In a traditionally male-dominated field, female representation in the technology sector has seen great progress with women in tech taking great strides to ensure their voices are being heard and talents are being valued.
Industry research has made it clear that diversity and equality in the workplace do not only improve an organisation’s work culture but also have a significant impact on profitability and productivity.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion – they are all individually important, but when you have them all in place you create a sense of belonging, which is the best kind of work environment,” said Isabella Groegor-Cechowicz, AWS Vice President, Public Sector Sales, EMEA, in an interview with ITP.net.
Closing the gender gap in the tech world has become imperative, with tech giants, such as Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and Meta, making a great push towards diversity in the workplace.
“It has really changed, but not just for women. I once read a quote by Arthur Chan that resonated with me: ‘Diversity is a fact. Equity is a choice. Inclusion is an action. And belonging is the outcome.’ And what we’ve seen over time is that the tech sector is embracing this line of thinking and adapting their business models and recruitment practices accordingly,” she said.
“There is still much more to be done of course, but this increased awareness of the value and importance of building a diverse workforce that fosters a sense of belonging is a great thing to see happening right across the globe,” she added.
With more than 16 years of tech experience, Groegor-Cechowicz headed the global Public Services business unit at SAP before joining AWS almost two years ago in July 2020 as Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector for EMEA.
Reflecting on her personal career journey in the world of tech, she said: “Tech is something I’ve always been interested in – I’m curious by nature and believe it’s just the most fascinating sector to be working in.”
However, change in the technology sector remains slow – despite efforts to include more women, fewer than one in five IT professionals are female in many countries and global technology firms are expected to reach nearly 33 percent overall female representation in their workforce in 2022, according to Deloitte.
Speaking on the challenges hindering women from attaining leadership positions in tech, she shared: “In some instances, it starts at the job application stage. I know some women who won’t even consider a job unless they’re confident they have 150 percent of the skills required to do it, whereas men have traditionally been much more confident in their own abilities or already consider themselves overqualified for the role.”
“Long-established working patterns and models have also sometimes acted as a barrier, in most societies women have traditionally assumed the majority of child care responsibilities and this was not always compatible with progressing a career. That’s why the changes we are seeing such as job sharing, part-time, flextime and an awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance are so important,” she added.
With that, empowering and encouraging women from a young age to explore opportunities in the world of tech is key, in which Groegor-Cechowicz shared: “Part of this is demonstrating that a tech career does not just equal coding. Tech is permeating almost every industry sector today, which is one of the things that makes it so exciting. Robotics, fashion design, music composition, Formula 1 racing, dentistry, and deep-sea exploration – the application of technology to innovate and create is a common theme running through all of these and can be found everywhere you look.”
“AWS is dedicated to building an ever-increasingly diverse workforce not just because it allows us to continue driving innovation for our customers, but because it’s also the right thing to do for our employees. We want our builders to know their voices and opinions are heard, to see themselves at every level in our organisation, and above all else, to feel a sense of belonging here,” she said.
International Women’s Day: How tech industry leaders are breaking barriers and driving change
Women in tech and sustainability
In line with this year’s International Women’s Day theme ‘Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow’, women in tech are also demonstrating their leadership in addressing the climate crisis and driving forward the global sustainability agenda.
“Just look at the way we monitor weather patterns, model prediction scenarios, design ever-more efficient vehicles and machines and the fantastic growth of sustainable energy sources like solar and wind farms…what do all of these have in common? The answer is tech,” Groegor-Cechowicz said.
While climate change is a global challenge felt by everyone, it disproportionately impacts women, with greater gender equality being needed to realise visions around sustainability and net-zero. With that, female leaders in technology are becoming active advocates for initiatives that will pave the way to the creation of sustainable innovation.
“What the UN says is true – without gender equality, a sustainable future remains beyond our reach. And that’s because inequality of any kind – whether it be based on gender, sexuality, race, religion, disability or any other factor – robs people of the opportunity to make a valuable and important contribution to tackling not just this issue, but so many of the problems that we face on local, national and international levels,” she said.
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