In 2022, organisations like Women in Tech are generating incredible social change that Forward Role celebrates and is actively a part of.
In an effort to do everything we can to enable female candidates to land opportunities in the UK’s technology field, let’s take some time to acknowledge the powerful women who have already earned their position in the spotlight.
Forward Role’s featured women in technology
Our chosen women occupy a range of c-suite executive positions, acting as crucial role models that are actively making a critical difference in the future of our industry.
How? Well, it’s simple. Their presence in positions of power hints at a world where women searching for technology roles don’t experience prejudice. Bolstered by their success, female talent should feel empowered to seize job opportunities that come their way.
Forward Role Client:
Julie Thompson, Change Manager at PGL
What is my proudest achievement so far?
I joined the PGL Group IT Team as a Business Analyst at our Blackpool site. 3 months after I started, Covid hit and I was fortunate to survive redundancy. My role was expanding to cover the Business Analysis work at our Ross on Wye site as well.
Then as a result of one of the IT managers leaving, there was a restructure across all of IT reporting lines. I was then promoted to Change Manager and now manage a Team of 8 (cross site) - 4 Business Analysts, 3 Testers and an IT Project Manager. This all happened across a short time frame of 1 year and 4 months of being with the company, 7 months of which I was on furlough.
For the Head of IT to have given me the room to grow and to have the trust in me to be capable of being Change Manager is by far my proudest achievement.
What do you hope for future females entering the industry?
I hope that females are given the same support and trust that I have received and not be judged for being a female, in what has a stigma of being predominantly a man’s world. For all females to be treated with respect and dignity, regardless of their background and/or ethnic origin. And for all females coming into the industry, to be given the same opportunities and salaries as their male peers.
Other featured women in positions of leadership in the tech industry:
1. Jane Moran, CIO and CDO at Mass General Brigham
As one of the first ever winners of Computer Weekly’s regular “Women in Tech” feature, Jane Moran has spent the last 10 years reshaping some of the world’s digital industries. From her work with Unilever as CIO to her current role today with Mass General Brigham, she has been frequently accredited for her incredible creativity and innovation.
2. Helen Yu, CEO of TigonAdvisory
Director, Fortune 500 Advisor, WSJ best-selling author, keynote speaker, and IBM Global Thought Leader - Helen Yu is a woman to watch. In 2017, she started Tigon Advisory with the goal of providing deep customer insights to technology organisations, granting her an incredible network that she uses to her advantage. Over the years, she’s built a strong and engaged following of over 15,000 people on LinkedIn - regularly boosting the voices of others in her field, like Michelle Jordan. Through her educational content and helpful advice, she is a shining star in her field.
3. Beth Dewitt, Deloitte’s “Women in Cyber” Leader
As a senior manager in data protection and privacy at one of the world’s most influential organisations, Beth Dewitt deserves her place on this list. She has over 12 years of experience, advising organisations on cybersecurity to “support program modernisation, regulatory compliance, and digital transformation”. (Source: Deloitte).
As a key player in #WomenInTech, Beth Dewitt has an incredible and influential career ahead of her.
4. Anne Marie Neatham, COO Kindred (Ocado Technology)
Since 2001, Anne Marie Neatham has been working behind the scenes to make technology and, more recently, artificial intelligence. Her work has been significant in influencing the progress we’ve made today - hence her recently-achieved promotion at Ocado.
Anne’s determination and grit are recognised across the world, believing that, to get young girls into technology careers “the encouragement needs to start early in the education system”. (Source: Computer Weekly)
5. Helen Milner, CEO of the Good Things Foundation
A social change charity, the Good Things Foundation is doing incredible work in making technology more accessible to a range of minority groups across the UK.
It all started with the wonderful Helen Milner. She believes in fixing “the digital divide” by increasing education, and, in particular, her work has successfully unlocked massive career potential for numerous women in technology.
Is technology gender diverse?
Although the industry isn’t perfect, there is good news. Progress is definitely being made - where about 26% of the UK’s technology workforce identifies as female (Source: UK Tech). This is a number that is continuing to increase.
Going forward, we’re at a turning point where diversity and inclusiveness in the industry could continue to spiral upwards; and the team at Forward Role are determined to play our part.
(Source: Deloitte)
Forward Role’s personal responsibility to diversity in technology
We’re incredibly lucky to have worked with thousands of incredible female candidates. Over the years, we’ve worked with some of the very best talent in the technology field and each one has left an impact on our team. Their strength should be celebrated. As we continue to connect people with wonderful and rewarding jobs across the UK, we remain conscious of just how crucial it is to continue holding conversations with our clients to eradicate bias in recruitment.
D&I isn't just a 'tick box exercise' at Forward Role, our FR Represent recruitment solution ensures equality of opportunity for everyone.
Work with Forward Role
As recent winners of the UK’s “Top 20 Workplaces for Women” in 2022, we’re perfectly positioned to help you expand your horizons and drive change in your industry through intelligent recruitment.
At Forward Role, you’ll find marketing, digital and tech experts who care passionately about delivering for their clients and candidates.
If you're a candidate, we'll treat you the way we'd like to be treated when making an important life decision like moving jobs. If you're a client, you can expect exceptional delivery and communication as a matter of course.
Get in touch to find out how we can work together.
