WOMEN ROCK.

The devil is in the detail, and the detail is in the data...This week's interview is fascinating as we find out more about the gender inequalities in healthcare. And who better to give us insight than Elisa Sai - Senior Director, Data & Analytics at CapGemini Invent. Elisa has worked in data analytics, within the public sector for her whole career and was involved in the recent partnership between Capgemini invent and Women in Data® as they published the paper: “Data-driven action to close the gender health gap” The partnership and paper were created to understand the role that data plays - and could play - in improving women's health outcomes - it's an incredible document and we urge you to give it a read! But before you do, hear from one of the experts! Elisa's focus and approach is so refreshing and inspiring! HI ELISA, THANKS SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO TALK TO US ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY INTO DATA! CAN YOU PLEASE START BY TELLING US WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND HOW DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE WORK YOU ARE DOING?I’ve worked in data analytics and the public sector for my whole career. I studied for a PhD in the history of art, but realised that academic life was a bit too solitary for me. I applied for a job with a consulting firm and by chance one of my first projects was working with analytics, at a time when data science wasn’t very well known. Back then, there were few people with the necessary skills, and because I had some experience working in a data-mining team as a graduate, I ended up managing the project. And that’s how my career in data analytics began.WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT? Data and AI are fascinating – the way you can draw insights from data and the impact that can be made by driving appropriate actions. My work is focused on the public sector, where it’s possible to have a positive impact on people’s lives. I also care deeply about coaching and mentoring, which I see as part of team development. I love having a team around me that is empowered and inspired, so personal development is just a natural conversation. In fact, I also see it as reverse mentoring because I get so much out of it in terms of seeing from other perspectives.CAPGEMINI AND WOMEN IN DATA RECENTLY PUBLISHED A PAPER "DATA DRIVEN ACTION TO CLOSE THE GENDER HEALTH-GAP" WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THAT?Capgemini’s partnership with Women in Data® has been a fantastic experience. There has been a lot of discussion recently about gender inequalities in healthcare and we felt we could contribute to that, applying a data lens. Together we held a workshop with about 30 senior female professionals in the field, facilitated by Women in Data®. We looked at the data lifecycle, from collection to consumption, and examined the gaps in each area and what the possibilities were. The thinking that came out of the workshop formed the basis for this paper, which itself is intended as a basis for further discussion. Women in Data® is now looking at how it can take forward actions to address the issues raised, and I hope to be a part of that process as it progresses.YOU SPOKE ABOUT DATA COLLECTION AND DATA CONSUMPTION. TALK US THROUGH THE INEQUALITIES THERE?Research shows that women can sometimes lose out from a healthcare perspective and have poor healthcare outcomes. There are varying reasons for that, but one we discussed is that some illnesses affecting only women have not been studied as deeply. Endometriosis is a good example. We heard that it can take seven or eight years on average for a woman suffering endometriosis to be diagnosed.If you think about where we get data from, it’s often from clinical trials. But the participation of women in clinical trials is not as representative as it should be – 50 per cent of the population does not translate to 50 per cent of trial participants. There are conditions or situations that exclude women from clinical trials too, pregnancy being a big one. If you’re pregnant you are often discouraged from participating in a trial and that’s a problem, not only for balanced representation but also because we then lack data about how pregnant women are affected by medications, for example. But there are other ways to collect data from women. Data can be automatically donated by health-tracking apps, for example, but women have to have confidence that it will be used for the right purposes. In her recent podcast, Caroline Criado Perez, author of the book Invisible Women, has spoken about how in the United States, after the Supreme Court ruling on abortion, there has been a lot of concern around women who have provided data around periods and their health, because of the information that can be drawn from it. Could that information potentially be used against them in a legal context? The lack of clarity in this space does not encourage “data altruism” and the desire to share personal data. We also discussed how fewer than 20 per cent of data scientists in the UK are women and this number is going down. Data scientists also often work in silos and are not always adequately integrated with medical professionals. There are, of course, physiological differences between men and women, and when data is not disaggregated there is a risk that valuable information is lost. All this has an impact on how women are represented in research.WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES? The workshop generated a lot of ideas – for example, the creation of a regulated body that would provide standards on how private organisations work with the data provided. Rules on data collection to analysis could help women feel confident handing over data. The certification would guarantee that a person’s data can only be used for scientific or research purposes. We don’t have all the answers yet, but having these discussions helps. We’ve seen in other areas how conversations like these can lead to real changes in regulation. This is the first step. I think more work also needs to be done to understand the role of data both in terms of opportunity and risk, and what can be achieved.WHO IS BEST PLACED TO DRIVE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION IN AN ORGANISATION?I think it’s everybody’s responsibility. When we talk about inclusion and diversity, we are not just thinking in terms of gender. It’s about diversity in all its forms, and the recognition of our biases, so we can change our behaviour. It’s also about recognition that one size doesn’t fit all. For example, I’ve had a lot of discussions around work-life balance and how to help working parents, and that benefits a lot of people. But that’s not the case for every single woman. For me, when I came back from maternity leave, the most important thing was having someone help me progress my career very fast – that’s what I wanted. Sometimes, in the spirit of encouraging diversity, we can end up falling into stereotypes.FINALLY, CAN YOU LEAVE US WITH YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE? “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realise this and you will find strength” – Marcus Aurelius I can be affected a lot by events and I need to keep myself in a steady space, regardless of what has happened. So, I like this idea that you can train your mind and have power over what happens within it. Traditionally, particularly in certain fields, women often find they’re the only woman in the room. How do you deal with your thoughts around that situation? It comes back to my passion for coaching and personal development – mastering the ability to control your mind and nourish your thoughts.Thanks Elisa you rock 🤘Interview by Charles Hoskins

‘’Building up my own self-confidence and self-belief that I am a product manager, and a good one! I’ve always struggled with imposter syndrome, and never felt completely comfortable or confident in myself as a chemist, or as a management consultant. It’s been a rollercoaster ride as a Product Manager too, but for the first time I felt that I was really able to add value, and could make an impact that not just anyone, anywhere could do.’’ Heather Miles‘’Emphasise your transferable skills. While you might be starting from scratch in a particular industry, you are not new to the world of work. Highlight the skills you have picked up from previous roles on your CV and when interviewing. Whether it’s managing projects or working with clients, all of your previous skills are extremely valuable and could set you apart from other candidates with less work experience.’’ Zena Zerai‘’It is not always a bed of roses: there are many days you doubt yourself; you feel frustrated because you are used to producing results quickly in your previous job, and you have to remind yourself that you are starting again, and beginnings are always hard. It is difficult to ignore the “impostor syndrome” lurking behind you when you are the older person in a meeting, and maybe the less technically experienced.’’ Maria Valero Gonzalez Those are just a couple of snippets from 3 awesome ladies from Kin + Carta who have shared their successful journey from Law and Chemistry to User Experience Designer, Data Engineer, and Product Manager and so excited to share their stories for the world to hear. We are Tech Women quoted ‘’Technology has traditionally been a male-dominated field, with a persistently low representation of women. Tech Nation’s recent survey found only 19% of people working in tech are women. On the flip side, many employers are actively seeking to address this disproportionate representation by changing their hiring practices and engineering team environments to be more inclusive to women.’’ The challenge these employers face is that the traditional recruitment process relies on university graduates with computer science degrees. Not only are 80% of these graduates’ men, but also the three-year study period means current roles can’t be filled quickly. Today any changes made that positively impact course demographics won’t impact the hiring pool until at least 2024.In a bid to resolve the current skills gap, I and we are seeing companies updating their new hire processes and considering candidates from other educational backgrounds, such as tech academies and boot camps, creating a more accessible path for women wanting to pursue a career in Technology.Grab a kombucha, a cuppa, flat white and have a read of this beautifulnessZENA, MARIA, AND HEATHER PLEASE COULD YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU DO?Heather: I’m a Product Manager at Kin + Carta, which is a digital transformation consultancy. Distilled to its simplest interpretation, being a Product Manager means I’m responsible for ensuring that the products we’re building deliver value for both users and our clients’ businesses. In practice this means I work very closely with our clients and their customers to understand business and user outcomes, pain points and opportunities, and I work collaboratively with my team to decide on the best way to solve these. Internally at Kin + Carta I also help lead up our Product Practice - helping support and coach other Product Managers.Maria: I started in Kin + Carta as a Backend Engineer, and after six months there was an opportunity to join the Data team for a project, and that gave me the opportunity to start working with data manipulation tools, and I got hooked on the mix of managing data transformation applications and pure coding that felt more flexible and creative. The work goes from data modelling, looking for ways to organise data that will make the access and work more efficient, to handle transformation to maximise compression and optimise space used, and present the information in the best manner through reports: it covers a lot of different skills and expertise that makes my daily work very diverse and interesting.Zena: I am currently a Senior UX Designer, which in essence means I create end-to-end experiences across digital products that are enjoyable, user-friendly, and valuable for real users. This can involve anything from carrying out research with real people to understand their needs, sketching or wireframing out designs or helping to shape the overall strategy of a product. Prior to changing to UX, I worked for 7 years as a Radio Plugger, most recently at Universal Music. I worked with the likes of Rod Stewart, Gregory Porter, and Andrea Bocelli (basically all your mum’s favourites). Before that I studied law, so I’ve actually changed careers more than once!WHERE DID YOUR PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY COME FROM AND WHAT WAS IT THAT MADE YOU MAKE THE SWITCH?Heather: Working in tech always seemed very exciting but I didn’t really know how to get into it, I assumed as I couldn’t code it wouldn’t be an option for me. No one I’d ever spoken to about careers during school or university had ever even mentioned it as an option.Having said that, I’ve always been curious about how things work, physics and chemistry were my favourite subjects at school and I went on to study chemistry at undergraduate and PhD level, but found academic research a really tough environment and, whilst I was interested in understanding how things worked, I just wasn’t as passionate as those around me for the nitty-gritty of lab work and didn’t enjoy working on a project alone.The bits I loved were the projects where I was working closely with a team - for instance designing and building a new piece of experimental equipment - my first real product! I found I was very good at explaining complex concepts to others (at scientific conferences and public science fairs). I also loved the process of hypothesising about something, gathering and analysing data and bringing it all together to draw out conclusions.After completing my PhD, I made my first career jump and joined a management consultancy which focussed on operational efficiency (improving processes in manufacturing and logistics). Whilst I learnt a lot, for a variety of reasons it didn’t work out and within a year I found myself back at the beginning again trying to decide what was next.Maria: I have always been naturally curious, and love learning new things: Back in the start of my career I dabbled on programming and databases, and I loved how trying to solve issues and resolve challenges made work feel like I was just having fun, but my job at that time ended up developing more into the business part. At a certain point, I thought I wanted to go back to work in something that will challenge my logic skills and made me learn new things constantly; as it was already more than ten years since I worked on something technical, I chose to join a Coding Bootcamp and train to re-enter the workforce as a software engineer.Zena: When I was working in music, I began doing some basic coding courses online and did a digital marketing course in my spare time. This sparked my initial interest, as I’m always looking to learn new skills. I loved the fact it was a completely new sector with the opportunity to continuously learn.HOW DID YOU DECIDE A PRODUCT MANAGER, DATA ENGINEER AND UX CAREER PATH WAS RIGHT FOR YOU?Heather: I’d never heard of a Product Manager before applying for this job and wasn’t aware that anything like that role existed. A close friend who is an engineer suggested that it would be something that would really suit me, so I did a bit of research and it looked promising - a way of combining my love for understanding how things work with my enjoyment of building things as a team, whilst also making the most of my strengths working with people and communicating complex ideas in a simple way to bring people on a journey (so much of product management is stakeholder management, building consensus around an idea, etc.)I looked for courses to help me get more experience and decided to take an intensive week-long Product Management course at General Assembly. It was a bit of an investment, and I was lucky to be in a position to be able to do this, but it proved to be incredibly valuable as it not only gave me the opportunity to ‘test out’ the role, but also showed potential employers that I was proactive in applying my skills in this new area (and ended up being part of the reason why I was hired by Kin + Carta).Maria: I already knew I enjoyed working on software development, and once I started working in Data engineering I could link some of the things I used to work with, and in many ways also unlearn things are not applicable anymore, but the same principle applies: making mistakes is just part of the process, it is not something that is inherently negative, but is just another path to write off in order to map out the labyrinth.Zena: After doing some coding courses, I reached out to an old boss of mine and mentioned I was looking for a change but that I was unsure of what direction to take. He suggested I look into a career in UX design. He had a friend who had changed to UX a few years back who was extremely happy and successful. However, the term ‘UX’ was completely alien to me, so I did a hefty amount of research online about what the role actually entailed. I also read an amazing book called ‘The Design of Everyday Things’ by Don Norman.What followed was research into available UX courses including courses with General Assembly. I decided to try out a 2-day weekend boot camp. This was great as it gave me a taster of what the course and a job in UX would really be like without committing to anything and I was hooked! It was really exciting as UX is the perfect combination of being creative but also analytical, which I was missing from my previous roles.WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE TO DATE?Heather: Building up my own self-confidence and self-belief that I am a product manager, and a good one! I’ve always struggled with imposter syndrome, and never felt completely comfortable or confident in myself as a chemist, or as a management consultant. It’s been a rollercoaster ride as a Product Manager too, but for the first time I felt that I was really able to add value, and could make an impact that not just anyone, anywhere could do. A huge part of overcoming that has been finding a place where I feel incredibly supported and valued - and Kin + Carta has always been that for me.Maria: It is not always a bed of roses: there are many days you doubt yourself; you feel frustrated because you are used to producing results quickly in your previous job, and you must remind yourself that you are starting again, and beginnings are always hard. It is difficult to ignore the “impostor syndrome” lurking behind you when you are the older person in a meeting, and maybe the less technically experienced. Luckily for me, I have a great manager and fantastic colleagues, who support me and give me a reality check over my contributions and progress to get me out of my head.Zena: After I finished the course, the first couple of months looking for a job were quite nerve-wracking and stressful. Not only is everyone on your course looking for elusive junior UX design roles but you’re also competing with the rest of the industry and with people with more experience. Quite often I would send out applications without any replies. I recall wondering whether I’d made the right decision to give up my job and at times was tempted to settle for any role I saw. However, I’m glad I didn’t settle and waited until I found something that was right for me, which is how I ended up at TAB (The App Business) which is now Kin + Carta.WHAT IS THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE THAT YOU RECEIVED WHEN YOU WERE SWITCHING OUT OF LAW/MUSIC AND CHEMISTRY/CONSULTING INTO YOUR ROLE IN TECH NOW? Heather: I was incredibly lucky to have a huge number of people who were generous with their time to act as sounding boards and give me advice to help me work out what I should do next. One of the most useful bits of advice I was given was to make a list of all the things I liked about my current role and all the things I didn’t. I then used this list to assess potential roles and organisations more analytically (from reading websites, reviews and through interview questions) - to really understand what I’d be doing day-to-day and whether or not I’d actually enjoy it. It’s something you need to spend time on though, it’s not a 5-minute exercise. If you find yourself writing things like ‘fast paced’ and ‘problem solving’ - try to go a level deeper as every job description will list those things.I can’t remember exactly what was on my list, but it was things like:Likes: external motivation (the right deadlines can be very useful - the PhD was incredibly lacking in these!), not being sat behind a laptop all day (going out and investigating things), building things (actually having practical outputs to my work), helping people to understand things (communication, coaching etc.), working with people who care about what they’re doingDislikes: pointless deadlines (often causing late nights/poor work-life balance), working on a project on my own, working away from home all week, the types of problem I’d been tasked with solving (often too abstract and not fulfilling to solve)Maria: “Success comes from having the right mindset rather than intelligence, talent or education. People with a fixed mindset believe that they're born with certain intelligence, skills and abilities that cannot change. (...) Intelligence and ability can be nurtured through learning and effort. Growth-minded people see setbacks as a necessary part of the learning process and bounce back from 'failure' by increasing effort.” - it is from “Mindset”, by Carol Dweck. In a nutshell, we are not born with a set of immovable aptitudes, but we can develop the skills we need through effort and work.Zena:  Emphasise your transferable skills. While you might be starting from scratch in a particular industry, you are not new to the world of work. Highlight the skills you have picked up from previous roles on your CV and when interviewing. Whether it’s managing projects or working with clients, all of your previous skills are extremely valuable and could set you apart from other candidates with less work experience.WHAT’S YOUR ADVICE FOR ASPIRING FEMALES AS THEY PLAN THEIR CAREER CHANGE?Heather: Some purely practical advice - think about crafting a skills-based CV (rather than a chronological one). It’s likely if you’re a career changer that your experience in previous roles won’t directly map to the requirements of the new role, and it can be hard for busy recruiters/hiring managers to see past this. So, start with the requirements of the new role. If they need “stakeholder management” or “prioritisation skills”, then list underneath those headings all the experience you have from any previous roles in those areas. Hiring managers can then easily check down their list of requirements and see that you’re a great match for their key skills. It can still be useful to provide a chronological list of roles but do this in a really streamlined way (no more than one line per role, and further down the page).In the event that you’re lacking experience in one or two areas - don’t be deterred (and go read this article)! I was definitely in this position and used my cover letter to explain (and give evidence for) the fact that I was a quick learner and that I’d already showed initiative to learn (the course I took and the research I’d done).In terms of more emotional advice - if you struggle with imposter syndrome, a career change can definitely be a trigger. Make sure you find the right role and organisation where you feel safe and supported enough to get regular feedback, and also where you’ll get the recognition you deserve. Be open with your manager if you can and ask for feedback and reassurance if you need it. As well as getting valuable constructive feedback to help you develop, make sure you’re getting positive reinforcement when you need it. I keep a log of all my positive feedback and successes so that even when I doubt myself and don’t feel confident, I can look at the evidence of what I can do and learn to ‘back myself’ anyway.Maria: Yes, you can do it.No, it is not too late.No, I am not the exception, and you can do it too.Go to pages with free resources like Codeacademy, choose a language like Ruby, Javascript or Python, and see if you like the process, if it is something that makes you smile once you figure it out, if working on something like this is something you will enjoy. And if it is, there are plenty of forums and resources to start your way into programming before you decide to invest in something like formal education, an apprenticeship or a boot camp.Zena: Do your research upfront about what the role will be and speak to people who have already made the change. Often when you’re changing career you will be starting from the bottom. This may mean a drop in your salary and also means you may know less than your colleagues when you start. However, if you do your research about what the role entails and it is genuinely something you know you will enjoy and be good at, then all of those things will feel like less of a challenge, and you may even progress quicker. Additionally, before I quit my job to do the UX course, I reached out to people that I didn’t know on LinkedIn that had changed careers and done different courses to chat about their experience and make an informed decision.WHAT GAVE YOU THE FINAL PUSH/ENCOURAGEMENT TO MAKE THE CAREER CHANGE?Heather: In a strange way I was lucky, as I was unemployed when I was looking to make the change - so the decision to ‘jump ship’ had already been made for me. The decision I needed to make was “what to?”. I could have played it ‘safe’ and taken a project management role in the public sector, which I was qualified for but not excited by, but instead I chose to take the risk of the slightly more unknown and have never regretted it for even a second. I think the final bit of convincing was walking into Kin + Carta’s office for my interview and meeting the people I’d be working with - I felt instantly at home.Maria: I realised I still have too many years in front of me to be stuck in something that did not make me happy or excited to go to work. I think most of the time you don’t realise how much of a routine you are in, and how often you just continue your daily life out of habit. You don’t really see how much more capable you are until you try. I had to take a step back into thinking what were the things I enjoyed most, and what have I done in my professional life that keep me interested and what could I do to make that into my full-time job.Zena: Honestly it was just excitement and interest around the topic and the course. I wanted to start right away after I did the boot camp!WHATS NEXT FOR YOU ALL?Heather: Over the past 5 years, I’ve developed and progressed faster than I ever thought possible from an associate/mid-level Product Manager just starting out to a Principal level helping lead up a whole group of PMs. I’ve built up my confidence along the way, and whilst with every step forward I’ve found that same old imposter syndrome tries to rear its ugly head, I’ve never felt more comfortable in myself and my abilities as I have done the past couple of years, and I’ve really enjoyed the journey.The next step for me is going to be quite different again (you could call it a career change of a different nature?!) - as I’m going to become a mum in March next year! I thoroughly expect to go through the same rollercoaster of excitement, fear, imposter syndrome and enjoyment that I’ve experienced in my professional life, and then the potentially even greater challenge of working out how to balance that with my career going forward. I feel incredibly lucky to have an amazing partner and an incredibly supportive employer and colleagues and between these two things I’m confident that this will be another exciting step forwards for me.Maria: So many new things to learn! It keeps work fresh and interesting, and you keep your brain awake and engaged. The best part is that there are always new developments in the tools we use, in the way we can optimise processes, make them more efficient, faster, and easier to use. Data nowadays is not only linked with understanding better how people act, and what motivates them, but also how to make that knowledge more sustainable and less polluting.Zena: With UX there are so many areas to learn. I’m always looking at different ways I can upskill. At the moment I am looking at increasing my quantitative research and strategy skills. I recently completed a few courses with Nielsen Norman Group - they are leaders in the UX field. Next, I would like to look at how we can combine data with user research in our client projects.Separately I’m also heavily involved in helping lead our affinity group at Kin + Carta, where we represent our black and brown employees. I have recently been involved in helping to create the content, talks and workshops for Black History Month, check it out on our LinkedIn!IF YOU WERE A SONG, WHAT SONG WOULD YOU BE?Heather: I found this a tough one! But I think I'll go with Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. It's a lovely upbeat sounding song and I like to think of it as a song about making the most of what you have whilst you have it (we'll just skip over the part where her old man leaves her…).Maria: “Brave” by Sara Bareilles, not only the lyrics are so inspiring: “Maybe there's a way out of the cage where you live/ Maybe one of these days you can let the light in/ Show me how big your brave is”, but it reminds me that you have to keep taking risks, and that sometimes you just have to get up and do something brave (also the music video just makes me smile every time I watch it).Zena: This is hard! I can’t just pick one song…. Maybe ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough’ by Marvin GayeWHAT IS YOUR GO TO LIFE QUOTE OR MANTRA?Heather: I'm not sure I really have a mantra but I'm pretty optimistic as a person and I always try to find the positive in things.Maria: “Steady wins the race” … I grew up with my dad saying that life was not a 100-metres-race, but a marathon, so it is not a matter of making a quick and exhaustive effort, but to keep a constant pace and focus on the long-term objectives, even if your objectives change over time, and that is OK too, you just have to keep going.Zena: Probably a bit cliché but “trust your gut”, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve had more confidence in myself and in using my voice, it’s something I wish I had done earlier in my career(s).Heather, Maria, Zena - thank you - you all rock🤘Interview by Alicia Teagle

Women Rock advocate and all around amazing human being Evie Skinner is back to talk to us about her most recent venture - Bristol Queertech - a space, where LGBTQIA+ people can get together and talk about their shared passion for tech and generally let their hair down to momentarily exist outside the CIS heteronormative structure they find themselves in.Queertech just had their second meet up last week and SR2 had the great pleasure of sponsoring, so Women Rock ambassador Rachel Comber sat down with Evie to see how it is all going...EVIE WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? WE KNOW YOU FROM BACK IN 2020, WHEN YOU HAD YOUR FIRST INTERVIEW ON OUR WOMEN ROCK PLATFORM TO CHAT ABOUT YOUR STORY INTO TECH. SINCE THEN, I HAVE SEEN LOTS OF GREAT STUFF OVER LINKEDIN THAT YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN. HOW HAS THE PAST TWO YEARS BEEN, WHAT’S CHANGED?Hiya, it's beautiful to see you again! I'm blessed to be able to say that I've had some great changes in my life, along with the weird ones we've all been through since 2020. I've settled down long term in my beloved hometown of Stroud, got my life back after lockdown, and this year went to Pride for the first time! Good vibes! I'm very lucky.ALTHOUGH OF COURSE WE LOVE MEETING UP WITH YOU TO CHAT, THE MAIN REASON WE ARE HERE TODAY IS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR NEW TECH GROUP CALLED ‘QUEERTECH BRISTOL’ OF WHICH YOU ARE A COFOUNDER. WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM? WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE GROUP?The idea came from my visionary co-founder and colleague Harriet. They planted the first seeds of the meetup by noticing that, while Bristol has both a vibrant tech scene and a great gay/queer scene, there was no community event focussing on LGBTQIA+ people in technology like they had seen when they lived in London. Through hanging out together at work, we realised we shared a huge passion for technology and in person queer spaces! We both saw the need to create more of them, given that in London alone, the number of in person queer spaces halved during the pandemic. The aim of the group is to provide such a space, a comforting bubble where LGBTQIA+ people can let our hair down and momentarily exist outside the CIS heteronormative structure we live in. Being queer isn't all Kylie Minogue and drag shows: it's tough, especially for our trans and non-binary siblings, so it's massively important to us that the meetup should act as a support network as well as a fun techie get-together.WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE A SPACE OF LIKE-MINDED INDIVUALS WHO ALSO SHARE THE SAME PASSION?IE WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? It means everything for us to position the meetup as a community-led DIY initiative. Community led as in we take all the input we can from our participants, because they are the most important part! They've given us many ideas for upcoming events, and it feels lush to be together with others who share that passion for tech, so we're very thankful for their support.RUNNING A MONTHLY GROUP ISN’T EASY, HOW DID YOU FIND GETTING IT OFF THE GROUND? VIE WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN? You're right it takes work, especially as we want to keep it as DIY and independent as possible! We're lucky to have inspiration to draw upon from other great meetups like Codebar. There's so much to think about: from negotiating with potential sponsors, to learning to make social media that generates engagement, to developing our website in an environmentally sustainable way. It's been great learning so far! One thing that's helped get us off the ground has been the three of us networking and spreading the word. We're also very grateful to Made Tech for sponsoring our first two events, and to those who've voluntarily contributed to our open source website during Hacktoberfest.IT IS STILL EARLY DAYS HAVING JUST HAD YOUR SECOND MEET-UP, BUT WHAT ARE YOUR AIMS FOR THE GROUP, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO SEE COMING UP FOR QUEERTECH BRISTOL?November's event is a side project show and share, in collaboration with Control Shift, a Bristol based creative organisation. In our first event, we asked our participants to contribute ideas for future sessions, and we were humbled to see them give us loads of ideas to keep us completely stocked for at least the next eighteen months of the meetup! December will see us give a talk about public speaking skills, and then go on a night out. We're also thinking about co-running a hackathon, and running an expo to showcase local LGBTQIA+ speakers and business owners. Currently, there are three of us in the South West organising QTB: Harriet, Sam and I. We're also in discussions with friends in Manchester about starting a QueerTech there.WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO GO BUT IS NERVOUS/NEW TO TECH/ NEW TO QUEER COMMUNITY ETC?My advice would be to visualise all the fun you'll have at the event and imagine us welcoming you there! We're a really warm and friendly bunch and we would treasure the chance to welcome anyone who's nervous and help calm their nerves with great banter and food. Also, you can always get in touch with us directly before the event if you feel particularly nervous, maybe questioning your sexuality/gender, and we'll do what we can to help. Did I mention we have free food??THE GROUP IS BASED DOWN AT THE WATER SHED EVERY MONTH, WHY DID YOU PICK THIS LOCATION IN PARTICULAR TO BE YOUR BASE?HAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO HAVE A SPACE OF LIKE-MINDED INDIVUALS WHO ALSO SHARE THE SAME PASSION?IE WE ARE SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU BACK! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN?The Watershed is such a gem in the city. It emerged as the perfect location because it's already a very LGBTQIA+ friendly venue, and Harriet had a great experience attending the trans and non-binary creatives meetup there before we started ours. Everyone we've interacted with there has been an absolute dream: they even let us use the venue for free. Not to mention they have a cracking bar too!IF INDIVIDUALS WANTED TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS GROUP WHERE WOULD BE BEST FOR THEM TO HEAD FOR MORE INFORMATION?You can check us out at queertechbristol.com, and @queertechbristol on Instagram; or reach out to me, Harriet Horobin-Worley and Sam Fallowfield on LinkedIn.YOU ARE INVOLVED IN A LOT OF COMMUNITY AND TECH EVENTS BUT MORE RECENTLY I HAVE SEEN YOU HAVE ALSO BEEN COMBINING IN THE USE OF MEDITATION SESSIONS TO THE GROUPS. THAT IS REALLY INTERESTING TO PUT EMPHASIS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF A HEALTHY BODY AND MIND WITHIN THOSE SPACES, HOW DID YOU GET INTO MEDITATION AND HOW HAS IT CHANGED YOUR MINDSET ABOUT LIFE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF WORK?I got into meditation as a very stressed seventeen year old: I was struggling at the time, and my Mum's friend recommended me a local Buddhist group in Stroud. We all find it hard to stay present and avoid following our thoughts down a rabbit hole at times! The teachings I received at the group gave me the tools I needed to completely change my life. Since then, my mindfulness practice has enabled me to revolutionise my relationship with my thoughts, by becoming their critical observer rather than their frightened follower. I'm very proud to say that many people I've met are now meditating because I taught them at a club I started or an event I attended. When I'm having a bad day that's something lush to think about!I KNOW YOU ARE A BIG ADVOCATE FOR REDUCING YOUR SCREEN TIME, HOW DO YOU LIKE TO RELAX IN THE EVENING?My fave way to relax is any practice that involves bringing the mind home to the body: something that gives my thinking mind a break. I love playing the drums, training in karate, and I've recently started Japanese jiu jitsu as well. I always find drumming and training to be really beneficial, mainly because they help me activate a deeply relaxing state of flow and contentment. Apart from that, a good cackle with my Nan on the phone will do the trick!Thanks Evie - you rock 🤘Interview by Rachel Comber

Meet the incredible Rayhana Rahman, a Software Engineering Manager at Tech For Good, funding platform Neighbourly💙She's here for women in tech, she's here for the BAME community in tech, she's here to talk about how the menopause can have a huge impact on women's careers and what companies can do to support and empower the team throughout this period of their lives.Rayhana shows up for all these things and we can all learn a thing or two from her!Read her story today and have a think about what you can do to help make the tech industry more inclusive and diverse - it could just be sharing Rayhana's amazing Women Rock blog post!HEY RAYHANA CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF…I have always worked in IT, it was something I was interested in when I was studying my O levels. That slightly gives away my age! At the time the idea of being a Systems Analyst interested me as I liked the idea of talking to people to understand what they wanted and then making that happen.My first manager said what caught his eye when looking at my CV was the degree I had completed. I started as a report writer and then within a few months became a project manager. It was so empowering to deliver a system that supported numerous training providers who were submitting returns to the Regional Government Office for funding. That a system we implemented could collate all the individual details from each provider into one submission. This is where my desire to improve systems and make users lives easier came about. From that I did a variety of management roles to understand the needs of business and implement change. I have realised through my career that alongside this I enjoy building teams and coaching individuals to be the best they can be even if they don’t see their strengths at the beginning. That is how I found my current role as I wanted to continue to build a team by coaching and mentoring.SOMETIMES IT CAN BE DAUNTING TO TAKE THE LEAP AND CHANGE YOUR ROLE AFTER BEING IN THE SAME ORGANISATION FOR A LONG TIME. HAVING RECENTLY TAKEN UP A NEW ROLE IN A NEW COMPANY, WHAT WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING A CHANGE?I would say that the market has changed so much and there is so much opportunity out there. You will be surprised how much you match your wants to a job. Maybe you want to work remotely, maybe you want to work 4 days a week, maybe you want to work for a social impact company. They are out there, but first find the right recruitment company (like SR2), that makes a great difference! YOU HAVE RECENTLY EXPERIENCED THE MENOPAUSE AND THE EFFECT THAT IT CAN HAVE ON WOMEN'S CAREERS. WHAT WAS YOUR EXPERIENCE? WHAT MORE DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE BY EMPLOYERS TO SUPPORT WOMEN GOING THROUGH THE MENOPAUSE?My first symptom was pain suddenly in my left shoulder that I thought was repetitive strain injury for which I was given very strong painkillers, but I didn’t know it was the start of the menopause. I was naïve, I thought I’d gone through all the symptoms, and it was plain sailing. Actually I had put many of the signs down to too many meetings, maybe overworking myself. It was actually after an interview when I found I was still upset. I thought something was wrong. I then was told it was the menopause.It wasn’t until I went through it that I realised that actually the solution is individual to each woman, and it takes time to find the right solution for you. There is much more awareness out there, but I think all managers need to be more understanding as there so many symptoms (not just having a hot flush) that have an impact on our working lives. FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE, HOW IMPORTANT IS DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE?As an Asian woman in IT, much of my career has been in a mostly male environment. Over the years I have built teams who are diverse and have seen the beauty of different thoughts as well as different working practices. It’s about giving people the space to air their views and work towards a solution. Once you see the benefits you never look back! The best part of a team is when they respect each other even if their views are different as they recognise each of them are working towards the same goal.WHAT MORE DO YOU THINK CAN BE DONE TO GET MORE UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES AND WOMEN INTO TECH?I recognise as an individual every person I come in contact with has an opportunity to see the strength of me being in my role and think I’d like to do that, and I can do that. It’s finding ways to get to communities and schools to show the young that this is interesting as well as exciting and it makes a difference. LASTLY, DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE QUOTE THAT YOU LIVE YOUR LIFE BY?It’s not a quote as such but my own belief - Be kind, you don’t know what someone else is going through, be there for them and listen to what they have to say.Thanks Rayhana you rock! 🤘Interview by Rosie Fearnley

This week Women Rock Ambassador Josie met Chloe Bishop: Software Engineer at Gresham Technologies, FDM Everywoman in Tech Award finalist and all-round amazing human being! Chloe is an advocate for young women wanting to get into the industry so here she shares some wonderful advice and inspiration – including the importance of experimentation when it comes to finding out what you’re passionate about…HEY CHLOE! THANKS FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US. LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING WITH WHEN YOU FIRST REALISED YOU WERE PASSIONATE ABOUT SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT…I think my generation was one of the first to grow up surrounded by technology. We didn’t just know the basics of how to use a computer, we could pick up the latest smart phone and intuitively know how to use it. High-level programming languages were introduced to me right before I picked my GCSEs, and I was completely hooked. It was an insight into the technology I used every day that I had never had before. The idea that I would be able to fully understand and contribute to the creation of new, exciting technologies is what motivated me to study computer science.WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED IN THE INDUSTRY?My passion for learning made me think that technology was the perfect career for me. It is one of the fastest growing industries, and learning new things constantly is a big part of my job. That being said, it never occurred to me until I got into the industry that constantly having to learn also means never being fully in your comfort zone. This can sometimes make people feel like they aren’t qualified enough or don’t deserve to be in their current role. I have definitely had a few battles with Imposter Syndrome, but it is really common in the tech industry. The way I got past it was by hearing other developers talk about it openly and diving right back into learning.HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER SO FAR?Definitely a highlight for me was being a finalist in the Apprentice Award category at the 2022 FDM Everywoman in Technology Awards. My goal for years in school was to become a software engineer, so to achieve that goal and simultaneously empower young women to follow their own passions was extremely important to me. Being recognised for that work and being able to make those that had given me those opportunities proud was such an honour. Not to mention being able to meet some of the most inspirational women in the tech sector and learn about their respective experiences in the industry.WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO OTHERS WHO WANT TO GO INTO THE SAME CAREER?My advice would be to do work experience, internships, apprenticeships or just ask current developers about their experiences. There are so many different types of software engineer roles, and finding the right role for you is so important. I did work experience at a games studio and had an amazing time, but ultimately, I left knowing I didn’t want to program games. At the start of your career, experimenting to determine what kind of development you are most passionate about – as well as what you are least passionate about – is just as important as furthering your technical skills.DO YOU THINK ANYTHING MORE CAN BE DONE TO SUPPORT WOMEN IN TECH?I think programs that encourage young women to take STEM subjects are doing really well, although I think that equal work should be put into teaching young men that women belong in those industries as much as they do. Ultimately, we want women to find the confidence to follow the career path they are passionate about, and having peers who are supportive of their choices is a big part of that process.WHY WERE YOU NOMINATED FOR THE APPRENTICE AWARD AT THE 2022 FDM EVERYWOMAN IN TECHNOLOGY AWARDS?During my time at American Express I was nominated for being an advocate for women in technology, particularly for young women who have just come out of the education system. I used my own journey into tech and experiences within the industry to give advice to those interested in a career in technology. I also volunteered to help organise outreach events, spoke about how teams could improve the onboarding process for junior engineers, and was a ‘buddy’ for new apprentices and graduates.WHO DO YOU FIND THE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMAN IN TECH?I can’t name just one woman as the most influential woman in tech, but I will say that women such as Joan Clark and Grace Hopper are great examples of what I think it means to be an influential woman in tech. They didn’t allow the male-dominated workplaces to prevent them from giving their contributions to the field in a time when it was a lot less common to see women in the industry. Their work has inspired millions of women to join the industry and campaign to end the stigma so that the next generation get an equal chance, regardless of gender.IS THERE ANY SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF WORK IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT THAT YOU FIND INSPIRING?At the Everywoman Awards, Eleanor Harry the CEO of HACE was announced as Woman of the Year. The work that she and her team do to fight child labour using artificial intelligence is absolutely amazing! It is so inspiring to see people using technology to solve problems they are passionate about, and I can only hope that in the future I will be able to make a similar impact.WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?I do try to push myself out of my comfort zone a lot, so I am always trying new hobbies. Travelling is by far what I enjoy the most, as it allows me to experience different cultures, learn new languages, and meet new people.FAVOURITE MANTRA/QUOTE YOU LIVE BY?“It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.”We couldn’t agree more! Thanks Chloe – you rock! 🤘

Aged 9 she organised and rolled out her own birthday party, project managing her own parents. Aged 10 she built an Olsen twins, fan website. As a student in Israel, she co-founded ‘QueenB’ – an organisation that teaches middle school girls how to code…Noga Mann is a force to be reckoned with and an absolute inspiration! Women Rock ambassador Naomi Douglass spoke to Noga about her incredible journey into the tech world and how she has been able to combine her artistic and scientific interests to carve out a career that she adores!HEY NOGA! SO GREAT TO MEET YOU AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US. COULD YOU PLEASE GIVE US AN INTRODUCTION TO YOURSELF?My name is Noga, and I’m an engineering manager at Figma as well as a social entrepreneur.Growing up, I often had to choose between my artistic and scientific interests, but I was fortunate enough to be able to study both Computer Science and Design at university, as part of a combined program. I believe design is a powerful tool that can put people at ease with technology, and technology can enrich and expand the boundaries of design to new and exciting places. This is why I am so excited to work at Figma, where technology is used to empower teams and enable them to build better products.As a university student back in Israel, I co-founded QueenB, an organization that teaches middle school girls how to code. Since we started, we’ve been able to get thousands of girls interested in technology and consider it as a career. By connecting young women with tech companies, the organization also helps them land their first industry jobs.WHY DID YOU CHOOSE A CAREER IN TECH?When I was about 10, I built a fan website for the Olsen twins. This was my first coding experience, and what inspired me to try it out was the ability to create something that wasn’t there before and share it with the world. As I learned more about this discipline, I realized how creative and fulfilling it could be.YOU ARE A MANAGER AT FIGMA, COULD YOU TELL ME HOW YOU BECOME A LEADER AND YOUR MOTIVATIONS BEHIND THIS?From a young age, management was a natural interest of mine. At age nine, I organized my own birthday party – I loved putting together the schedule, thinking about the activities, making to-do lists, and assigning tasks to my parents. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I seated them down for a retro session after it was all over.I feel most impactful when creating processes – I enjoy solving problems not only ad hoc, but thinking about how we can learn from every issue, and find solutions that improve efficiency. It is one of the things I enjoy most about being a manager. As part of my role, I also assist my team in setting their own growth goals and building plans to achieve them. Seeing their accomplishments is very rewarding.FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE HOW IMPORTANT IS DIVERSITY IN THE WORKPLACE?Companies that manage to create inclusive spaces where everyone feels welcome, are more successful in building great products. Moreover, they are more likely to attract and retain top talent.Figma is a great example of this. The way we work is highly collaborative, not competitive, and as managers, we strive to foster psychological safety in our teams and build trust so people can be themselves.We also have our Engineering gender minorities group, which is an employee group that’s dedicated to building a welcoming and inclusive community for engineers at Figma who identify as gender minorities. This group serves as a safe space for engineers at all career stages to solicit advice, find mentorship, and celebrate each others’ wins.WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?“If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re probably in the wrong room.”There is a false assumption that a team’s manager should be its smartest member. In reality, different individuals have different strengths and skills that make them better suited to fill different roles in a team, and the manager is no different.Not only is being the smartest in the room not a requirement for being a good manager, but it might also mean that you’re not hiring the right people. Talented individuals on your team make your team stronger, as well as giving you more opportunities for personal growth as a manager.Leading a team of people who are smarter or more experienced than you might be daunting at first. However, by developing the ability to admit you might not know the answer to every question, I believe you actually become a better leader.WHAT IS YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENT?Having founded QueenB and being able to introduce many young girls to coding, and helping women land their first engineering job. The fact that I am part of a much larger community that drives gender equality in the tech industry is something that I am extremely proud of.With my friend Daria Ackerman, I recently started recording a podcast in Hebrew called “The Impostors”, which provides advice for people early in their engineering careers.WHAT IS A BOOK THAT INFLUENCED YOU AS A MANAGER?“The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” by Patrick Lencioni. Through a five-part model of dysfunction, the book describes how teams fail to work cohesively together. The dysfunctions are: Absence of Trust, Fear of Conflict, Lack of Commitment, Lack of Accountability, and Inattention to Results. The model resonated with both successful and unsuccessful teams I witnessed. In my view, a manager’s role is to create an environment in which a high-performing team can thrive. Finding the root dysfunction of the team and addressing it is a great tool for that.Even the most minor change in team structure, such as someone joining or leaving, can shake things up, so even high-performing teams have work to do to maintain their performance.Thanks Noga! you totally rock 🤘

There is so much talk around creating a diverse workforce and the importance of equality and inclusion which is great! However, as the saying goes “actions speak louder than words” more needs to be done to level the playing field – especially in the tech industry. It is one of the many reasons Alicia Teagle created the platform Women Rock – to champion underrepresented folk and give them a platform to help raise their voices. So when we come across A-MA-ZING initiatives like Black Valley we will shout about it from the roof tops! If you haven’t heard of Black valley within the tech community then you are now in for a treat. Women Rock ambassador Doug spoke with Software engineer/ mentor Gavin Kimpson about what Black Valley is doing for the black community in tech and the incredible success stories that come out of it!This is such a great read and we are so grateful for the opportunity to share Gavin and Black Valley’s incredible work…HI GAVIN! WHEN I READ ABOUT BLACK VALLEY I THOUGHT IT SOUNDED LIKE A FANTASTIC INITIATIVE! FOR PEOPLE THAT MAY NOT HAVE HEARD ABOUT IT BEFORE, CAN YOU GIVE THEM AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK BLACK VALLEY DO?The initiative started in 2020 by Leke Sholuade, the events of George Floyd was the catalyst for him and he wanted to help make a long-lasting positive change for the black community. Leke spoke to a number of people working in tech about ways to help bring more black people into the tech sphere, it wasn’t long before more mentors signed up and Black Valley was born!Black Valley provides free mentoring to anyone of black origin within a number of tech roles – these include UX Design, Software-engineering, Product Management, Customer Success and much more! We provide mentees with a dedicated mentor in their field and over the 8-week cohort, we look to accelerate their career by providing them the tools and know-how to level themselves up in their chosen career. We also have a network of recruiters that provide mentees with the information they need to nail those interviews and dreaded technical-tests!Along with the ever-growing community via tools like Slack, Black Valley is enhancing the careers for mentees all over the world. We now have over 200+ mentors from all sorts of companies like your traditional ‘one-man-band’ to multinational corporations such as Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon & Google.SO WHAT WOULD THIS SUPPORT LOOK LIKE TO INDIVIDUAL MENTEES?Each cohort lasts for 8 weeks – over this period we carefully select each mentee so that they are paired up with the best mentor possible to help them get the most from the 2-month programme. Due to the relative short-time frame, we don’t see ourselves in the same light as bootcamps (these tend to be much much longer & more technical by their nature) however we do provide mentees with the expertise from people in the industry that know what it takes to succeed. Each mentor provides a few hours each week to their mentee – this would generally be over video calls (I’ve mentored people as far as Canada and Nigeria!). The mentor would look to understand what their mentee goals are and help develop the 8-week programme around the mentee’s long and short-term objectives.We encourage mentees to work on new or existing projects, this allows them to build up their portfolio, which alongside ‘industry visibility’ weeks, allows them to market themselves better on LinkedIn. Additionally, CV & interview preparation, helps put them in good stead for when they are ready to jump into their next role.BLACK VALLEY SOUNDS LIKE AN AMAZING ORGANISATION TO BE A PART OF; HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INVOLVED?I came across Black Valley via Facebook quite by chance – it was during the covid lockdown that I saw a post by Leke asking for mentors willing to help inspire the next generation of black people within technology. As someone who has been in the software engineering industry for some time and already mentored a few friends myself, I jumped at the chance to be part of something bigger. We had an initial phone call and Leke explained to me what his vision was and I never looked back. Having mentored a number of people I’ve also since got involved with some of the decisions with interviewing people for the following cohorts. Due to the numbers of people applying for each cohort we unfortunately have to be quite selective however we do ask anyone who is unsuccessful to keep applying! Many of our best mentees have had to apply two or even three times to get on the programme! But as we grow and add more and more mentors to our community, we’ll be able to provide more and more mentees with the opportunities.I CAN IMAGINE A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD BE INSPIRED TO BECOME A MENTOR FOR BLACK VALLEY. CAN YOU TELL US HOW PEOPLE CAN GET INVOLVED AND WHAT KIND OF COMMITMENT IS REQUIRED?Literally anyone could be a mentor, there aren’t any requirements from the mentor all we ask is a commitment of around 2 hours per week. This will involve your lesson prep & the actual video call with your mentee – personally as I’ve enjoyed it so much, 2 hours a week soon became 3-4 hours a week as I saw the great progress my mentees were making. A lot of our mentors have come through word of mouth. I myself have reached out to and managed to get another colleague of mine to also take part in mentoring. This organic method has worked well and we get new mentors joining each month.IT SOUNDS LIKE BLACK VALLEY HAVE HELPED A LOT OF PEOPLE DISCOVER A NEW CAREER PATH AND I’M SURE PEOPLE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR SOME OF THE POSITIVE STORIES TO HAVE COME OUT OF THEIR WORK – IS THERE ONE PARTICULAR EXAMPLE THAT STANDS OUT TO YOU FROM THE WORK YOU’VE DONE?On our ‘Good News’ slack channel we hear so many positive stories from both mentors and mentees that it would be impossible to mention them all, there are just so many 🙂 However personally I had the pleasure to mentor Dennis Musange. Dennis and I first met in 2021, he is a Canadian student just finishing his studies and applied to Black Valley to give him the know-how to get his first software engineering job out of University. Even with the massive time-difference, we soon clicked and really enjoyed talking every weekend. Being big football fans (or soccer as he calls it) we both have a love for our beloved Arsenal football team (even though Arsenal hasn’t been blessed with much success over the years!)We sat down and spoke about what he wanted to achieve, he told me from the off that he wanted ‘to get his hands dirty’ so we went straight into creating a project that we could both work on and contribute to and this would become his ‘signature’ portfolio piece for potential future employers. I really wanted to challenge and push him, so we even picked a programming language and framework he wasn’t familiar with to build a small MVP – each week I’d set him goals and every week he’d go above and beyond the expectations I set. At the end of the 8-week cohort all of the mentees come together for a final ‘graduation’ video call. I was so happy with the progress of Dennis I asked him if he would like to showcase his work (he jumped at the chance!). Even after the cohort was finished, we kept in contact and I coached him through with his job applications and interviews. It wasn’t long before he told me the good news and that he had been hired to join a large software engineering team! It is those moments that make it all worthwhile for me, he is doing well and enjoying the role, hopefully in time he will even mentor others too.MAYBE A STUPID QUESTION, BUT DO YOU NEED TO COME FROM A PARTICULAR BACKGROUND TO GET INVOLVED IN BLACK VALLEY AS A MENTOR?Noooo of course not :). A few people have asked me this question before & we don’t care if mentors are black, white, blue or green (well… you might need to see a Doctor if you were green!?). We have mentors from all walks of life, as long as you are willing to give the time and pass on your wealth of knowledge to the next generation, we are more than happy to bring you on board!FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE, WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU HAVE FOR SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO PURSUE A CAREER IN SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT, BUT DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO GET STARTED?Lots of people think that you need to go to university to work in software engineering – this simply isn’t true. The explosion of the web in the last decade has brought so many options for people that don’t (or can’t) take the ‘traditional university approach’. Many developers are self-taught and come through learning their skills through bootcamps, online tutorials and even the tried and trusted ‘reading books’ (although books aren’t so popular in 2022!). The main thing to remember is to keep at it – software engineering keeps evolving all the time and it can be hard to keep up, so I tell anyone that it is impossible to know everything but keep learning – if you improve your skills by 1% every day by the end of the year, you’d have made a massive improvement!FINALLY IS THERE A QUOTE, MANTRA OR ATTITUDE THAT YOU LIVE BY EVERYDAY? (THIS IS COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, SO DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE THAT COMES TO MIND INSTANTLY)While this has nothing to do with software engineering – it is my motto that I live by, a not-so famous comedian by the name of Stephen K Amos mentioned it once on a show and it has stuck with me & it is certainly how I approach the world. In life you have to ‘Find the funnies’ no matter what troubles life brings you always try to see the funny side & try to see the good in people. Living this way keeps me smiling & hopefully will lead to a very long & happy life!Thanks again for sharing Black Valley’s incredible work Gavin – you all rock! 🤘

A feel good story from Alexandra Wood this week 🥰We love to hear about someone – especially a woman – who’s had a great journey into the tech industry – surrounded by incredible mentors and learning new skills on the job…enter Alex! It’s so important to share these feel good stories to prove it CAN happen that way!Women Rock ambassador Izzy chatted with Alex last week about her journey and there’s some sound advice here for anyone looking to get into tech, including the importance of taking a break! In this case – making plum jam! We’ll await for our jar in the post Alex…Enjoy 🥰HEY ALEX! CAN YOU START WITH GIVING US AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR STORY SO FAR PLEASE?Sure! I started by doing a Maths degree, well actually, although I had really enjoyed my Maths GCSE and A-Level I didn’t think I would be able to do Maths at university level so I applied to study Adult Nursing originally. It turns out I didn’t really have the right personality or skills for nursing and I wasn’t enjoying it so I quit after about 6 months and applied to do Maths instead, it’s hard to know what you should do when you are 18 but maybe trust your gut instinct and try and ignore the “I can’t do this” thoughts, if you enjoy it then you probably can do it with a bit of commitment and hard work.Anyway, I studied Mathematics, I had the option with my course to do a placement year – I highly recommend doing this – I wasn’t so keen about the statistics side of Maths so I looked for something a bit different (the careers department at my university helped with this) and applied for a placement position with an engineering company called Renishaw, they placed me in the software department and that’s how it started. After the placement year had finished they offered me a graduate place and I went from there! I had an amazing team who taught me so much, I owe a lot to them. I worked primarily with C# on desktop applications, after 5 years there I decided it was time for a change and worked for a company building websites in C# using ASP.NET and Blazor, I’ve been there over 2 years and its now time to start the next challenge, still doing web but using a slightly different tech stack and for a different type of product.AWESOME. IT’S SO ENCOURAGING TO HEAR WHAT A GREAT START YOU HAD IN THE INDUSTRY. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE WORD “DIVERSITY” MEANS TO YOU PLEASE?It means different.Applied to a single person I think it would mean keeping yourself varied having lots of interests… a career is important but make sure you have other hobbies outside of work, a relationship with one person can be nice but make sure you regularly see friends and family too. Too much of one thing can be bad.Applied to the context of a team I think it means having a group of individuals who have contrasting but complimentary personalities so that they can work together to achieve the best possible outcome.IF YOU COULD GIVE ONE BIT OF ADVICE TO SOMEONE WHO’S THINKING ABOUT FORGING A CAREER IN TECH – WHAT WOULD IT BE?You don’t need to be obsessed with coding to have a career doing it, I really enjoy my job but I don’t code in my spare time and I rarely look at my computer outside of work hours unless I’m trying to learn about something.Also, it’s worth noting that there are a whole range of roles that make up a software team, to name the ones I’m familiar with: Business Analyst, Product Owner, Product Manager, Software Developers, Quality Assurance – there is such a variety of roles that even if you don’t feel that you are naturally a ‘tech’ person there is probably still a place for you, as I mentioned in the previous answer, for me diversity means different and different is good.GREAT TIPS! AND WHAT DO YOU THINK COULD BE DONE TO PROMOTE THE REPRESENTATION OF FEMALES AND DIVERSE HIRES IN TECH?It’s difficult. Personally, I’ve never had any problems with being in software because I’m a woman, the men and women (mostly men) that I’ve worked with have always treated me with the same respect as they have others and I’ve not had problems getting hired. I think it probably boils down to what pathways are taken at a younger age and what a person feels they are capable of. I hadn’t thought I would be capable of doing a Maths degree but luckily I eventually went for it anyway and it worked out really well for me in the end. Telling others of the success stories I think helps, SR2’s Women Rock initiative is a great way to do this, it inspires confidence.THIS IS SO REFRESHING TO HEAR! IS THERE ANY ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT THIS INDUSTRY?For me nothing, I’ve had a great experience working in the tech industry. Pretty much everything I’ve needed for my job has been learnt as I’ve gone along and I’ve had fantastic mentors. The people I’ve come across in the tech industry are great – please don’t be afraid!YOU’VE MENTIONED HAVING AN AMAZING TEAM AT RENSHAW, BUT WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU IN YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE?Friends and family.Family – my parents worked really hard to bring me and my sisters up, my whole family is really supportive, I just want to make them proudFriends – those who are also in software know so many things, they’ve been doing it a bit longer but I want to be able to have the confidence and knowledge they have so I can do my job as well as themWHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING IN YOUR FREE TIME?Lots of things! I’m lucky to have a garden so I do enjoy doing some gardening – I planted a small plum tree last autumn and made plum jam this summer. I decided I wanted to be able to make my own clothes so I am learning how to sew – to date I’ve made 1 top, 2 skirts and 1 dress, I’m in the progress of making a 3rd skirt (this is over a period of about 3 years so its slow progress). I have a dog so I walk most days and I like to go on longer walks with friends and family on the weekend. I also like to read, and to do Pilates and I like to make and eat nice food and sometimes I like just sitting and doing nothing at all.WOW! WHAT A WHOLESOME LOAD OF HOBBIES! DO YOU HAVE A MANTRA YOU LIVE BY?Don’t compare yourself to others, only compare yourself to you.It really doesn’t matter what other people are doing and if you try to constantly compare yourself to others you are probably going to make yourself unhappy, enjoy your achievements.Expressed much more poetically in Haemin Sunim’s ‘The Thing You Can See Only When You Slow Down’:“My dear young friend, please don’t feel discouraged just because you are slightly behind.Life isn’t a hundred-meter race against your friends, but a lifelong marathon against yourself.Rather than focusing on getting ahead of your friends, first try to discover your unique colour.”Wonderful words Alex – you rock 🤘

The conversation around the gender pay gap continues as the government’s latest gender pay gap report has revealed that last year, women in the UK were paid 90p for every £1 earned by a man – there is still so much to be done. However, there are other gaps we should also definitely be minding – like the class gap. And that is exactly what Heather Lockley from DWP is here to talk to us about! Heather’s passion for social mobility and championing leaders from working class backgrounds is apparent in her chat with Women Rock Ambassador Matt Fullford as she describes her own journey through education and into a STEM role she NEVER thought she would be in!You can’t help but feel empowered to do something new after reading Heather’s story…so we would like to take this moment to apologise for any career plot twists this week!!HEY HEATHER! THANKS SO MUCH FOR GETTING INVOLVED WITH WOMEN ROCK, WE FEEL LIKE THIS ONE IS GOING TO RESONATE WITH SO MANY! SO CAN YOU START WITH TELLING US ABOUT YOUR STORY SO FAR?Unsure how far to go back, but my story and feelings start on reflection from my upbringing!I’m from a single parent family and was the first member to go to university, so my journey through education was an experience I went through without much first hand knowledge and experience from family. My journey through education was interesting as I was diagnosed late with dyslexia during my A-levels.I’m now in a STEM job which is strange to think as I still to this day don’t quite consider myself a techie. It wasn’t what I thought I’d be doing as back in school I wanted to be a barrister!I graduated with a degree in Philosophy which meant my career choices were quite open. I heard about the Civil Service fast stream programme, which was a way for graduates to train in several disciplines and was able to get on to that scheme.I essentially fell into a Business Analyst role after my first 9 months which really led me down the path to where I am now as a Product Manager working on the Universal Credit service in DWP.FOR THOSE OUT THERE THAT MAY NOT BE COMPLETELY FAMILIAR WITH THE ROLE OF A MODERN PRODUCT MANAGER, WHAT DOES YOUR DAY TO DAY LOOK LIKE?I think a Product Manager is someone who’s responsibility it is to figure out what the most valuable thing is for a user and a business. Then the rest of our job is bringing lots of people together to educate and inspire them to bring them on the journey.BEING SOMEONE WHO ENGAGES WITH PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF THE TECHNOLOGY WORLD, HOW DO YOU FIND THE DIVERSITY SPLIT WITHIN CIVIL SERVICE?I’ve personally had a very good experience throughout DWP and HMRC. Generally, our make-up is a 50:50 split, however, the types of roles that women tend to hold in tech are on the business facing side of things such as BA’s, Product, Content, Design etc.Almost exclusively developers have been male with a couple of women front-end devs or QA’s.HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN CHANGE THE NARRATIVE TO ALLOW AN EASIER ENTRY FOR WOMEN INTO TECHNOLOGY?The challenge when talking about technical roles is that people don’t often have the ability to re-train once you’re in the workplace without taking a hit on your progression or pay. So you have to combat this is by capturing women before they enter the workplace and giving girls role models. There are fantastic organisations like “girls who code” that try to combat this, but I don’t think it’s systemic yet from a school curriculum standpoint.When I was at school, ICT classes weren’t about how to build software, it was all about how to use software which is the wrong strategy altogether. That wasn’t all that long ago (kind of!) so it feels like we’ve got some catching up to do in the UK on that front!WHAT COULD BE A MAJOR DIFFERENTIATOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BE EDUCATED ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES LIKE THIS IF NOT PRESENTED THROUGHOUT SCHOOL?I’m passionate about social mobility and I’m proud of being a woman in tech from a working class background. A big barrier for me when coming into the workplace was that I didn’t have many professional role models as my family were in different types of jobs. It wasn’t until I went to university and met some of my friends and their parents that I had my first civil service and tech role models.I’m most passionate about working-class children seeing themselves as leaders. In my opinion the class gap is far bigger than the gender gap now. For example, in the BBC it’s less than one fifth of employees are from a working-class background which is crazy to think about, given its influence on society. I would like to see more conversations about class diversity in organisations, and how we can encourage more working class people in professional environments. Diversity of thought, gender, class, race etc are all so important for building public services that properly represent the people we serve.WE’VE SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT ROLE MODELS AND WE KNOW THIS IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT! DO YOU HAVE A STAND-OUT ROLE MODEL THAT HAS PLAYED A HUGE IMPACT IN YOUR CAREER SO FAR?Yes. I have two, maybe three!I have such a great privilege through DWP. Their female leaders are truly exceptional. In my first universal credit piece of work, we had two outstanding leaders. Deborah Boore and Lara Sampson. Lara was what became our Head of Product and Deborah was our Head of Operations. I’ve worked with them both multiple times throughout my career and they’re the people that drastically improved my confidence and belief in myself. Deborah is now a Director at DWP, and Lara is a Partner at Public Digital.If there’s room for a 3rd one, I need to mention Nancy Kelley. She is now the CEO for Stonewall but we worked together for a short time in DWP and she had a huge influence on me. Her background and knowledge and the way she thought so inclusively about so many groups of people when building a public service was impactful and has influenced how I managed public services even now.WHAT ARE YOUR PROUDEST ACHIEVEMENTS (PROFESSIONAL OR PERSONAL)?Personal – raised just short of £5000 for ovarian cancer due to an impact in my family.Macro – I’m privileged to be in a position I never thought I’d be in as a child.Micro – nominated for young digital professional of the year, for my role in the Kickstart programme.WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO WOMEN STARTING OUT IN TECH?“Take up space” – advice that Nancy Kelley gave to me early in my career and I always come back to it.WHAT QUOTE OR MANTRA DO YOU LIVE BY?Have the confidence to put yourself forward. It’s very rare people get plucked from obscurity so you have to put yourself forwards and advocate for yourself, even when it feels uncomfortable.Right, we’re off to get uncomfortable! Thanks Heather – you rock!