AND Digital surveyed over 200 female tech leaders and interviewed leading role models in depth; to learn about the experiences, challenges and opportunities women face in their roles as Tech Leaders.
Ahead of the event Celebrating Women Leaders in Tech: Insights & impact at Leeds Digital Festival 2024, AND Digital shares the testimonies of three female tech leaders in Leeds to get a local take on their national findings.
The headline takeaway of the ‘Rewards & Resilience’ report is that women can build incredibly rewarding careers in tech, but to do it they need to show a resilience that isn’t required of men.
Sammi West, Head of Client Services at AND Digital agreed:
“Women still take on an unfair share of home life responsibilities – particularly the mental load. Managing all of that as well as excelling in your job is tough and requires a lot of resilience so you don’t crumble under the relentless pressure.”
Nic Turner, Client Partnerships Lead at AND Digital felt this was a recurring theme throughout her career:
“Even as I grew in confidence I certainly encountered challenges in making my voice heard. I had to fight hard to be empowered to take [on more senior roles].”
But not everyone recognised the rewards/resilience dichotomy. Julie Goodison-Kinder, Principal Consultant/Head of Delivery at AND Digital, said:
“Personally, I haven’t found being resilient an issue in my career. I had a really tough childhood which gave me bags of resilience from a very early age. I think our backgrounds, upbringing, cultures, values and personalities shape how resilient we are rather than just our gender.”
One thing about which there was no disagreement was the feeling of reward the women leaders we spoke to gained from their work.
“I LOVE LOVE LOVE my job and career choice,” said Julie. “Tech is incredibly interesting and I learn new things every day about my role, about team dynamics and about myself. I am so lucky to have been given this opportunity.”
“You can almost take on several different careers working in technology as it’s evolving so fast,” added Nic. “The scope to learn new things and change, adapt, and even reinvent yourself are endless.”
The report found that women who reach tech leadership roles stay in their roles, but too often women who could be leaders but don’t get the chance, leave. We asked whether Leeds is a place where women can progress in tech…
“There is a huge amount of opportunity for women in tech in Leeds – both for those already in the industry and those who aren’t and are considering making a change,” said Nic. “There is always something happening in and around the city as well that means you can easily get involved. Leeds Digital Festival, for example, is a great opportunity for people to hear from industry leaders and make new contacts.”
Julie agreed:
“I know and work with some very talented female leaders and there are lots of them across the Leeds tech scene. I’ve always had opportunities to progress and move to more senior roles. I think I didn’t progress as quickly as I could have purely due to how I perceived myself and expecting perfection of myself. I was wrong to think that you need to do every aspect of a role perfectly before you can apply for a job. If you have a good 70% of the required skills and the right attitude, you can pick the rest of it up.”
A common feature of the stories of the women we spoke to, imposter syndrome in tech was driven by a feeling that if they didn’t code, they “didn’t count”. We asked our Leeds contributors whether that was their experience.
Sammi said:
“When I moved from my first product manager role into my second at a much bigger company, I went from dealing with an account manager from the supplier, to working directly with the devs myself. This was a massive learning curve as I was now at the coalface of technology and I realised how much I didn’t know.
“I found it so tough at first. There’s no point blagging it. Everyone can see through it when you don’t know what you’re talking about. So be brave and honest, and others will respect that and will want to help you to learn if you ask them to share their expertise with you.”
Nic shared her advice for overcoming imposter syndrome:
“It’s an evolving process, but in applying a growth mindset and being consistently curious I have acquired knowledge and learning through osmosis, [which helps to] build self-belief in your skills and abilities.”
“I’ve never felt like I didn’t belong in tech because I can’t write any code,” countered Julie. “Sometimes, how we view ourselves is entirely different to how others see us and their view is usually a positive one which can help break down the imposter thoughts. Doing a reality check on what is actually happening (rather than what we think is happening) is really important.”
The people surveyed in our report showed a massive desire to support the next generation of women leaders. We asked our contributors how they felt about the strength of the female tech community in Leeds.
“I think Leeds is a really special city and I feel privileged to be working here,” said Nic. “[I’ve heard many event] speakers talk about how unique Leeds is in the way it champions community in the tech industry, rather than competition. There’s a feeling of everyone coming together for the greater good and the overall progression of Leeds.”
We asked Julie for one key step someone interested in growing their tech career should take. She said:
“Find a person [irrespective of gender] in the role you want and ask them to be your mentor. The worst that can happen is that they say no.”
What advice would our contributors offer to women entering the tech industry today?
Julie said:
“Be bold and brave and go after the scary opportunities. They will help you grow and give you more and more confidence to succeed. There is never a ‘right’ time to do this – just do it.”
Nic said:
“As I was told very early on in my career and have come to realise, building a strong network is hugely important. It can take time, but starting off small and nurturing the relationships you create can be really beneficial. It will also help people new to the industry identify things they can do to help them progress and find new opportunities along the way.”
For more insights on the Rewards & Resilience Report, join AND on 18th Sep 2024 from 12:00 to 2:00pm at Leeds’ Banyan Bar & Kitchen, and connect with other women tech leaders – discussing the realities of being a female tech leader.
Speakers include:
After the panel discussion, enjoy a networking session with industry leaders over lunch.
