You’ve probably seen that at SR2 we’ve grown even bigger over the last couple of months and with our latest superstar Sam, who joined us on Monday. We are well outnumbering the men, with a strong female squad of 8. I wanted to introduce 3 of our new brilliant ladies to the team. Sam, Caitlin & Jaydee! I am over the moon to have them on board and also to have them as ambassadors for Women Rock, they are all going to be a big part of the brand throughout the rest of the year and beyond. Here is a bit about all of them <3SAMWHY DID YOU JOIN SR2?I’d been following SR2 since they started and loved their approach to recruitment and how they have been doing things a bit differently. it’s really refreshing to see a recruitment company that aren’t all about being salesy and making money and genuinely want to help make a difference to the local community. Plus how could I resist a IT recruitment company where the girls out number the boys!WHAT DOES YOUR DAY TO DAY LOOK LIKE?Well every morning has to start with a cup of tea, I’ve never quite managed to get myself to like coffee despite my mums best attempts! Once that’s done then I spend my day speaking to candidates and clients, meeting them and understanding what they are all after with the aim of finding people their perfect job and clients their perfect candidate!WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL?It has to be my mum, I know that’s a bit cliché but she’s is like superwoman and is always there for me and my brother with her wise words and advice. i’d love to recreate that feeling for my kids so that they look up to me as theirs one day!WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND AMBITIONS FOR WOMEN ROCK?Well aside from helping them inspire more women to get into the world of IT, I’d also love to champion the benefits of part time and flexible working for women that need the flexibility to work around family commitments.WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHALLENGES ARE FOR THE WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?As well as it being a male dominated industry one of the big things that I have noticed is the lack of opportunities within the tech industry for women (and men) who need to work part time to juggle family commitments. It’s been a big frustration of mine and something I have been doing my best to change when I have people looking for part time work. There are some extremely skilled people out there who struggle to find work because companies set out looking for a full time employee and aren’t open to exploring the benefits that a part time worker could offer. Having worked part time myself after having children it’s something I feel really strongly about and have been proactively trying to change.WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EAT AND DRINK?I’m actually a big salad eater and have it most days much to my husbands dismay as he is one of those people that hates the sound of crunching and according to him I always find the crunchiest salad there is! Aside from that I absolutely love a roast and my naughty treat is a mcdonalds! I also won’t ever say no to a glass of Rose and I can’t live without tea !WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?The Maldives, I absolutely love it. I first went when I was a kid on a family holiday and I always said that it was where I was going to go on my honeymoon so my poor husband didn’t get a say in the matter! I’m now figuring out which anniversary I can convince him to do it all again for!WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?With 2 kids, a husband, 2 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs and a dog I feel like any spare time I have is spent about running around after them! Gone are my weekends of going out horseriding and gym visits, instead they consist of softplay and kids birthday parties!WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?When shit happens turn it into fertilizer! I have no idea where this is from but I love it!WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?My mum- She is my absolute rock and her babysitting skills are the reason me and my husband still have a social life!My husband – Well for obvious reason plus I’d be in serious trouble if I didn’t say him.My friends, they keep me sane! I can’t just pick one as that would get me in more trouble than missing my husband out!JAYDEEWHY DID YOU JOIN SR2?I’d heard such good things about SR2 and the different approach they were taking with recruitment, their friendly non hassling approach and charitable work really appealed to me.WHAT DOES YOUR DAY TO DAY LOOK LIKE AT SR2?No two days are exactly the same. I get to connect and speak to great candidates looking for their next challenge and introduce them to interesting organisations… basically I get to help people every day!WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL?My mum, she’s a hero that runs her own business all whilst caring for my disabled brother and looking after 2 young children.WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND AMBITIONS FOR WOMEN ROCK?To continue to promote diversity in the workplaceWHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHALLENGES ARE FOR THE WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?Having limited female role models in the industry.Continue to promote Women Rock and give a platform for successful females in tech to inspire women looking to get into Tech/StemWHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EAT AND DRINK? THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.Italian- creamy pesto pastaCiderNot necessarily at the same time!WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?Greece- so many hidden beautiful beaches, amazing food and great peopleWHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?I do commission sketches/ portraits when I have time. Also, socialising with friends, food/ drinks.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?Life works out best for those who make the best out of how life works out.WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?My nephew- he’s a mini me, my best friend.Our family dog Disney- she’s just the bestMy mum- my therapist CAITLIN WHY DID YOU JOIN SR2?I was eager for a new challenge for some time and after looking into what SR2 are doing and what the company stands for there was no stopping me, I had to be a part of it.WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LOOK LIKE AT SR2?Trying to cool down from the stomp into work (it’s not that far but I’m an abnormally warm person), generally trying to make office life as easy as possible for our lovely team, being known as the in-house tech support and trying to juggle a wide array of tasks to support the business.WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL?Dawn French – need I say anymore?WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND AMBITIONS FOR WOMEN ROCK?I will be supporting Women Rock broaden it’s focus into the wider diversity and equality areas in the coming months – I am super excited to see what the second half of 2018 has in store for this amazing movement!WHAT DO YOU THINK THE CHALLENGES ARE FOR THE WOMEN IN THE INDUSTRY?Just not having a loud enough voice – society is changing and we’re also adding to that change which is great!WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EAT AND DRINK? THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.EVERYTHING – I am seriously not fussy when it comes to food and drink so I love most things but you can’t beat an Italian and lots of wine!WHERE IS YOUR FAVORITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?Cornwall, I lived there for 3-years and have well and truly fallen for it’s wild, rugged and sometimes weird charm.WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?Making the most of living in such a vibrant city.WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE?No rain no flowers.WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?My very patient boyfriend for just generally being a top human being, Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) as he is my spirit animal and Oliver my next door neighbours cat who I have secretly adopted as my own.  Thanks girls#womenrocka voice of diversity in tech@womenrockbristol

Afroditi Konidari is the CEO and co-founder of the Cardiff based start-up TenderTec. She shares her touching story of how the tech for good company got started and the passion and drive behind what they do. They have created personalised technology that is able to sense emergencies within the homes of seniors, so if you are living away from your loved one, if anything were to happen it wouldn’t go unnoticed and allows seniors and vulnerable people to keep their independence. Genius!She shares her advice for anybody wanting to start their own business, and encourages them not to let life and family plans hold you back from achieving your dreams and goals.YOU ARE THE CEO AND CO-FOUNDER BEHIND TENDERTEC WHAT DOES YOUR DAY-TO-DAY LOOK LIKE?We recently closed our pre-seed round so the past few months we’ve been busy with fundraising, growing our team and planning pilots for our next phase of development. My day to day has included engaging with investors to finalise investment agreements, interviewing on average 2-3 candidates per day, networking and submitting proposals to get pilots with Councils and care providers. Fundraising and recruiting are full-time jobs in their own right so it’s been a tough period trying to fit 48+ hours of work in a day. Having a co-founder to share the journey and the load has made it possible to deliver on all fronts.WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO START TENDERTEC?Tendertec is an inspiration from fall incidents with elder relatives in my family. My grandmother, Maria, 74 years old at the time, was living alone at her own home and in relatively good health. As she was getting ready to go to bed she lost her balance and ended up on floor. Unable to get up again or reach her pendant alarm she had just placed on her bedside, she spent the night on the floor. She was lucky enough not to get injured and to have my mom pay her a scheduled visit the next morning, otherwise she could have laid there for days. Due to the prolonged period on the floor she developed pressure sores and pneumonia, entering a downward spiral with her health after that. That incident made me think that there must be a better way for seniors to be able to get help than pendant alarms which rely on senior users to wear them 24/7.My grandmother is not the exception. Falls are the most frequent and lethal type of accident in seniors aged 65+ affecting 1 in 3 seniors in the UK every year. I have been inspired to develop technology with senior users, their carers and families participating in every stage from research to deployment to create products users love and accept in their lives. To this effect, Tendertec’s technology does not require any user engagement or lifestyle change from the side of users; you don’t need to wear anything or change your routine. You just fit Tendertec’s sensor and forget about it, knowing that it’s always on for you to rely upon.AS A FEMALE FOUNDER, FROM YOUR PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAVE BEEN THE BIGGEST BARRIERS FOR YOU?Being a female co-founder of a pre-seed tech startup involving hardware and trying to raise a significant amount for its pre-seed round has been a long 2 year journey. There are few lessons I can share as a female founder. First, speaking of first impressions, I believe that being involved with hardware has been a bigger repeller than being a female in her early 30s and pitching her first tech venture. In addition, having a PhD and a male co-founder with previous startup experience tends to even those first impressions out. In situations like these, the remedy for me has been to let my audience know my story, the motivation behind Tendertec and how my experience to date has uniquely qualified me to solve the challenge of safeguarding the independence and quality of life of vulnerable people.Another important lesson I’ve learned over the past year is to focus on investors that can share the pain you are solving. When it comes to caring for family members, women are more likely to take on caring roles than men particularly in their 40s-60s. To this end, pitching to investment funds comprising both female and male partners has been essential. This is one of the main reasons we believe we have been successful with Metevallon VC, a fund with 2 female and 2 male partners.WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS A LACK OF FEMALES WITHIN STEM CAREERS?I was blessed to be raised in a family where my gender did not dictate my parents’ beliefs regarding my abilities and potential. Therefore, I never felt that when it came to intellect I should only compete with members of my own sex or that there are jobs that are done traditionally by men or women in the workplace or at home. But I understand that is not the case everywhere. Even if you have been privileged to be born in in a society that gives equal rights and opportunities for men and women, gender stereotypes existing and continue to cause women to question their abilities. In my opinion, the bias starts at home and continues at school before entering the workplace. On the other hand, I believe that companies must change workplace culture to ensure that women are climbing an equal career ladder to their male counterparts. As women, we are gifted with the ability to bring life into this world and that should not become an impediment when building a career whether we choose to have children or not.WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO WOMEN WANTING TO BUILD THEIR OWN START-UP?I would give them the same advice I would give to anyone thinking of building their own startup. Learn to persevere and believe in your ability to learn. It’s not how many times you fail, it’s how many times you get back up and what you learn from each failure.WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Thank you Afroditi, we are very excited to see what the future holds for TenderTec!#WomenRock A voice for diversity in tech!An interview by Steph Jackson

I met with TCarta for the first time a couple of months ago, and when I started talking about Women Rock and how we were sharing the success stories of inspiring women, they insisted I met with Helena Dite who was their Technical Superstar!Helena began her journey as a Geography Graduate, where she found her passion in the technical aspect of remote sensing. She’s since explored her passions of climate change and how sensing data could provide impactful insight, combining her passions of technology and saving the world as a self-confessed digital tree-hugger. Helena is now a Technical Team Lead and involved in everything from coding to client bidding. She’s since developed a passion for encouraging more women to get involved in the tech industry and after chatting to her about our Women Rock platform, it’s been great to showcase how techie’s can come from all backgrounds and passions and the importance of diversity in the workplace!SO TO START, WHAT DOES DAY TO DAY LIFE LOOK LIKE AS A REMOTE SENSING ANALYST AT TCARTA?It’s a little mad at times, and always begins with a coffee. TCarta is a perfect place for those easily bored – no day is the same. One moment I could be helping to bid for new work, the next I mapping an entire country’s vegetation health, then the next knee deep in python. I think the beauty of remote sensing is the wide applicability across many sectors. Being part of an SME like TCarta, ensures role diversity, encourages adaptability, and provides opportunities you wouldn’t get anywhere else – which keeps it interesting. As you can probably tell, I am most motivated when I am doing different things!HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY? I CAN SEE YOU COMPLETED YOUR DEGREE IN GEOGRAPHY, WHERE DID YOUR PASSION FOR THE TECHNICAL ASPECTS COME FROM?A mixture of hard work, long hours, countless failures, and a strong determination borne from a deep seated stubbornness. I’ve had the pleasure to work with some incredible people that I have learnt a lot from. The diversity I’ve encountered having worked in councils, SMEs, Universities, and family businesses, has helped me some way in overcoming challenges in constructive ways, whilst helping me hypothesise what my current and future challenges might look like. Once I had the experience, I was able to have more choice about which companies I actually wanted to work for. I chose TCarta mainly for their ethic – they invited me on board for their journey and I’m happy to be a part of it!I actually discovered remote sensing by mistake. My passion was a combination of my love of all things geography particularly climate change and trees, my curiosity in exploring new unknowns, and ambition to do something I felt would be impactful on a global scale. Remote Sensing was by far the most interesting and challenging aspect of my degree, though it sometimes hurt my brain, I knew I wanted to pursue it by first year – who wouldn’t want to work with space?! Though if you dig down the bones of it, I’m essentially a digital tree-hugger.I CAN SEE YOU’VE RECENTLY BEEN PROMOTED TO A TEAM LEADER POSITION (CONGRATS!). WHAT 3 ATTITUDES DO YOU THINK ARE VITAL FOR A TECHNICAL TEAM TO BE SUCCESSFUL?Thank you!Introspection○ Introspection is key for a successful professional and personal life.Communication○ Most issues can be resolved through effective communication. It’s also integral to conveying technical information to non-technical audiences whilst maintaining your content.Adaptable○ Technical problems are often multi-faceted, new, and require some intense research i.e. googling! You have to work fast and be open minded to new ideas however outlandish they initially seem.FROM YOUR EXPERIENCES, WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS A LACK OF FEMALE TALENT IN TECHNICAL ROLES?It is sometimes intimidating to compete in male dominated industries, and initially difficult to get taken seriously as you can face some negative attitudes. I’ve got a fair few stories! Unfortunately I think the small number of negative attitudes do put a lot of women off. Whilst most people I’ve worked with are fine, you do get the odd pockets of outdated thinking from people who are challenging to overcome. Both women and men provide invaluable contributions to the workplace, when the relationships are maximised compliment each other perfectly.WHAT IS ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO A WOMAN WANTING TO GET INTO A TECHNICAL ROLE?Do it! Be yourself, let your personality shine through, embrace the fact you are a woman and don’t be afraid to call people out. The sector is crying out for us! Look for a dynamic and progressive company that works for you as much as you work for them. An organisation worth your time will positively foster your personal development and value your contributions.WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?Can I have two?!“If you don’t ask, you don’t get.” Mahatma Ghandi“You have to be odd to be number 1.” Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr Seuss)WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?Mike Smith, my partner who coaches me through most things on a personal and professional level. Sinead Morgan, my partner in (figurative) crime, who taught me by example to always be myself. Finally, on a professional level, Donna Lyndsay (ESA), because she’s super inspirational and a strong advocate of women in space tech. Thank you Helena, we’ve loved hearing about your life at TCarta and your general positivity!#WomenRockA voice for diversity in tech!An interview by Amy Vitoria

I met Elvie for the first time back in January and learnt about all the incredible things they’re creating and doing for women with their unique products. I instantly knew that Elvie would send a positive message on Women Rock because despite the fact the business is for women and a lot of the people who work for Elvie are women, the tech team there is still male dominated as are most tech companies. I was introduced to Clare who is the Senior Product Manager and is in the team behind the ground-breaking breast pump that has taken the market by storm! We spoke about her career so far in an industry that is expected to be worth $51.3 billion by 2025….TELL US ABOUT ELVIE?Elvie is a women’s health tech company. We aim to make extraordinary product that improve women’s lives. We’ve got two products in the market: Elvie Trainer and Elvie Pump. We also put boobs on roofs… not only do we create products – we get involved in conversation around women’s health. So this year, to celebrate Mother’s Day, we placed five giant inflatable boobs across London’s skyline to fight the stigma around breastfeeding and pumping in public!WHAT DOES A NORMAL DAY LOOK LIKE TO YOU AS SENIOR PRODUCT MANAGER?Haha, rarely are two days the same here! It’s a very varied role, one of the reasons I love it. From a daily stand-up with the app devs, to doing some user trials with our product researcher to chatting to our data scientist and then catching up with customer care to see how our products are doing in the wild. And there also might be a bit of time to turn your head to the roadmap and what’s coming up for Elvie…Top Secret!That’s a crazy mash-up of tasks and skills. You’re guaranteed to be engaged, challenged and surrounded by an awesome bunch of colleagues.WHERE DOES YOUR PASSION FOR TECH COME FROM AND WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO IT?For me it’s the application of tech to solve problems that gets me out of bed in the morning. We talk internally about Elvie being a problem company, rather than a tech company or a product company. It’s only by deeply understanding the problem space and user that we can truly harness the power of tech.YOU WERE IN AN ALL-MALE CRICKET TEAM AND THE FIRST FEMALE ON THE PRODUCT TEAM AT ELVIE. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS WHO MIGHT FIND THE THOUGHT OF THIS DAUNTING?I think venturing into what appears to be a male space, whatever the setting, is incredibly daunting! I’m lucky, with my chunk of privilege, to be ok with wandering into them, so wanted to share my positive experience. I’ve found that once you’re over the initially daunting part, it’s worth it. I’ve been welcomed for my skills and what I’m bringing to the team; gender isn’t an issue. But the best bit is that once you’re there, it is easier for others to follow your lead!WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT SO FAR IN YOUR CAREER?EASY: the launch of Elvie Pump, in October last year. It was the culmination of years of hard work from the whole team and an amazing feeling to have created something we’re really proud of.FAVOURITE QUOTE?Honestly, I’m not cultured enough to have a favourite quote… But if I was going to pretend, then google found “You can do anything, but not everything.” which seems pretty sensible. Early in my career, someone told me that one of the most important parts of developing a strategy is knowing what you’re not (doing). That idea is something I find useful to keep in mind both in and out of work.WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?I can’t choose just 3! I seem to have surrounded myself with a bunch of amazing people: people who tell me when I’m being an idiot, people who tell me they love me and people who will come on stupid bicycle adventures with me. The mix is invaluable.Thank you Clare, we love Elvie and working with you.#WomenRockA voice for diversity in tech!An interview by Darcie Cornish 

Who doesn’t love a burger right?! To everyone outside of Bristol I’m sorry that you don’t have an Oowee. To everyone in Bristol I am sure you are going to love this one. I would say that Oowee is now one of the most well known brands. Confession: Verity isn’t in IT, but she is a fascinating business woman, a good friend and all round great person who has a load of love to give to people’s cravings!I spoke to verity about the idea behind Oowee, the plans for Oowee Vegan and who doesn’t want to read about burger over lunch on a Friday?………..CAN YOU TELL ME ABOUT OOWEE?Oowee is a ‘fast’ food restaurant chain across Bristol. We have 3 sites 1 being 100 percent vegan, it started 2 and a half years ago and is owned by my love and me.WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM TO START, WHAT IS THE BEST BURGER CHAIN IN BRISTOL?Well, I wouldn’t say we’re the best but we’re definitely the most calorific and naughty! It started because we love fast food and really wanted to open a take away, so we approached the guy who owned the take away joined on to our house and he was like yeah you can have this if you like. 6 weeks later we had a take away and then we were like fuck, what do we do now!! We watched loads of Youtube videos on how to make burgers and just went for it. It was the biggest shambles of an opening we literally had the doors open for 5 mins and had to close again as we had never been professional chefs and didn’t even know how to prep. We also had the world’s biggest menu and hadn’t even had chance to practice even 20 percent of the menu. We closed for about 3 days and came back with a bang and ever since we’ve grown and improved and hired really intelligent/creative people to help us grow.HOW DO YOU JUGGLE LIFE AND RUNNING 3 SHOPS?I’m just really good at delegating. I don’t think you could physically give every shop as much time as you give the first one so you just hire people you trust who care for your business like you do, to do it.WHAT’S NEXT FOR YOU AND OOWEE?Well we’re going to grow the vegan brand, that’s the one we would like to become a multi-site chain. Hopefully we will be able to do that in London, we are currently living between Bristol and London and really enjoying London life.WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?In life it would be keeping a job in recruitment for more than 3 months without being fired. In Oowee nothing, because being a burger tester was definitely my calling and when you love Mcdonalds as much as me creating a fast food restaurant was a breeze ???? There are of course a couple challenges in running a business but there generic in all businesses, staff, suppliers, unreliable equipment …the usual.WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR WOMEN WANTING TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESS?I would probably say make sure you have some money to back yourself up. You need to be financially stable before taking on a huge financial risk as having money worries at the start of a new stressful venture is the last thing you need. Also you need to test the concept, so if there is the possibility of doing it on a trial or temporary basis first then always 100 percent do that, for example a pop up kind of thing .And try not to get feedback from friends there the most critical, get feedback from strangers.I also believe although it feels like a good idea to do something super niche and outside of the box, you really do need to make sure there is an audience for it. I see lots of people do this and it’s not worked out. If you are going to be really out there you need to have super strong branding and a following.Instgram is hands down the most important form of advertising for all business so keep it interesting and regularly post and engage!IF YOU COULD START AGAIN, WOULD YOU DO ANYTHING DIFFERENTLY?Ummmm probably nothing because all the stupid things I did have taught me a valuable lesson. I don’t mind making mistakes as they always have a positive impact after – 9/10WHO IS YOUR SQUAD:Charlie Watson- my best friend, boyfriend and business partner (only person who finds me funny)Sophie Kaur- my best friendDarcie Cornish – the funniest person in Bristol.And that’s it, Verity Foss, you are one of the most interesting, funniest humans I know and super proud of you.Keep rocking girl!#WomenRock

I sat down with Laura Fritzsche for a coffee after being introduced by an mutual friend at Equal Experts. I was told about the great work she had been doing on the ‘Healthy Start’ project with the NHS which helps to support families with low incomes by helping them with vouchers towards fresh fruit, vegetables and vitamins etc. Laura has shared her incredible work history of working with Sky as their Lead UX Designer, she confidently gives her advice to anyone thinking about changing cities, or changing their career over to contracting. She encourages everyone to believe in themselves and shares a great quote around living life to its fullest ????LAURA, YOU MOVED TO BRISTOL QUITE RECENTLY, HOW HAVE YOU FOUND SETTLING INTO THE CITY AND WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE TECH COMMUNITY SO FAR?I moved to Bristol in November 2017 after being in Leeds for 15 years so it was a big change. My husband had set is own business up in the renewables sector and with his business partner being located in the south-west, it made sense to move. We chose Bristol as a base because we really love it after having a few weekends away here and for the tech opportunities with my job as a UX consultant.YOU WORKED WITH SKY FOR A WHILE, WHICH LOOKS INTERESTING. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE CREATIVE WORK YOU DID THERE AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE MOVING UP INTO A LEAD POSITION IN THE COMPANY?Working at Sky was a great experience. I had the opportunity to lead 3 different teams during my time there. Firstly, I was responsible for a team who were essentially like an in-house marketing studio. We were responsible for everything from online adverts, tv adverts, print advertising and landing pages. I then moved into leading teams of UX/UI designers and frontend developers embedded into Agile scrum teams. The main challenge for me was not being a female in the company per se but shifting the mindset of designs that are created collaboratively, tested with users and any further priorities derived from user research. Overall, I learnt a lot from working with a diverse, talented bunch of people and on a wide variety of projects!YOU MADE THE PLUNGE INTO CONTRACTING! AS A RECRUITER, I FIND THE CONTRACT MARKET A LOT MORE MALE LED, WHY DO YOU THINK WOMEN ARE MAYBE A BIT MORE RESERVED WHEN THINKING ABOUT MOVING INTO CONTRACTING?For me, I had an idea that contracting was not as secure as having a permanent role and also that there wasn’t as great a market for UX contractors as there is for say software developers. I was completely wrong! I originally went into contracting as a stop gap until I found the ‘dream job’ and I can quite honestly say it was the best move I ever made. It would be really difficult for anybody to convince me to take up a permie role again. Perhaps other women have the same reservations as I had or never really saw it as an option in the first place?IF YOU COULD LITERALLY GO BACK IN TIME AND GIVE YOURSELF ANY ADVICE WITH ANY BARRIERS OR CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED WHILST BEING A FEMALE WITHIN A MALE DOMINATED ENVIRONMENT WHEN YOU FIRST WENT INTO CONTRACTING, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOURSELF?I can honestly, hand on heart say say that being in a male dominated environment has made no difference to the way I work. I have been very lucky to work with extremely talented, kind people. I would just say believe in yourself, stand up for what you believe in and be open and honest with who you’re working with. Empathy goes a long way in work and life in general.WITH CONTRACTING, YOU MUST HAVE TO ADAPT RATHER QUICKLY INTO DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTS. BUT IF YOU COULD USE YOUR UX DESIGNING SKILLS TO MAP OUT YOUR IDEAL WORKING ENVIRONMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE?My recipe for ideal working environment is all about the people you are working with:• Working with people who have mutual respect for each others skills and experience• Working together to solve problems• Listening and contributing in equal measures• Close stakeholder engagementA nice office is great, but the teamwork makes the dream work 🙂THE HEALTHY START PROJECT YOU’RE WORKING ON CURRENTLY SOUNDS AMAZING, WHAT IS YOUR ROLE WITHIN THE PROJECT AND HOW IS IT ALL GOING?I’m an interaction designer working in an Agile team of designers, developers, business analysts and a delivery lead for Healthy Start (as part of Equal Experts working with the Department of Health and Social Care). For those not aware of it, It’s an amazing scheme that supports families on low incomes by giving money to pregnant women, babies and children under the age of 4 towards fruit, vegetables milk and infant formula. Our goal is to digitise the scheme and make the application process as accessible and easy to use as possible. We are currently doing cycles of user research with our prototype every 2 weeks, testing a new iteration each time. There’s loads to do, but it’s been fascinating so far!WHO WOULD BE IN YOUR SQUAD?My husband, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Richard Ayoade, Sara Cox and my best friend JacquiWHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. – Ferris, from Ferris Bueller’s Day OffThanks so much Laura.#WomenRockA voice for diversity in tech.

Absolutely buzzing to share this story with you! I was introduced to Layla from Matt Gilliard after meeting him at CodeBar Bristol where he coaches our students. Matt told me all about Layla and TwilioQuest & Tea (read below about this.) I had to connect and get to know her! After speaking with Layla she blew my mind within the first couple of minutes. Not only is her career journey one of encouragement and positivity, she also is heavily involved in the tech scene and travels around the world attending tech conferences and even talking at these events. And then there’s the UK tour of TwilioQuest. (again read below about this) and I am buzzing to say that Women Rock are partnering with Twilio to bring TwilioQuest and Tea to Bristol on the 20th July. If you’re a developer or you want to be one. Read this! Also keep an eye out for details on Twilio & Tea which will be announced in the next 2 weeks.PERSONAL TRAINER TO SOFTWARE ENGINEER/DEVELOPER EVANGELIST AT TWILIO. WHEN DID YOU DECIDE YOU WANTED TO GET INTO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND WHERE DOES THAT PASSION COME FROM?I have been dabbling with code for some time before I became a web developer full time. I started with Flash and ActionScript then progressed to a little iPhone App development. I then mostly did front-end design work in my free time. I started programming with C# and .NET in 2013 when I created, with much assistance from my partner, an online booking system for my Pilates Studio. I needed to improve my programming skills to enable me to maintain my booking system. I spent the time when I wasn’t teaching Pilates studying. I have a logical and creative brain, so the challenge of coding along with the creativity you can have really appealed to me.WHAT IS YOUR ROLE AS DEVELOPER EVANGELIST AT TWILIO?That’s a tough one to answer! I do anything from write technical blogs for the Twilio website to speaking at conferences. I also do a lot of work in the community, organising events and meetups.YOU’RE A SELF-TAUGHT DEVELOPER THROUGH FREE CODE CAMP. I’M SEEING MORE AND MORE PEOPLE COME THROUGH WHO ARE SELF-TAUGHT, HOW DID YOU MOTIVATE YOURSELF TO DO THIS?I really wanted to change career so I was very strict about coding every day. I taught myself JavaScript with the help of Free Code Camp and C# by watching videos on the Microsoft Virtual Academy. I also had some pretty hefty manuals that I would take everywhere with me, even on holiday. I was inspired by the CodeNewbie podcast and thought “I could do that too” so that was also really motivating.I KNOW YOU ATTEND AND SPEAK AT A LOT OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS. WHAT’S BEEN YOUR FAVOURITE ONE TO DATE?I have to say it was New York City Code Camp. It had such a lovely sense of community even though it was in the Microsoft offices in Times Square. The organisers were great and I definitely will be attending again this year.WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHER DEVELOPERS, BOTH MALE AND FEMALE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AT CONFERENCE BUT HAVEN’T GOT THE CONFIDENCE TO DO SO?I started in my local meetup group. Many meetups encourage Lightning talks, so a quick talk that last 5 to 15 minutes. The other confidence booster is to do a talk with a friend.YOU’VE STARTED TWILIOQUEST TEA TIME IN THE UK, COULD YOU TELL ME A BIT ABOUT IT?Twilio has a gamified learning platform called TwilioQuest. It’s based on the 8-bit games of old. I have often felt the games were a little male-oriented so when my colleague Megan ran a TwilioQuest Tea Time event in Los Angeles last year, I knew I had to start them in the UK, the home of Tea Time! The events are focussed around women and non-binary individuals, with fun prizes and a real sense of working together rather than competing against each other.WHAT IS THE ONE BIT OF ADVICE YOU WOULD GIVE TO A WOMAN IN TECH?Don’t try to be ‘one of the lads’. When I started, I tried to fit in around all-male teams. I laughed at the innuendos, always wore a T-shirt and jeans, and tried to avoid being at all ‘girly’. In hindsight, I should have just been me and helped build a more balanced workplace for all genders.TWILIO ARE GREAT AT PROMOTING AND HIRING DIVERSE TECHNICAL TALENT, HOW DO THEY DO THIS?Twilio runs a series of events called AfterHours which focus on underrepresented communities. They have inspirational speakers from said communities speaking about their journies. We also have a sponsorship framework which helps us choose to sponsor events that reflect our values, thus continuing to support diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.AND FINALLY, WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?Although I am an atheist, I love the saying “God helps those, who help themselves”. I think it embodies my beliefs that to get on in life, you need to be proactive and go after what you want.Thank you so much Layla, your story is great and I cannot wait to follow you in your career and bring Twilio & Tea to Bristol in the summer!#womenrockA voice of diversity in tech.

I first met Michelle 6 months ago when she was looking for a new role in Tech! Michelle has been a software developer for 4 years although wanted to take a step back from coding and try out a new challenge, but still staying within the tech industry which hasn’t come as easy as riding a bike. She is a great example of empowering women in tech and also has a passion for cycling where she promotes women in the sport too. Together we’ve explored a few options and we are really close to finding her dream role! Here’s her story and thoughts on the tech industry.MICHELLE, YOU WERE A WEB DEVELOPER FOR SKY FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS.. TELL US ABOUT YOUR TIME THERE?I started at Sky working on different areas of the Sky.com website, including things like Broadband Shield Settings and the PayPerView events page which was interesting when there was a major boxing event causing significant spikes in traffic. The company decided to move that department to Leeds in a money-saving exercise, and I was then assigned to the new NowTV team responsible for rebuilding the web apps for the launch of a new product. We had the fun of deciding the full tech stack from the start as a team. We decided on using ReactJS which meant I went from being a Ruby developer to a Javascript developer. I enjoyed my time at Sky, I worked on enthusiastic teams with positive attitudes.WHAT MADE YOU GET INTO SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT?I quit a job that was not working out how I’d envisioned and was considering various options when I saw an ad for Makers Academy, a 10 week coding bootcamp. I’ve always enjoyed computers, there was always one in my house even before that was the norm, but I was under the impression that software development wasn’t for me, perhaps it was the 2000 page C++, .net or Java reference books I’d seen. So when I saw the ad for the bootcamp I thought, if they think they can teach me to code in 10 weeks it can’t be as hard as I thought and after only 10 weeks I would have a good idea if I liked it as well.YOU WERE PART OF CYCLING’S UK’S 100 WOMEN IN CYCLING 2018 – HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE AND INSPIRE WOMEN TO TAKE PART IN CYCLING?My way of inspiring other women to give cycling a try is to be an example, someone who isn’t an athlete getting out there and enjoying it. Hopefully being relatable will make someone think that they should give it a go. I also try to show it doesn’t have to be complicated, we women have enough complications in our lives and cycling should be fun! In future, I hope to tell stories of other women who cycle. I’ve met so many inspiring women who have challenged (and surprised) themselves with what they can do on a bike.WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN A YEAR?I recently relocated to Bristol from London, I’m currently looking for a role with a company doing something that excites me. If all goes to plan, I’ll be working with a great team on something I feel passionate about enjoying Bristol and the laidback South West lifestyle.WHY DO YOU THINK THERE’S A LACK OF FEMALE TALENT ACROSS THE TECH SPACE?I think the reason is similar to why there is a lack of women in cycling. Women don’t see it as an option for them because they don’t see other others they can relate to doing it, so they don’t see it as an option for themselves. I also feel there’s a misconception about what the work is like. I found it to be much more about creative problem solving than I realised. It would also be great to see the tech space do more to address the work-life balance issues which would attract and keep more women and prevent the burn out that you see developers face after years of coding.WHAT’S ONE PIECE OF ADVICE FOR SOMEONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN GETTING INTO TECH?There’s a lot to know, and it changes quickly. You will never know it all, learn where and how to find help and get yourself unstuck, that’s a skill that will serve you well.WHO’S YOUR ROLE MODEL?Annie Londonderry, the first woman to cycle around the world (in 1894). She was married with 3 children and only learned to ride a few days before she set off. I love the thought of her handing the children to her husband and riding away. Her bike was super heavy, the clothes women wore at the time weren’t exactly cycling friendly, and she carried a pearl-handled pistol. She was a very determined women not afraid of a challenge and some logistics – No Excuses for her, which is a mantra I try to live by.WHAT IS THE ONE APP ON YOUR PHONE YOU COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT?Not an easy one to answer! I’d have to say Dashlane, it’s my password, ID, credit card, secure note keeper app. I’d be lost trying to remember all my passwords. It also tells me when a website has been breached so I can change that password.Thank you Michelle, you rock!#womenrockA voice of diversity in tech.

One of the things we love most about working in Runway East is we are constantly rubbing shoulders with mega talented techies, often from awesome, game-changing companies…None more exciting than our next door neighbours (+1) huggg!huggg make spreading happiness about as easy as it can be. Their product enables the sending (and receiving) of treats from coffees to cocktails, cinema tickets to ice cream. It’s awesome. If you don’t have the app – download it now!!Paul’s built a great team since launching and I caught up with a few of the ladies and him to run through their careers and what life is like at huggg.Follow on social:Twitter: @huggg_ukInstagram: @huggg_ukMEET THE TEAMOlivia Red O’Brien – PR + Communications Manager.Caragh Jones – Partner Communications.Claire Sharpe – Community Manager.Becky Smith – B2B Strategist.Ashley Porciuncula – VP Product.Paul Wickers – Founder & CEO.PAUL, FORBES LISTED HUGGG ONE START-UP TO WATCH FOR 2019, COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE COMPANY?huggg is a platform which enables friends to send real things to one another, in messages.So, imagine your friend is having a bad day and you want to cheer them up. You can use huggg to send them a coffee, cake or cinema ticket emoji, which means you just paid for them to walk next door and pick up the real thing.It’s like a message, sprinkled with a touch of magic.YOU SPENT YEARS IN FINANCIAL SERVICES, WHERE DID THE IDEA OF HUGGG COME FROM?The idea came, whilst I was at work. I was researching the greeting card market for a project, and wondering if we do everything – from finding a spouse to heating our homes – from the comfort of our very own smartphones, why can’t we do the same for a real-life cup of coffee, cocktail or cupcake?The rest, as they say, is history!YOU HAVE GROWN VERY QUICKLY AND BUILT AN AMAZINGLY DIVERSE TEAM … HOW HAVE YOU DONE THIS?We guide everything by one simple principle – do the right thing. So when it comes to hiring, we don’t just pay lip service to diversity, we try to make a point of making sure that we root out any prejudice in the way that we hire.So, for example, we run the job ads through software that spots for language that injects unconscious bias. And we place our diversity language at the very top of our job ads, not at the bottom, to make a statement as to its importance.It would be impossible for us to build a mass-appeal product without understanding all corners of our audience, so diversity is key in helping us to do that, but, honestly, that’s not the driver.WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGTH?Holding huge quantities of detail and logic in my head and being able to recall and apply it fast.WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?Not being able to keep bad jokes from somehow finding their way out of my mouth.WHAT’S NEXT FOR HUGGG?We are about to, simultaneously, launch national supply, undertake our first integrations into other people’s audiences and undertake some large B2B projects. Doesn’t sound stressful at all.WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?That’s not fair. I have a wife and 4 children for a start, so I’m screwed whichever way I answer that!WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?”That really low one we got when we had our windows done”Thanks Paul, love the business and your dad jokes!LADIES, HUGGG HAVE A REALLY DIVERSE TEAM. HOW DO YOU THINK THIS HAS BENEFITTED YOUR ROLE OR THE BUSINESS?Olivia: Having a team made up of people of all genders, backgrounds and ethnicities is so important to us at huggg. If you don’t enrich your workplace with diversity and varied experience, you’ll end up limiting your business and excluding audiences without even realising it. We want to talk to everyone and get the whole world huggging – and in order to do that we need to listen to as many voices as we can.Caragh: When you’re working on a new product or communicating something new to the world, diversity of feedback and ideas is so important. And how has it benefited me or my role? Well, I love the team I work in and learn new things from them everyday. If you’ve not gained a new perspective or learnt something from your team members in a while, you probably need to switch things up a bit…Claire: I’m lucky in my role at huggg. I get to speak not only to our wide range of users, but also the entire team either to feedback thoughts from users, or ask their opinion on suggested features. Having such a wide range of opinions to draw from really makes my life a lot easier and gives me the chance to reconsider my own position on things. Plus it just makes for a fun office and really good lunchtime chat.Becky: The diversity of the huggg team has helped me in my role, as our different job experiences and skills complement each other, so there’s always useful insights and opinions to make the most of.It also helps huggg meet our users needs because our diverse life experiences ensures we can relate to more of our users, whether it’s Millennials, mums, marketers or managers.Ashley: We don’t see diversity as a nice-to-have or a luxury. It’s a requirement to build a product that speaks to people, and a team where everyone is invested. We’re constantly challenging ourselves to bring more voices and experiences into the team, and therefore into the apps that we’re building, because we know that it’s the only way to build something that people love.WHAT IS YOUR FOCUS AT WORK GOING TO BE ON FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS?Olivia: Continuing to get huggg into the pockets of kind, generous and thoughtful humans – and making sure they love it when they do have it.Caragh: Partner marketing! So that means working closely with our amazing partners to help them market their products, build an engaged community of hugggers and have fun whilst doing it.Claire: The next couple of months is a REALLY long time at huggg. We work in 2 week sprints and priorities can change so fast. My priorities will always be talking to our brilliant community and looking after our very special power hugggersBecky: Preparing huggg go to market strategy for using huggg within business, for customers and employees.Ashley: We will continue to add new features and products into our main mobile app, and have a lot happening under the surface with our API. We’re also looking to build out the team with more developers to help us keep up with all of the amazing ideas in our backlog.WHO’S YOUR SQUAD?Olivia: I know too many amazing women to choose, so I’ll go for one from each category: I couldn’t live without my bestie Jess, my mama Charlene and the dulcet tones and general greatness of Queen Florence Welch.Caragh: Emily Coxhead (because everyone needs happy news in their life), The Black Madonna (Sashay away!), Natasha Bedingfield (release you inhibitions I hope you’re all singing it now)Claire: Lex Lethal (roller derby buddy), my not so little sister Sarah and Baddie Winkle. Serena Williams will be on standby though. That’s one hell of a squad!Becky: Ali, Helen, Katie, Ana (not 3 but I can’t exclude the 4th member of my squad)!Ashley: My partner, Daniel, who is always there to support me in every way, no matter what. Olivia, our PR and Communications manager, who I can put 100% of my trust into. She knocks it out of the park every time! And Helen Mirren, who I very much want to be when I grow up, because she is the epitome of confidence and speaking her truth.FAVOURITE QUOTES!Olivia: ” …But what if it all goes right?”Caragh: ”Busy people get more done”Claire: ”I began to realize how important it was to be an enthusiast in life…. if you are interested in something, no matter what it is, go at it at full speed ahead. Embrace it with both arms, hug it, love it and above all become passionate about it. Lukewarm is no good. Hot is no good either. White hot and passionate is the only thing to be”. – Roald DahlBecky: ”In this life we will never be apart, for we grew to the same beat of our mothers heart”.Ashley: ”Know what? Bitches get stuff done.” – Tina FeyThank you so much Ladies, you are all amazing keep rocking!