Empowering female leaders in tech on International Women’s Day

The technology landscape is constantly evolving, with a demand for innovation a big driver for change in the industry.

Looking back over the last twenty years, the way businesses operate has completely transformed; we have become much more digital, efficient, and productive because of technology.

Now, while technology itself has evolved, so has the makeup and diversity of the workforce.

In my role as Chief Technology & Operations Officer (CTOO) at HBX Group, I’m able to reflect on my experiences as a female leader in this sector and explore ways of encouraging people from more diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in the tech industry.

Challenges and obstacles for women in tech

When I was in college, there were very few women taking computer studies. In my cohort of 100 students, only four of us were women. It was normal, in the early part of my career, to be in the minority and, at times, in the extreme minority.

Throughout my career, I have seen more and more women coming into the technology and wider ‘STEM’ space, and have always made a concerted effort to support them.

I have sought to create a ‘Women in Tech’ organization in each of my roles, working to try to connect women and make sure they understand they are not as isolated as it may feel.

There are still many obstacles which can contribute to holding women back in the technology industry.

Prejudice, skepticism, and doubt about our technical abilities and comprehension persist, which can prevent our contributions from being taken seriously and subject us to greater challenges.

It is a common idea that women suffer from imposter syndrome, certainly more than men. This has affected me in the past. According to a KPMG study, 75% of executive women experience imposter syndrome.

Overcoming this fundamentally comes down to building confidence and being able to try things by accepting that the fear and doubt is there, but still pushing ahead. My experience has been that what you fear most, often doesn’t happen!

I think it’s a bit too simplistic to label the majority of women as having imposter syndrome, but understanding that you can build your own confidence and through an acceptance of the possibility of failure (but no guarantee!) you can move forwards.

The third key challenge facing women in tech is that a lot of processes in place are inherently focused on what is ‘easy’ and has been done before.

For example, when it comes to recruitment, I have seen CV lists that are up to 90% men. These hiring practices are all too common and act to entrench the status quo, all while disadvantaging women.

Although important strides have been made in terms of gender representation, there are still far too few women pursuing careers in technology and STEM.

Shockingly, in 2024, under one in ten CTOs are women, which makes me one of a small handful.

I believe one of the main obstacles preventing women from pursuing technology careers is the perception that they may not belong or have the skills to contribute. We must overcome this.

The importance of a diverse workforce

There is a persistent perception of what a technology engineer looks like and how they behave.

We tend to associate a good technologist with deep technical experience; women often feel they don’t fit and this prevents them from pursuing positions in this field.

But this image could not be further from the truth – in reality, combining ‘soft’ skills with technical ones is key to success.

Having strong interpersonal skills is incredibly useful for understanding customer needs and bringing their visions to life. Therefore, a technology engineer could come from any educational background.

I’ve worked with tech people from differing backgrounds including music, philosophy, biology, and art.

Despite not having a traditional technology background, they have all excelled in their roles and brought new perspectives to the organization.

A core part of working in technology involves listening, comprehending, and converting those thoughts into actionable instructions.

I think that the more artistic, problem solving and creative a person is, the better a technologist they become.

At the end of the day, it’s important to have a diverse workforce with different skills and perspectives.

Growing up neurodivergent, I’ve learned to approach things from a different angle.

While I am not as fast as others when it comes to mental calculations, my dyslexia and dyspraxia forced me to find different solutions, like building a photographic memory, enabling me to remember numbers on a page very easily.

The key takeaway here is to recognize and play to your strengths, even if they are initially perceived as disadvantages.

How to get more women into tech roles

Businesses could encourage more women into technology roles by hiring individuals from non-tech backgrounds.

As discussed earlier, individuals from non-STEM backgrounds have a huge amount to offer at work.

Technology is all about problem-solving, so having alternative insights drawn from different experiences can help to provide a fresh approach to issues.

It is important to me to instill the belief in people that they can be successful in technology regardless of their backgrounds.

The second approach we can take is to create an environment where women feel supported and valued – this is where HR can come in.

Ensuring there is equal opportunity for advancement and that biases are addressed is essential to making careers in technology more attractive to women.

Whether it’s having flexible work arrangements or diversity initiatives, reflecting on company practices and ensuring they are inclusive is critical.

It’s not just about making tech more attractive to women and more diverse, it’s about ensuring that the solutions that are developed using tech are fair and work with the entire population – we’ve all seen the headlines about facial recognition biases.

Changing processes and not opting for the easy solution is essential to creating a more diverse workforce in technology and STEM.

To give women equal opportunities and challenge the status quo, I would like to see educational establishments and companies (particularly HR teams) strive for resume lists made up of 50% women and to organize an equal number of interviews between men and women.

You may have to change your job descriptions, the language that you use in the adverts and to be more flexible with your minimum requirements – but you won´t regret having a more diverse workforce.

This is something that we’ve done at HBX Group to widen our talent pool and find new candidates from new places.

For those starting their careers, I would recommend going to networking events and finding mentors who can share their experiences and insights.

As a female leader with dyspraxia and dyslexia, probability would suggest that I should not be in the position that I am today.

I’ve seen great progress in the technology industry from where I started, but many problems remain.

Despite these challenges, I would urge all women with a passion or interest in technology to go for it and see where it takes them.