It is a huge honour to be recognised by the WeAreTheCity TechWomen100 list, which really does prove what extraordinarily talented women we have working in tech today.
Celebrating and encouraging diversity is really important to Gemserv. This is the Information Age, and we believe that the new technologies that are currently being developed have the potential to transform the world we live in. It is essential that the teams that work on those technologies reflect the societies they will influence, to ensure that the technologies benefit everyone.
Women – and, as a consequence, our voices – are historically under-represented in STEM careers and Gemserv is committed to playing its part in changing that. Our Cyber and Privacy team has a near-equal gender balance, and we are actively supporting women to move into management roles through our sponsorship of the Empowering Women to Lead in Cyber Security programme.
I believe in the importance of a user-centred approach to privacy that focuses on the different needs and concerns of different groups of users. When different kinds of people are represented within the development team, it is more likely that good questions will be asked during the development process, and that answers will be taken seriously.
That matters to users, who will benefit from better technologies – but it’s also a commercial imperative for organisations, who otherwise run the risk of lost sales and lost engagement because people don’t want to use the technology for reasons they don’t understand.
Awards like TechWomen100 raise the profile of the amazing women working in tech and encourage more women to believe that STEM careers are for them. I would never have believed growing up that I could even dream of achieving an award like this. I know how much it has meant to me throughout my career to see people like me blazing a trail for me to follow.
I really hope that women and girls see the TechWomen100 and know that with hard work and the right opportunities, they too can be part of making things that matter work better for everyone.