A career in technology: Is being a woman a help or a hindrance?

As I sat down to write this article, I was notified that the 2012 everywoman in Technology Awards’ finalists had been announced and I am overjoyed to have been shortlisted for the Entrepreneur of the Year award. As everywoman says, “these awards demonstrate that this profession holds a wealth of career opportunities for women and they shine the spotlight on women who are enjoying successful careers”. Therefore, in answer to the question posed, I don’t feel that my gender is an obstruction to my career in the tech sector. However, this has not always been the case.

 

When I was attending a lot of events people would assume I was anyone but the CEO. I will always remember when a man practically looked through me when I approached him and then talked down to me as if I was someone who couldn’t possibly know enough about technology to have a real conversation about it. Also, when I was eight months pregnant and still closing deals, I remember getting a few looks that said ‘you should be at home, not in a boardroom’. Incidents like that don’t make us women feel very good about ourselves but thankfully wisdom comes with age and you learn to not let discourteous and unprofessional people make you feel like you stand out. 

 

I have always viewed standing out amongst the crowd as a positive and my gender has probably helped me to do that amongst large crowds of men. I worked extraordinarily hard, had a tenacious attitude (and still do) and subconsciously I think I pushed myself that little bit harder, just in case my gender was an issue for others.

By working as hard as I possibly could, nobody could say I wasn’t as good as the next man! For example, I’m sure some opportunities to engage have come about because I was noticed more easily due to being female. When you are not the usual ‘suited and booted’ stereotype you can spark an interest. This obviously has to then be converted by proving yourself and perhaps I have always tried extra hard after getting a foot in the door.

 

I have learned that serious business people care about skills, focus and attitude rather than gender. There are a number of driving factors that I feel unite most people working in technology and that’s both men and women. They are a desire to be a trendsetter, an innovator and part of a revolutionary, exciting future. Passion and unwavering belief in a project is something that I also see every day within the technology industry. Without this almost obsessive attitude, I don’t imagine the sector would be where it is today.

 

More and more women are excelling in technology roles but there is still a slight perception of it being an alternative career choice. Although not overtly said, it can be inferred, especially by indicators such as the huge amount of media coverage two high powered tech appointments received just last year. Ginni Rometty, a computer scientist and electrical engineer, is now CEO of IBM and Meg Whitman became chief at Hewlett-Packard following her 10 years leading eBay. However, the fact that Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, moved up 61 places to fifth in Forbes’ 2011 list of the world’s 100 most powerful women, is also very telling about the shift, or acceptance, of influence from both genders in the tech sphere.

 

Women interested in entering a career in technology can take inspiration from business figures such as those mentioned above and I think that interest is on the whole increasing. Technology is much more accessible than it was 10 years ago. Whether it be smartphones, the internet or on-demand TV services, technologies are a big part of the day for millions. Therefore, women are involved with and immersed in technology just as much as men so much so that labels such as ‘geek’ are now something to be proud of. We’ve come a very long way from girls playing with dolls and becoming nurses and boys playing with cars and becoming mechanics.

 

It was this daily contact with tech that inspired me to work in the sector and the entrepreneur in me that spotted opportunities that have been too good to pass by. In 2000 it was Half.com that got me really thinking about e-commerce and was the motivator to start PriceMinister.com with Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet. More recently, it was the growth and global approval of technology through Facebook that enthused me to begin Shopcade. I didn’t start life as an inherently techy person and, like many women in the space, I suppose don’t fit the typical ‘tech specialist’ character profile. My early career was spent in mergers and acquisitions whilst sales and marketing have been significant features in roles that I have held in the Asia Pacific region.

 

When you look at a broader range of sectors, in business, politics or the media, more women are holding higher powered jobs than ever before. The ever increasing female tech evangelists are part of this bigger movement. More choice for women in education, greater acceptance of alternative family models and better guidance and mentoring opportunities are all contributing factors. Therefore, I see that being ‘techy’ is as much about being a first-class business person, as there is much to be said about adapting to current trends to get ahead in a particular sector or marketplace. Technology industries are the industries to be in right now so it is understandable for anyone with soaring business ambitions, male or female, to gravitate towards this sector.

 

It’s a really positive time for women in technology and other business at the moment. However, it’s the responsibility of those who have a degree of success to pass on what they know to help make sure opportunities continue and lessons are learnt. I’m very enthusiastic about the mentorships I undertake for the Seedcamp Investors and Entrepreneurs group as well as the NextWomen and Women in Technology schemes, which focus on informing, supporting and connecting female entrepreneurs and investors internationally. I would suggest to any women out there who are passionate about technology to get in touch with a group like this because having both business and emotional support and can make all the difference.

 

Five tips for women in technology

• 1. Find a specialist women's tech group to join or a female mentor. This support is so helpful as they will have already experienced what you are about to
• 2. Know your field inside and out and be confident about the fact that you know it. Unfortunately there will be some people out there who will insinuate that any lack of tech knowledge is because you are woman
• 3. Surround yourself with a team you trust and work well with. I have a really international, mixed gender team but you may prefer to work with other women; do what will work for you
• 4. Consider working in different geographical areas that may be suited to your venture. Women tech entrepreneurs are being well received in New York and China, for example
• 5. Being female can make you more interesting, so learn to be media savvy. The press want to write about what us women in tech are working on; don’t they BusinessZone?!