My passion and purpose are for greater inclusion of diverse voices and perspectives in tech and engineering. At the moment I have what you might call a “portfolio career”. I am Global Lead for Diversity and Inclusion at AVEVA, a FTSE 100 firm leading the digital transformation of industry. In support of my work I am studying part-time for an MSc in Organisational Psychology, and I also hold several voluntary roles. I am a member of the advisory board for the Society of Women Engineers London conference 2021, and am a committee member for BCS Women, the women’s specialist group of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Through this I sit on the advisory board for TechUp Women, a pioneering programme retraining woman from underrepresented backgrounds in tech.
How did you end up doing the job you're doing now?
I started my career back in 2000 as an engineer for an aerospace firm, making simulation software. I love that software enables us to push the boundaries of what is possible in the physical world, and that set me on my career journey. I’ve held various roles building software for engineering ever since.
Of course, I have always been aware that I was one of few women in my line of work, but it only really dawned on me as a big deal after I had my first child 8 years ago. A close friend told me about the “leaky pipeline”, how women drop away from tech careers as you progress up the ladder.
I thought about the people I knew and realised I could see this around me at work. Yet at the same time, I’d met many amazing scientist and technologist mums in baby groups during my maternity leave. It simultaneously struck me as absurd and sparked my curiosity. If I can meet techy women in baby groups, where is everyone at work? It set me on a journey of learning and discovery, and in the last year has ultimately become the main focus of my work when I transitioned to my current role at AVEVA.
I believe that tech and engineering are elevated by inclusion of diverse perspectives, reaching far beyond gender, and will enable us to achieve greater things. I’m excited about the possibilities ahead!
If you could say something to yourself before you started a career in tech what would it be?
I found my way into tech via my interest in engineering. Tech is so pervasive now, and it underpins most areas of life. It means there are opportunities to apply tech to pursue all kinds of interests.
As a kid, we feel we are funnelled towards a single interest, but I don’t think this conception of the world of work is particularly helpful. Maybe you also love music, science, art, film making, finance, beauty… and that’s awesome. There are plentiful ways that tech innovation is springing up in all industries to solve challenges in completely new ways. It’s a great time to be imaginative about how tech can be applied to all kinds of fields.
What's the most challenging thing you've found about being a woman in tech?
As a woman in tech, I do feel I’ve faced some challenges that tend to be found by women more than men. One recurring frustration, especially earlier in my career, was feeling invisible and overlooked for new opportunities. I think the most challenging time though was around having my first child. I was in my 30s, well established in my job, and retrospectively I realise how much my own sense of identity was derived from the work I took pride in doing. I loved to travel and quite regularly had the opportunity to visit AVEVA’s international offices and some of our customers. Having a baby, of course, changed that practically overnight. It was a massive shift to my identity, and then coming back to work a year later was a massive shift again. But ultimately, it has led me to who I am now.
Lockdown bonus questions:
How has lockdown affected your life and your job? Are you working from home? Furloughed?
Are you enjoying the downtime or can you not wait for things to go back to normal(ish)?
Lockdown is challenging! I’m well set up to work from home, but my kids aren’t in school and are too young to get on with work themselves. My husband and I have had to become half-time teachers, so time for my work is slashed in half. Lockdown certainly isn’t downtime for me. It’s tough to keep all the balls in the air.
That said, I’m having some fun with my kids at home too! This photo with my now long-haired sons was taken today. This weekend we would have been at Red Rooster festival, which we go to each year with some friends. Instead we had a Zoom chat in the garden, trying to recreate some of the holiday vibe in the glorious sunshine!
