Women in Digital, Author at Women In Digital

Our work with Women in Digital has always been about connecting, educating and empowering our way to gender diversity in digital. This includes talking to business leaders, tech founders and executives on why we need to stop viewing gender diversity as just altruistic and confining it to Corporate Social Responsibility pages, and seeing it more as part of growing a strategic and robust workforce.

We really recommend reading this interview with Patrick FitzGerald, an accomplished Consultant and Director with 30+ years of experience in industry on the business case for gender diversity.

“Diversity of thought is the goal, not just ticking a box to say you have achieved diversity” – Patrick FitzGerald

You can read the full article here.

What’s on your playlist this week? How about an episode of Impact GatHERing, courtesy of the Impact Boom Podcast! Panelists Danielle Duell (People With Purpose), Pip Forbes (Juiced TV) and of course, our own Holly Hunt join Carlie Dole (Mumma Got Skills) to discuss all things leading a life with purpose.

The latest research from The University of Queensland (UQ) Business School discovered that female CEOs and founders still operate at a disadvantage in industries perceived as male-dominated when pitching for capital. Our Founder and CEO, Holly Hunt (nee Tattersall) spoke with UQ alongside Professor Tyler Okimoto to discuss top strategies for removing bias when pitching to any industry.

“My advice is to consistently show up, figure out how to add value that others aren’t, and work twice as hard as your competition, regardless of gender.”

Holly Tattersall

At Women in Digital, we are fierce advocates for connecting, educating, and empowering women to give them the skills and support they need to thrive in the tech industry. We are very lucky to not be alone in this mission and another great organisation trying to build up women (and software) is She Codes. We were beyond ecstatic to be able to attend their She Codes Plus Brisbane Showcase last month. Keep reading to learn a little more about She Codes and some of our key takeaways from the night.

Facts are facts. Despite national conversations about diversity in tech, women are still largely misrepresented in the tech industry. According to ARN, only a fifth of Australia’s IT graduates are women! While yes, diversity statistics are slowly improving, clearly, there is still a long way to go and this is why we love to support organisations such as She Codes.

In late 2020, we had the incredible opportunity to attend the She Codes Plus Showcase at Lightspace in Brisbane. If you haven’t heard of She Codes, you’re missing out! She Codes is on a mission to teach women coding skills, get women into technical careers, and build communities of like-minded women. Their vision is to increase diversity in tech by inspiring 100,000 women across Australia by 2025 and this is absolutely something we at Women in Digital can get behind.

Run in partnership with BHP, the She Codes Plus program is a six-month part-time course that focuses on supercharging the tech careers of women. This showcase was an opportunity to celebrate their achievement, share their portfolios and connect them with other professionals in tech including recruiters, hiring managers and potential industry mentors.

We were thrilled to attend this fantastic event and celebrate the 2020 graduating class. We were equaly excited to listen to a range of fabulous panellists including Sammy Herbert, Peta Ellis, Emily Taylor, Rene Chappel and Sorcha Abel (who was also the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Technical Leader of the Year – go Sorcha! See all our winners here). These women are five powerhouse leaders with an accumulative 78 years in the industry (woah!). They are also key role models for young women in tech. If there’s anything we’ve learned at Women in Digital, it’s that ‘you can’t be what you can see’ which is why showcasing these role models in this industry are so important.

Here are our key takeaways from the SheCodes panel discussion…

Connect with your network around you

You might have heard the saying that ‘your network is your net worth’ and it’s true! Although it may not be your all-time favourite activity, I think we can all agree that networking is a key skill for any professional. Building a network filled with strong, quality relationships is just as important. So if you find yourself wanting to level-up your networking game, start small and try ‘nudging’ one person a day. Watch over time as good things happen!

Be okay with not knowing all the answers

As much as we wish we could be experts in everything, that is never going to be a realistic goal. But that’s okay. This is your opportunity to ask questions, collaborate with others and build connections with other professionals in areas you may be unfamiliar with. However, if this is not your vibe, another way you can learn is by simply throwing yourself in the deep-end! What better way to learn than through experience?

Value your experience

Your experience is unique to you and to be honest, it is more than a lot of people have! Though many people follow similar career paths, it is highly unlikely your pathway is identical to any other individual and you, therefore, you have different (and meaningful) insights to bring to the table. So make your experience and career journey be your unique point of difference and flaunt it!

Find a mentor to support you through the journey

This all goes back to the importance of your network. Finding a mentor to guide you or simply offer advice throughout your career plays a key role in your network. Whether that’s a former teacher, past employer, or maybe someone you have looked up to in your industry, it’s always worth reaching out. Most people are more than happy to provide some form of mentorship and share their experiences with you.

Appreciate it’s not going to be amazing immediately – it’s a journey

The idea of a linear career is long gone. Hey, we’re not saying that you won’t thrive immediately at the beginning of your career journey (some people do!). But in the 21st century, most people will find that their career pathways become ‘squiggly’ rather than straightforward. This means it is important to accept and embrace that there is more than one way to achieve what you want in your career. You can read our insights from the Women in Digital Squiggly Careers Panel here.

Imposter syndrome is something we hear a lot of women in digital struggle with and a narrative we desperately want to change! Here are the She Codes Showcase panel’s top tips on beating imposter syndrome:

Go to meetups – once you’re there, doors will open

Can you tell we love networking? Guilty as charged! But we can’t stress this enough and neither could the SheCodes panel… whatever your experience or background, it is so important for women in digital to take opportunities to connect with others in your industry. If a door opens, assume inclusion, (don’t talk yourself out of it) and walk right through. You never know what might happen! Especially in the tech space, there are more and more networking and professional development events popping up for you to enjoy. We recommend challenging yourself to attend at least one event a month and bringing a friend to back you up if you’re nervous.

Personify your negative persona and tell it to go away

No one likes a ‘negative Nancy’. If you take anything away from this blog, let it be this! A lot of people have a nagging voice in their head that feeds on and metastases any feelings of inadequacy and failure. Does this sound like you? Go ahead and visualise this voice as a personification of your negativity. Name it, picture it, and every time you catch [insert name of inner critique here] being a voice of irrational negativity, just tell it to bug off! Don’t be your own worst enemy!

Go to your crew to gas you up

We are all social creatures. Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, we naturally crave communication in some capacity (some more than others, of course). This is why finding your work crew may very well be the secret to both personal and collective success. If you need a boost after a rough day or just need some general motivation, connect with your crew and have them refuel your drive – sometimes you just need to let someone else be your cheerleader (we all know you are always being a cheerleader for someone!)

Verbalising the issue

If you’re a ‘fake it til you make it’ type of person and this works for you, then go for it. But truthfully, a lot of people struggle with nerves and it’s 100% okay to 1. Feel that way and 2. Verbalise that you feel that way. Remember, your coworkers, employers, and employees are human too. Most likely, they will appreciate your honesty and be able to sympathise. Plus, sometimes it can be a great ice breaker to verbalise your nerves.

Stop looking up at the things to do, look back at all the things you have done

My guess is that a lot of people reading this are looking forward to opportunities to level-up in their career. That’s great! You’re probably ambitious and hungry to succeed and we can’t fault that. But every now and again, it’s important to also look back at things you have done, take time to reflect and appreciate your accomplishments along the way. You earned it!

You should only be comparing yourself to you

Too many people fall into the trap of comparing themselves to others. It’s an easy thing to do and we have all done it at least once (or more 😂) in our lives but as soon as you stop that, the better off you will be and likely happier in general. There’s always someone who you think knows better when reality is, someone is thinking that about you in the same way! So next time, keep that in mind. Your career journey is YOUR journey. Keep doing you and go after what YOU want!

Final Top Tips:

Keep learning – It’s okay not to know everything. Google is your friend and so are industry workshops!
Find your tribe – Who are those special people in your life that will support you and your career no matter what?
Go and pitch yourself to someone else – Take a chance and put yourself out there! If nothing else, it will become a fantastic opportunity for feedback and confidence building.
Stay mainstream and don’t specialise too early – ‘Early specialisers’ may find themselves disadvantaged because they have boxed themselves into a corner in the ever-changing modern tech world. Broad experience is key for long-term success so learn as much as you can before deep diving into one specialisation.

A huge thank you to BHP, Amazon Web Services and BDO for sponsoring these amazing community events/ initiatives. Make sure you follow She Codes on LinkedIn to stay up to date on any upcoming events and workshops!

If you yourself are looking to hire some tech superstars, seeking your next opportunity, or wanting to partner with us to support diversity in digital, get in touch! We would love to connect with you. Follow us Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin!

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Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Digital Marketer of the Year, sponsored by Canva, Lauren Swidenbank!

Lauren is a digital marketing expert and paid ads specialist with a passion for analytics. As Founder and Director of Cali Social, she has a solid track record of helping small to medium-sized businesses level up their digital marketing. Lauren’s winning entry was based on the exceptional work she did for a client’s business in 2019-2020. Using a mix of Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram ads, Lauren planned, created, implemented and optimised the entire campaign achieving a 307.51% increase in revenue for the client in 12 months, shifting a 6-figure business to a 7-figure business. Um, talk about impressive!

We were excited to talk to Lauren about her winning-entry, career journey and diversity in digital.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Digital Marketer of the Year here.

Congratulations Lauren! We already know you are as the digital marketing guru, but tell us, who is Lauren the person?

Thank you so much! I am so honoured to achieve this award! Starting with the hard questions! Okay, so I moved to Australia 9 years ago when I was a young 21 year old backpacker. I had originally meant to be here for just 6 months and had plans of travelling the world – but you know the story, I met a cute Aussie guy, rescued an even cuter dog and I never left. I love anything to do with the water so you’ll find me by the beach whenever I get the chance. I’m an adventurer at heart and love finding new places or new things to do. When we are able to travel the next two places on my visit list are Morocco and Tuscany!

What is something that not many people know about you?

I am known for making the best cob loaf. It’s seriously so good and I’m so proud of it haha! Invite me round and I will turn up, cob loaf in hand.

How did you get started in digital marketing and paid ads in particular?

Like a lot of people, I actually ‘fell’ into digital marketing. It certainly wasn’t part of my plan! I graduated from university in the UK with an Economics degree and had big plans of moving to London and working on the stock market. Let’s just say that the idea of working in the financial industry was much better than the reality! I have been interested in social media ever since I can remember, and I started to research it more and more as it developed. My knowledge was all self taught and my experience in working with clients came from working in agencies. I am a very analytical individual who loves numbers and stats, I found that I could easily apply these skills to running paid ads, so paid ads was a natural direction for me to take!

Who is your professional inspiration?

Sara Blakely – founder of Spanx! I never get tired of hearing her story and my favourite quote from her is ‘ I did not have the most experience in the industry or the most money, but I cared the most’

You had worked in a number of digital agencies before Cali Social. What made you decide to take the leap?

I knew that I could offer a superior service where the client wasn’t just a number and that I could contribute to the wider strategy and take a more wholesome approach rather than just a ten minute phone call every couple of weeks. I pride myself on creating strong relationships and friendships with my clients, I know that they trust me fully and I never had the chance to get to this level of rapport when working in agencies as it was more of a ‘churn and burn’ way of working. I had clients from day one of taking the leap which was an amazing feeling.

What’s your most recommended Business/Marketing resource?

I have two recommendations for brilliant marketing resources. If you are new to the world of running Facebook ads, or lack the skills/knowledge to create campaigns, you can’t go further than Facebook Blueprint. It’s totally free and gives a basic overview of everything you will need to start your campaigns.
If you are in the marketing industry and looking for something a little more high level, my go-to would be Hubspot as there is such a variety and wealth of information

As you mentioned in your nomination, you originally struggled to relate to your winning campaign’s target market. Tell us a bit about that and how did you get into the mindset of this target market?

Yes, the biggest challenge throughout the campaign was definitely my own self-doubt – I had absolutely nothing in common with the target audience, I didn’t know anyone personally that fitted into the audience, I wouldn’t ever experience the products or buy any of the products so I had this niggling feeling that maybe another PPC specialist would be better suited for this client, but I love a challenge and thought that if it’s not me, it will be someone else so why not just give it a go?! I was so determined to make this campaign work that I attended several ‘Car Meets’ so that I could see the types of people that went along, what they were wearing, who they brought with them, what types of cars they drove and ultimately realised the insane amount of pride these guys have for their cars and that they just want show off. This formed the basis of my entire digital strategy – and it paid off!

How have you dealt with the challenges Covid-19 has thrown your way as a marketer and small business owner?

Covid-19 has been a really exhausting, strange time for my role and for my business! On the one hand I had a few clients pull the plug on their ads/digital marketing so I lost clients, but on the other hand I have been inundated with new enquiries as the world moved online. Covid-19 really highlighted the importance of the digital industry and the role it has to play in the future. Covid has taught me three things as a business owner:

Some things are absolutely out of your control
People experience things differently.
Look for the opportunity even when you don’t think there is one. For me, Covid was the perfect time for me to read. Something I haven’t done in a long time because it always fell to the bottom of the list!

If you could go back 5 years and give ‘younger you’ any advice, what would it be?

Don’t be in such a hurry to have everything all figured out. I think we put too much pressure on ourselves to have achieved big things before a certain age. I honestly believe that everything happens at the exact time that we are ready for it, so as long as you put the work in, don’t stress about the timing!
Oh and manifestation is real, so start earlier!

What tips do you have for students and graduates seeking a career in digital marketing?

Learn to understand and interpret data. A huge part of digital marketing is now focused on the data and how to use this data to make decisions. Having a qualification or further study in an analytical area will set you apart from other applicants.

Obviously, diversity in digital is important to you but what is your definition of diversity and why it is so important?

Diversity is being able to recognise and champion the differences in people, including being able to utilise their differing skills and approaches. It’s important as it bridges the skills gap to give a more rounded approach to digital.

What do you think can be done to improve diversity in the digital industry?

I think we need to start in schools. We need to introduce digital technologies and outline a clear career path into digital! The stigma around it being a male, nerdy subject needs to go! We also need to highlight inspirational businesses that champion women so that young people have people to look up to.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

The importance of these awards is undeniable! As women, we often downplay our success or don’t give ourselves the credit we deserve. The women in digital awards gives women a platform to celebrate their wins and all that they contribute to the industry.

What technology development is most exciting you at the moment?

I really love watching the technological developments that are happening in the health industry. The ability to increasingly predict and treat health issues in people even before they experience any symptoms is fascinating. The more data that technology can collate in regards to a particular individual, the better the outcome for each patient. This has to be a win for everybody!

What is next for you and for Cali Social?

We’re growing and niching into the luxury space! We’re going to be offering a one of a kind service that no other ‘agency’ is offering and I cannot wait to share this with the world! I’ll also be adding to the team over the next few months to include more ad specialists to keep up with client demand

Congratulations Lauren on these incredible results and thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

Want to get involved with the Women in Digital Awards? Be sure to subscribe here so you never miss an update!

To read more Q&A blogs from our line-up of Women in Digital Award Winners, head over to our blog and keep an eye out for more success stories on our Facebook and Instagram. You can also see our list of other winners here.

Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Rising Star of the Year, sponsored by Amazon Web Services, Lucy Wang!

Lucy Wang is a third-year Information Systems student at the University of New South Wales with an impressive list of accomplishments and industry experience already under her belt. She has interned at PwC and Deloitte, taught at Code Camp, won 5 case competitions at University and is an executive member of multiple University clubs and societies. But perhaps her most significant contribution is co-founding the UNSW Digital Society. This society aims to empower students interested in digital innovation, strategy and user experience by providing on-going training and networking opportunities! We know this rising star has a bright future ahead of her.

We were thrilled to chat to Lucy about University, career goals and advice for other early-in career students.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Rising Star of the Year here.

Congratulations Lucy! You have achieved so much in your 3 years at university so far. Where do you think this drive comes from?

Thank you! 3 years have flown by so fast and I’m very grateful for all the people I’ve met along the way. I think my drive to make the most out of University initially stemmed from some regrets from High School – I had always stuck with what I was familiar with, and never really took the initiative to leave my comfort zone. I wasn’t involved in extracurricular activities and never put my hand up for any leadership positions. This left a feeling of emptiness, and a little “…what if?” voice in my head. When the first day of University came along, I promised myself to say yes to every opportunity and to take risks – so that I wouldn’t be faced with the same regrets looking back.

This fear of regret gradually shifted into a desire to make a tangible impact in communities. In the haze of Uni assignments and part-time jobs, I found myself competing in national competitions, organising large-scale student events, and creating a new student club.

We have obviously done a little introduction already but tell us, in your own words, who is Lucy?

I’m a third year student currently studying a Bachelor of Information Systems at UNSW. Throughout university, I have always been fascinated by the power of technology in enabling innovation and empowering people. Alongside my degree, I have the pleasure of leading a student community called “UNSW Digital Society” where I work with an amazing team of 35 to create events for over 400 students on campus.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I love the concept of minimalism and that less is more. I’m always trying to remove excess items from my living space and decluttering my mind to focus more on things that matter.

What’s your most recommended resource? Whether that be motivation, organisation, careers or professional development.

I recommend personal development books / videos! They really helped me view life through different lenses and perspectives, and are a great way to develop a strong growth mindset.

You are about to graduate from a degree in Information Systems – what made you choose this area of study?

I chose to study Information Systems because, growing up, I’ve always been fascinated by the power of technology and how it constantly changes the world around us. I heard that the degree was the intersection between Business and Technology, which sounded appealing because I wanted to learn about how technology is used to achieve business outcomes.

What has been your biggest lesson from uni to date?

Sometimes failure teaches you more than success – so don’t be afraid of constantly experimenting and looking for opportunities to improve.

Back to when you started the UNSW Digital Society, how did this opportunity/idea come about?

The idea of UNSW Digital Society came about when my friends and I realised that there was no society on campus focused specifically on the rapidly-growing Digital space. In my first year of university, I was involved in 5 different Business and Tech-related societies, and really wanted to use the skills I’ve developed to build a new society dedicated to empowering students interested in this space.

What advice do you have for students on securing their first internship?

Don’t (just) apply. Come up with creative ways to demonstrate the value you can bring to the company. This may involve:

Proactively reaching out to people in industries you’re interested in, to learn more about what they do.
Showcasing your projects, experiences and skillsets through an online portfolio / personal website.
Building a personal brand through Linkedin by writing and engaging with posts.

We are so keen to know, what is next for you?

As I complete my final University courses, I’m excited to be starting a full-time role next year in AWS as a Solutions Architect!

What is your ultimate career goal?

My career goals change all the time as I continue to navigate through different experiences – but my ultimate goal is to improve the lives of others. I want to look back at my career journey and be able to see that I made a positive, tangible impact.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

Industry awards are a great way to recognise people and organisations making an impact. In particular, Women in Digital Awards do an incredible job of celebrating the achievements of women in the digital space, promoting diversity in the workplace.

Congratulations Lucy on all you have achieved so far. We can’t wait to see what you do next!

Want to get involved with the Women in Digital Awards? Be sure to subscribe here so you never miss an update!

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Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Diversity of the Year Employer (SMB), sponsored by Urban Utilities, Blackbook.ai!

Blackbook.ai is one of Australia’s largest privately-owned service companies specialising in automation and artificial intelligence. Innovation is at the forefront of everything they do. But it is their commitment to diversity that really captured the judges. Over 1 in 2 employees are considered diverse with an overall female ratio of 30%. Blackbook.ai also promotes initiatives that support women in STEM from high school through to university and beyond. We look forward to seeing what they do next!

We were excited to chat to Blackbook.ai’s Head of Finance Automation, Natasha Lam, about the company, Covid-19 and of course, diversity in digital.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Diversity Employer of the Year here.

How would you describe Blackbook.ai as a workplace in just one sentence?

Giving opportunities to all in the community to work on emerging technologies.

What is one thing not many people know about Blackbook.ai?

We are 30% owned by RACQ. RACQ with its community values were the first ones to believe in what we were doing.

What differentiates Blackbook.ai from other organisations you have worked for?

With the owners coming from corporate backgrounds, the professionalism on the client-side is evident coupled with that start-up mentality gives us the ability to be agile.

Obviously, diversity is important to Blackbook.ai, but what is your definition of diversity and why it is important?

Along with inclusion, diversity for us is giving anyone a go that has the right skills and attitude. We have also tried to be agile in our recruitment, helping those affected by Covid-19.

What does it mean to Blackbook.ai to have a commitment to diversity?

Our commitment to diversity has been evident from inception, with our CEO as a refugee, diversity is very much built within and it doesn’t feel forced. We are very proud of our backgrounds and we celebrate it regularly.

As a SMB, has it been more challenging to increase diversity than a perhaps of a larger organisation?

Yes and No. Even though we are growing quickly we can’t afford a lot of overhead like larger organisations. Which just means we are more strategic in our hires and consequently this has more of a powerful impact.

And how does Blackbook.ai demonstrate that diversity in ways that your competitors perhaps don’t?

I think generally Blackbook.ai takes more risk with hiring, giving those opportunities that traditionally may not have been given in larger organisations. This approach overall has had a positive effect.

What do you think Blackbook.ai can improve on when it comes to diversity and inclusion?

Female applicants for software development has been a challenge and we are seeing a definite shift, however we will continue to try and draw females into our industry.

How has Blackbook.ai supported staff and clients during COVID-19?

We have had target job campaigns recruiting for only those affected by COVID. We have hired a handful of people from Flight Centre, Deloitte and other companies that business was severely affected by the virus. In terms of staff support, we were already working remotely and on/off-site, so it wasn’t a massive transition for us. However we have continued to allow staff to work flexibly, staff are usually in the office when their gym sessions next door are on.

To businesses or leaders out there that know they want to improve diversity within their team but don’t know where to start… What advice do you have for them?

Take a risk, try something new, give them a go, the benefits will lift your organisation to the next level. Don’t focus on the stats too much, it takes time, but make sure you move in the right direction.

What else do you think can be done to improve diversity in the digital industry, particularly in more technical positions?

Education to girls in school. Primary school and secondary. We are missing an opportunity to show them that they can do these things. Echoing Holly’s belief, ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. It’s true. In my daughter’s primary school there are only 2 male teachers, Maths and Science…..and the groundsman. This is what they see.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

To showcase women in tech positions and how they are rockstars not only at work, but in their communities and in their families. It helps build our profiles and recognition within the business arena.

What can we expect to see from Blackbook.ai in the future?

Probably a little boring but more of the same hahaha, we are continuing to win contracts, create innovations and build a creative team. Obviously, we will be dabbling in new tech and we are hoping to grow more rapidly on a national scale – look out Australia!

And finally Natasha, what technology development is most exciting to you at the moment?

Gosh – so many things to talk about. But Bio, is and will be a game changer, bio-medical, bio-security, bio, bio, bio. Understanding our health and medicines is obviously front of mind after COVID, and security concerns in tech are growing. Passwords will likely be a thing of the past and multi-factor authentication will be eye scans, thumb prints, voice recognition etc. Exciting times.

Congratulations Blackbook.ai on this incredible accomplishment and thank you Natasha for chatting with us!

Want to get involved with the Women in Digital Awards? Be sure to subscribe here so you never miss an update!

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Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Technical Leader of the Year, sponsored by COSOL, Sorcha Abel!

Sorcha is a Software Developer at Genie Solutions with over 15 years’ experience. As part of her winning entry, Sorcha was involved in all stages of a project designed to automate the process of importing private health fund fees through a sophisticated script. But where she really shines is her industry contributions. Sorcha is passionate about mentoring women in technology. She regularly organises, mentors and presents at events including Rails Girls Brisbane, Elixir Girls, Brisbane Installfest, Coder Academy, Muses and Coder Dojo, introducing women to tech and showing young people what a career in tech could look like. Sorcha is a true advocate for women in digital.

We were thrilled to talk to her about her career, contributions to women in tech and of course, diversity in digital.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Technical Leader of the Year here.

Congratulations Sorcha! These are incredible professional accolades, but tell us, who is Sorcha the person?

Thanks so much, honestly I’m still floating. Who is Sorcha… gosh… I guess I’m a few things. First and foremost I’m a mum of three fantastic kids. Grace, Harry and James. I’m Irish, my Husband is Australian and we moved to Australia almost 9 years ago. But a lot of people know that about me already 🙂

If I were to pick one word that describes me but equally a trait that I look for in others, regardless of position, it’s respect. I think this is the key to a successful person and a productive team. They may sound like empty words but I’m really passionate about this.

I truly believe if people feel respected, they feel valued. This in turn leads to a greater contribution in terms of collaboration/code etc. However, if people don’t feel respected they tend to withdraw, contributions to group discussions stop, morale drops, team collaboration stagnates and it usually ends up in high turnover. This is never a win from any perspective.

I don’t believe that respect is something you earn, I feel everyone should demonstrate and receive it from the get-go. Respect in the workplace really brings out the best in people.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I once played the piano well and now I play it badly. It’s on that long list I keep and I genuinely hope to start playing it again in 2021, this is the first of my 2021 New Year’s resolutions

What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?

Actually, I’m currently reading the Harry Potter books, my daughter is crazy about them so there came a point when I needed to educate myself on the values of Dumbledore vs Voldemort. Actually, the books are great!

On the tech side of things I’ve just started to read Clean Code and I’m also studying for the AWS Developer Associate exam. That’s all keeping me pretty busy!

It is commonly recognised that there are fewer female leaders in digital and technology -specifically in technical roles like you. How did you end up working in this industry?

I love problem solving and I love talking to people. Software development requires both. I’d probably say communication skills are the most important. If you can’t understand a problem then it’s impossible to develop a solution for it.

I started in a support role which ticked the above ‘problem solving’ box but I soon realised my passion was for software development.

What’s your most recommended business or technology-based resource?

I use a range of resources, I regularly sign up for a course on Udemy or use Pluralsight. I switch between blog posts and Medium articles and physical books. Currently, I’m using the DigitalCloud Training for the AWS exam.

As a kid, were you always drawn to computers. What made you enter a career in software development?

I have always been a keen student and studying technology gave me the opportunity to hone in on my passion for solving problems. Once I got the opportunity to write code for a career, I knew I had made the right choice.

Genie Solutions is obviously an incredible organisation to work for (and were actually the winners of the Diversity Employer of the Year award at the 2019 Women in Digital Awards). But tell us, what is your favourite thing about working at Genie?

It really is an incredible place to work. It’s actually difficult to pick just one thing! I guess the culture is a huge part of what I love. There is a feeling that we are all in it together, everyone helps everyone without question. It’s such a supportive place. Coupled with that is a genuine encouragement for all staff to grow and be what they want to be. Genie gives you the tools, resources, support and mentoring you need. For me that is massive.

What I love most about my day to day role is coding with the most supportive, amazing developers who truly make work a joy. That might sound a little cliched but it’s true. As a developer it’s so important to learn and grow, technology is always changing so to work with people who mentor and guide me is of paramount importance.

The executive team leads by example which is refreshing. My manager constantly asks what I need and how he can help me get there. They are not empty words. The CTO guides and empowers everyone and is one of the most approachable people I know. And we have a CEO who knows everyone’s name, chats to all and has a positivity that radiates.The company is like one big team of people who help and support each other to get things done. I feel blessed to be part of that.

What has been the biggest career challenge you have faced so far and how did you overcome it?

The biggest challenge I had that impacted my career was moving to Australia, I had just had my second child, I had left the banking sector in Ireland and had lots of experience but with legacy code. My biggest challenge was while dealing with the stress that comes with relocating there was an added stress of learning a very different tech stack. That coupled with not having any IT connections in Australia made it quite the challenge.

But it all worked out, and I guess that’s important to remember, most challenges do work out and looking back really helped me grow personally and professionally.

What tips do you have for students, graduates and early-in-career professionals set on a career in software development?

Tech wise I would suggest in the career early days not to specialise too much. Stay abreast of the current technologies and try not to pigeon hole yourself into any one stack. Ask lots of questions and listen.

Focus early in your career on good structure, good logic and always keep in mind the outcome your code is trying to achieve.

Be patient with yourself and your progress. When you come across something unfamiliar, remind yourself you simply don’t know it “yet”. Nothing is magic, all answers are out there. And finally not to forget that no one was born knowing how to code, it’s a skill we learn and perfect over time.

On the soft skills side, believe in yourself and give everything a try. When something doesn’t work learn to move on fast. Listen to everyone’s opinions, especially the ones you don’t agree with. Keep an open mind and view everything as an opportunity to learn something new.

What do you wish more people knew about working as a software developer?

I wish people knew how rewarding it is. My average day incorporates some great discussions, some great code, great support and fun. I think that’s the key to any happy role. Maybe people don’t think of IT as a fun role but great people are scattered throughout every profession and IT is no different.

I worry there is still a misconception about software development as a profession. Sadly I have heard the following sentiment more than once: “As a women you have to prove yourself more”. Maybe that was once true, but it’s not an accurate statement these days. I really want people to know that. Tech is a welcoming industry and you will be assessed on your ability/dedication. Gender really doesn’t play a role.

What’s next for you? You have already achieved so much but do you have any professional aspirations you still hope to achieve?

This is by far the hardest question so far. I have so many things on that list. The more I learn the more I realise there is to learn. The AWS Developer Associate exam is the next concrete thing on my list. Recently, an app that I developed for Xero has gone into BETA testing mode by both users and Xero. I’ve got my fingers crossed that it could be added to the Xero Marketplace soon… So busy but exciting times ahead.

We are so impressed by your community involvement in encouraging women to follow STEM pathways, are you working on any projects now?

I have lots of plans for 2021, I hope to run the next Rails Girls event ASAP. This year we have AWS Educate onboard and we are all set and ready to go.
We have new guides, new presentations, new mentors and an AWS dev environment..so many exciting things. We are just waiting for these times to get safer before a date is announced. I also intend to mentor and panel talk at other Brisbane events once everything is safe to do so.

What do you think can be done to improve diversity in the digital industry, particularly in more technical positions?

We need people to study tech, that goes without saying but equally we need people to stay in tech. That’s the key. Diversity is more than encouraging women into tech. That is of course one piece of the puzzle and a key piece at that, but keeping women in tech is of paramount importance. Diversity, as we know, encompasses more than gender, it includes life experience, travel, children, family and everything that makes us who we are. We want all those experiences around a table when we are trying to solve a problem.

Flexibility is the other piece of the puzzle. As a mum it is so important to me. I’m lucky to work in a company that supports part-time hours and I also have the flexibility to work from home. These ‘perks’ are huge, a great benefit for all employees but for a mum it can be the difference between staying in the industry and leaving it.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

So important, sometimes life is so busy we don’t see our achievements or we completely take them for granted and therefore discount them. For me the WID awards made me stop, think, forced me to reflect and document my achievements. This helped me to change my perspective, from one that is always focused on looking at my future goals to look at my past achievements. It actually helped me to believe in myself more.

What technology development is most exciting to you at the moment?

At the moment for me it’s all about cloud computing. I am actively studying AWS certifications, having recently passed the AWS Cloud Practitioner certification and currently studying for the AWS Developer Associate certification. The more I learn the more I am amazed by the capabilities of AWS.

Congratulations Sorcha on this accolade and thank you for your many contributions to women in digital!

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Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Innovator of the Year, sponsored by Clinic to Cloud, Carolyn Mee!

Carolyn is the Founder and CEO of the Sound Scouts app, an online hearing screening service designed to check for hearing issues in children. This innovation incorporates the science of a hearing test in a mobile game that is not only accessible, but fun and affordable for families! Thanks to the Australian Government Department of Health, this life-changing service is now free in Australia and has been implemented in over 1,200 Australian schools, completed 40,000 children’s checks plus 15,000 adult tests. What an incredible innovation!

We are delighted to chat to Carolyn about her winning entry, career in digital and insights on diversity in digital industries.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Innovator of the Year here.

Congratulations! We are so impressed by your entry and obviously so were our judges, but tell us, who is Carolyn the person?

I’m a woman who believes that if you put your mind to something, anything is possible. I’m a mother and a Founder. I’m as persistent as I am passionate because one without the other will only get you half way there. I care about making a difference, learning and growing in the process.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I lived and worked in the Red Sea in Egypt for a number of years. At one point I felt as comfortable under the water as I did above it.

In a bite-sized summary, how did you come up with the idea for Sound Scouts?

Sound Scouts was my final assignment for a course I completed in Digital Media. I was introduced to the concept of Serious Games, games that can do more than just entertain, and I quickly recognised the potential to apply the theory to testing children’s hearing. As the mother of three children I knew it was difficult to access a face to face hearing check so I was confident that a digital solution would be a game changer.

Who is your professional inspiration?

I’m inspired by everyday people doing things that matter because I believe that one person can make a difference. Dr Catherine Hamlin was and continues to be an inspiration. Her efforts to assist marginalised women were extraordinary. Dr Fred Hollows is also an inspiration.

You have obviously found a fantastic niche in the market, what were some challenges you encountered while launching Sound Scouts?

Disruptive technology is often frowned upon as people are skeptical about new ways of doing things. In the early days I presented to hostile audiences more often than not, rarely receiving acknowledgement for our efforts to think innovatively about a problem that had not been addressed in decades. Fortunately, we were able to demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution and the rigour that we had applied in its development, and the sentiment slowly changed.

What’s your most recommended business resource?

I recommend listening and learning from your customers.

Most of your career was involved with production and content creation, how did this experience tie into what you do now at Sound Scouts?

As a content creator the need for digital knowledge was becoming more and more important hence why I returned to study. But there’s also a need to integrate creative thinking into digital solutions, so my background in content creation was and continues to be extremely relevant.

I had spent decades thinking about how to engage and entertain so when it came to applying that to the Sound Scouts solution it was second nature.

How do you believe Sound Scouts has made a difference for families and clinicians during this pandemic?

Sound Scouts is a digital, app-based hearing check that parents can do at home. It enables a non-clinician to triage a child (or an adult) to determine if they need to take the next step and see a clinician.

During the early months of the pandemic we doubled down on the development of our Clinical Portal which enabled hospital audiology departments to direct patients on their wait list to test at home. The clinicians could then remotely review the results and make a decision on whether the patient needed to be seen by a clinician.

What advice would you give to anyone with an idea for a business solution/ product/ app?

I would encourage anyone with an idea to take the first step. That first step may be conducting research, finding a business partner or documenting a plan. Once you take the first step, which is always the hardest, more steps will follow and before you know it you will be on the road to building a business.

What is next for you and for Sound Scouts?

We’re working on making Sound Scouts available in more countries so more children have access to an accessible, reliable hearing check that has been purpose built for children . We’re also expanding our product offering and will be releasing a number of new web apps in the hearing space in the coming months.

It is commonly recognised that there are fewer female leaders in digital and technology. What do you think could be done to improve diversity in tech?

I love the Women in Digital call to action that ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’ and I fully support the drive to elevate more women working in the digital space to act as role models for others to emulate.

My digital journey has been supported by firstly, a scholarship and then by several government grants. I think distributed properly this type of government support can make a big difference.

Do you have any initiatives at Sound Scouts to recruit or support female talent? We would love to hear your insights.

Sound Scouts is a small company but we encourage diversity in our team. We appreciate the value people can bring to the team if they have a different perspective on the world. This drives our culture and is top of mind when we are hiring and building new relationships.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

Awards, like the Women in Digital Awards, allow people like myself to take a moment to stop, reflect and appreciate what we have achieved. It’s not uncommon for Founders and innovators to be constantly focused on the next challenge, but it is important to celebrate the milestones and Awards encourage us to do this.

What technology development is exciting you at the moment?

I’m excited by the promise of technology to deliver better outcomes in the health space. Serious games have untapped potential to engage, entertain and inform and I’m looking forward to seeing how they will be harnessed in the future.

Once again, congratulations Carolyn on this accolade and thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

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Introducing the 2020 Women in Digital Awards Founder of the Year, sponsored by Amazon Web Services, Silvia Pfeiffer!

Silvia Pfeiffer is a technologist, author and digital health enthusiast. She is also the CEO and Co-Founder of Coviu, a telehealth start-up specialising in digital service delivery platforms. Her incredible innovation enables clinicians to conduct consultations with patients on a secure, user-friendly platform. As you might expect, COVID-19 turned into somewhat of a catalyst for the uptake of Coviu as remote appointments became increasingly popular and undeniably necessary. Having scaled rapidly to support healthcare businesses during this time, Coviu is expected to achieve 250% financial growth this year. What an amazing achievement!

We were thrilled to talk to our 2020 Founder of the Year about her winning-entry, career journey and thoughts on diversity in digital.

Watch the live announcement of the Women in Digital Awards Founder of the Year here.

Congratulations Silvia! We are so impressed by Coviu and you as the successful Co-Founder of this company, but tell us, who is Silvia the person?

Thanks, I’m stoked about winning the award. I’m a simple immigrant to Australia from Germany. I have not just fallen in love with this country, but also with an Australian, ensuring I would remain in this country. I’ve been contributing to digital innovation in Australia ever since arriving as a post-doc student in 1999 to work within the CSIRO. My company Coviu is the result of a CSIRO spinout bringing innovation to digital healthcare since 2015.

In a bite-sized summary, how did you and your co-founder come up with the idea for Coviu?

While working at the CSIRO on use-cases for the new WebRTC technology that we helped to develop at the W3C, healthcare was deemed one of the key markets for its application. We created a demonstrator application for the speech therapists at Royal Far West in Manly and it was a great success. We received a lot of positive support for this product and won a couple of awards, which encouraged us to develop it into a scalable platform for telehealth for healthcare businesses across Australia.

What is something that not many people know about you?

Despite having lived in Australia for more than 21 years, I only adopted Australian Nationality this year. It was during a special ceremony held at NSW Parliament House in March, just before the COVID shut down. I am very proud to be Australian and to work with Australian healthcare businesses to support the digital transformation of healthcare.

Why do you think telehealth companies like Coviu are so important for the health sector (and the wider public for that matter)?

Coviu is a new software solution for healthcare businesses that enables them to pick up telehealth and run it as a new service offering with their patients/clients. We’ve built Coviu so it can be rolled out easily and also work in a hybrid model of offering consultations in person as well as via video. This is important because it’s the beginning of a transformation of how we receive healthcare. It’s the beginning of including digital technology and digital delivery mechanisms into models of care.

Who is your professional inspiration?

I’m inspired not just by a single person, but by the work of many people. I admire what Tim Berners-Lee has achieved with the invention of the World Wide Web, I admire both Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have achieved as founders of Apple and Microsoft, I am inspired by the devotion of Marie Curie to science and by Mother Teresa to humanity.

Coviu was seemingly made for a world in a pandemic – where clinicians have had to switch to online services. Talk about being in the right place at the right time! What has been your biggest learning this year?

It was always our vision that we would support the digital transformation of your local healthcare providers – be that a GP, a psychology or physiotherapy, or a specialist practice. We expected it would take a long time for the behaviour of healthcare providers to change and for Medicare to support this transition, but we never lost sight of the need for transition to improve healthcare. My biggest learning is that it is important to be ready when the market that you predicted suddenly materialises. Never lose faith in the future that you predict – it might come around faster than you thought.

Speaking of Covid-19, what do you think was the biggest challenge Coviu encountered due to the pandemic and how did you overcome it?

By far the biggest challenge was to scale up our technology infrastructure and our customer support. Fortunately, we had built for scale – our technology was hosted in AWS and built in a way that we could take advantage of AWS’s scalability capabilities. We had some bugs in our code that led to some outages – just like all other video conferencing providers at the time. But the infrastructure scaled beautifully.

We also had to scale up our customer support and we did that by increasing the number of customer success managers that would reply to customer requests on our text chat application, on email and on the phone lines. We hired 15 people in a short time and trained them ourselves on the job. It was the only way and it worked well.

What’s your most recommended business resource?

I really like the book ‘The hard thing about hard things’ by Ben Horowitz – it appreciates how difficult it really is to build a new company and provides some great advice on how to be resilient.

If you could go back and change anything about how Coviu came to be, what would it be?

There are a number of mistakes that we made along the way, but that’s pretty normal. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have been able to avoid the mistakes and make our lives easier along the way. But I wouldn’t want to change anything about the general process of how Coviu came to be.

What tips do you have for other people with an idea for a business solution/ product/ app?

Make sure you understand your market. Who are the people that will buy it and how much will they pay? You can find out this information by talking to potential customers. It’s very important to understand this before you fully commit.

What is next for you and for Coviu?

Coviu is currently closing our Series A investment round. We will use this round to scale out the medical features of our platform, so we can better support our customers’ clinical services. We are further expanding Coviu internationally so we can offer our platform to healthcare businesses in other countries, particularly the US.

It is commonly recognised that there are fewer female leaders in digital and technology. How did you end up working in this industry?

When I started on my path in technology, it wasn’t yet a man’s business. You must know that women were the first programmers. That was because it was regarded as a secretary’s job. That changed as soon as men realised how close it was to engineering and renamed the job to software engineering. Suddenly it was a man’s domain and increasingly women were pushed out of it. I was part of the first student lot at Mannheim University to study a combined degree of business management and computer science. We had 40% women. Just a couple of years later it was down to 15% and less.

What would you tell someone interested or unsure about a career in tech?

The future is about technology. Humanity had to learn to read when the book press was invented. We now have to learn about technology because everything in the future will have technology in it. You should not be unsure about a career in technology, you should embrace it.

What do you think can be done to improve diversity in the digital industry, particularly in more technical positions?

We have to start at school. If we make programming a requirement at school just like maths, we’ll get girls as educated about technology as boys. We usually lose girls in their teens because it’s not cool. So let’s make it cool for girls. Finally, we have to change the way we hire. It’s well known that women don’t apply for jobs unless they fit it 100%, while men are more confident and apply even if they only fit 60%. It’s important to rewrite job descriptions in a more inclusive way.

What do you believe is the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards?

Recognition of work is very important for anyone. Women are often overlooked and have to work twice as hard to get recognised. This is an outstanding award that shines a light on women in digital.

What technology development is most exciting for you at the moment?

I’ve been in technology for a long time. I did video analytics and machine learning for my PhD. It’s finally coming into its prime and there are many opportunities for its use, but also many ethically questionable misuse. We’ll have to learn to distinguish between the two and regulate the misuse, e.g. deep fake video could be used to impersonate people. But I am excited to see it come to its prime.

Once again, congratulations Silvia on this accomplishment and thank you for taking the time to chat with us!

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To read more Q&A blogs from our line-up of Women in Digital Award Winners, head over to our blog and keep an eye out for more success stories on our Facebook and Instagram. You can see the full list of 2020 Women in Digital Award winners here.

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