Lead at HMRC, Laurie Ericson, Head of Technology Delivery at Selfridges and Vanessa Kargbo, Head of Restaurant Technology at Pizza Hut.

The session covered the importance of being able to communicate confidently with your team and the need for getting to grips with conflict management.

One powerful point of the session was the benefit of recognising and admitting to impostor syndrome. One of the panellists said by doing so they have helped others in their organisation.

“Just because something is new doesn’t mean I’m not good at it – it means it’s new,” they said.

One strategy to combat impostor syndrome is to surround yourself with strong mentors and colleagues and affirm your belief in your own skills.

One important tactic is to review your track record constantly. Keep the impressive things and the good feedback and pull them on days when you are doubting yourself.

The panel also recommended that women in tech wanting to progress their careers should have a mentor and a mentee. This will bring you together as a team and you can gain skills from both.

Overall, it was inspiring to see so many women who are enjoying success in the tech sector but it was also a good learning opportunity to find out how to create workplaces that encourage this.

One panel comprising Rosie Snow, Director of Product, New Digital Propositions at Sky, Anupama Hatti, Head of Programme Delivery at NHS Blood and Transplant, Kirsty Benn-Harris, Director of Data Governance at ITV, Shoba Sairam, Data and Analytics Director at Britvic and Christine Theodore, IT Director at Admiral Group shared some real-world examples from their own organisations.

• When something good has happened, make sure you acknowledge the hard work that was put into that success, don’t come up with a separate reason first
• Shine the spotlight on others’ successes for them rather than waiting for them to do it themselves
• Provide a safe space and the ability to offer feedback but take responsibility for choosing whether you wish to listen to the feedback
• Focus on the talent pipeline and think creatively on where the talent can come from
• Show other women that there are women in tech. Publicise yourself to inspire others
• Sponsors sponsor who they see – you need to ensure you are getting your face out there. Ask for their time and opinion and provide clear reasons on why they should sponsor you.

I believe attending conferences like this is vital for women in tech if we are ever to change those troubling statistics. I know I learned a lot from my participation in the day and will be using my learnings to make Procode an even better and more inclusive workplace.