Women in Digital Interview Series Archives - Page 2 of 3

Introducing the 2022 Women in Digital Awards Digital Workforce: Skills for the Future winner, powered by the Queensland Government Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy, WithYouWithMe!

WithYouWithMe (WYWM) is a social impact, profit-with-purpose organisation working towards a future where underrepresented groups are offered the opportunity to find meaningful careers. Challenging traditional hiring practices, WYWM focuses on a jobseeker’s potential to learn and grow over their previous work experience.

WYWM won due to their incredible impact in assisting thousands of individuals to find their career potential and access free digital skills training. WYWM has more than 75,000 users on their platform globally with underrepresented and underemployed communities including women, veterans, neurodivergent talent, military families, Indigenous communities, refugees and young people at the very start of their careers.

WYWM has recognised its talented and diverse workforce is a key component of its competitive advantage. The judges were thoroughly impressed by their mission and outstanding impact, tackling the global digital skill shortage while creating a more equitable future.

Here’s what WYWM‘s Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Kouparitsas had to say about their win on the night:

We were thrilled to talk to Alicia, about WYWM’s winning entry, the importance of industry awards such as the Women in Digital Awards and thoughts on improving diversity in digital.

Click here to meet all the 2022 Women in Digital Award Winners.

Congratulations WYWM for taking home the trophy for this incredible category! We are so excited to be chatting with you! Tell us a bit about WYWM.

Thank you! It’s an honour to be recognised amongst such worthy women and organisations.

WithYouWithMe is an Aussie startup that was founded in 2015 to solve the problem of veteran underemployment. We soon discovered that CVs were a significant barrier to employment affecting numerous groups in society. We’ve come a long way since then and today, we help thousands of people from all parts of society around the world – including women – to find meaningful employment in tech careers.

What I really love about our company is beyond helping people to create meaningful careers, we’re also solving a major economic challenge. The digital skills shortage is a significant barrier to growth and productivity around the world, and we’re helping to solve it by finding tech talent where no one else looks. We want to change the way people recognise talent and create a path for the underserved. And in doing so, we want to create a more equitable world.

How would you describe WYWM as a workplace in just one sentence?

We’re an inclusive, highly diverse and forward-thinking workplace that gives our people the opportunity to thrive by valuing their potential to succeed in a role over their experience.

What is one thing not many people know about WYWM?

While we started in Australia in 2015, our fastest-growing markets are international. We have more than 75,000 users on our platform from around the world – with the fastest growth coming from Canada and the UK. We now work closely with some of the world’s biggest businesses and government agencies, including the UK, Canadian & US Governments, which is pretty exciting.

What differentiates WYWM from other organisations you have worked for?

WithYouWithMe is a people-first organisation that is focused on what a person is capable of achieving, rather than if they’ve previously had the opportunity to prove themselves. We want a meritocracy – where potential is rewarded. This belief is what drives our approach to help any group who is overlooked and under-represented so they have the opportunity to contribute and make a difference.

We’re also deeply focused on building communities, groups of people who care for and look after each other. We focus on connection and impact first, and from that comes growth.

Welcome to our WIDAwards Alumni! We want to know… what winning this award means to WYWM?

Supporting more women into tech careers is a key focus for WithYouWithMe, and having the support of the WID community is helping us make an even greater impact in this space.

Currently, women only hold between 17 – 27%* of roles in the tech sector (which is the average rate across the markets in which we operate). We are firmly focused on levelling this number up by increasing female participation in the tech workforce. Many women discount themselves for a tech career as they don’t feel qualified or like they have the natural skills or abilities. When you look at the data, this couldn’t be further from the truth. We want to help more women to realise the potential they have to excel at a rewarding technology career, and programs like WID are key to helping us get there.

As Chief Marketing Officer at WYWM, what does winning this award mean to YOU??

Our team pours their heart and soul into solving under-employment – whether it’s serving the under-served with career pathways for in-demand tech roles, or uncovering latent, overlooked talent within an organisation, awards like this help raise awareness of the important work of our extraordinary team – which in turn helps us make an even bigger impact. We won’t stop until we solve under-employment – and we need lots of voices to help us get there.

What does it mean to WYWM to have a commitment to digital skill development and training?

The digital world moves rapidly, and skills are constantly evolving. When it comes to tech careers, degrees and past jobs are not as valuable as the right aptitude, attitude, learning style and psychographic profile to quickly pick up the skills needed to thrive in digital. Our proprietary assessment software is more suited to identifying tech talent than any measure in the market, and certainly more effective than a CV. The utilisation of assessment and skills mapping remains the least developed aspect of the recruitment process. It is our superpower, and it’s how we’re helping individuals build meaningful tech careers and organisations bridge their digital skills gaps.

Whilst WYWM has clearly made an impact with its’ free digital skill development training, what is WYWM currently working on internally to improve or add to its current program, grow the team?

Our ‘Discover Potential’ program has helped place thousands into work at some of the world’s biggest employers – which has given us the opportunity to show organisations our approach can also help them manage and optimise their own workforces as well.

‘Grow Potential‘ is a new product we’ve recently launched to support this demand. Grow is a data-led employment platform that uses our profiling and assessment technology to create an accurate assessment of team productivity and employees’ natural strengths, hidden abilities and potential to be successful in a role.

Grow Potential is perfect for organisations looking to create meaningful career pathways for their employees with a focus on reskilling, career development and retention. It also helps guide decision-making around workforce planning for change management and business transformation.

This is a really exciting area of growth for us and will help fuel our broader social impact program. Every software licence we sell to an organisation allows us to train 10 individuals from diverse groups for free.

What advice do you have for organisations wanting to put forward for a submission for an awards program but aren’t sure if they should?

It’s really easy to be task-focused and always be working on the next big thing, without stopping to celebrate the wins along the way. I think awards are a great way to reflect on and acknowledge team achievements and my advice is to just throw your hat in the ring. Whether you win or not, you have the opportunity to share your team’s hard work and to connect with others in the industry who are doing great things. I’ve made some wonderful connections through the WID network and definitely encourage you to get involved!

Aside from WYWM’s incredible skills training program, we would love to share more about WYWM’s approach to improving diversity within the company.

As an organisation, we practice what we preach and most of our own employees have been sourced from our diverse talent pool. All of our people do our aptitude assessment at the start of their journey with us, and we continue to review these results to ensure we are carving meaningful careers that allow our people to achieve their potential.

Every time we read WYWM’s nomination, we are in awe! Tell us more about your ‘profit with purpose’ model and its impact

Many people experience hardship as a result of outmoded and biased employment practices. People who don’t have years of experience, degrees, or shiny corporate connections are often overlooked for job opportunities, regardless of their potential or their fit for the role. This triggers our deeply ingrained sense of justice. We want to help under-served communities to overcome the prejudices of the corporate world, and provide a lifeline to those who need it most.

We know there is a huge propensity for tech roles in untapped talent pools of people from overlooked or under-served segments of society. We know the cycle of unemployment and underemployment is degenerative and intergenerational. We know the barriers to entry from traditional training and education models preclude these groups. We want to change all that.

We’ve helped thousands of under and unemployed people find their potential without investing years and money into education because we train fast, and our training is free for these communities. We constantly reinvest in our product and our communities to provide training to more overlooked individuals, because we believe in a more equitable society.

WYWM is leading the way in its commitment to supporting many underrepresented communities through digital skills training. What are some simple steps or quick wins other progressive employers can do the same?

So many organisations say they can’t find the tech talent they need. We believe this talent exists in under-represented groups in society and is often sitting dormant within many organisations as well. There are many people who are in administrative roles in a business who could be quickly trained to step into an entry-level tech role.

Leaders need to challenge the traditional way of recruiting and workforce management to fix this problem – and we can help. We’ve just launched an introductory program that gives organisations that are curious to work with us the ability to access a heavily-reduced pricing model, so they can see the benefits for themselves.

There’s the option to hire diverse talent into their organisation, or to test and train 100 of their people in their existing workforce to upskill in new roles. It’s a great deal designed to help us make a bigger impact, but it’s limited time, so get on board quickly!

How does WYWM aim to remain committed to your learning and development initiatives in the future?

We believe in continuous and lifelong learning – particularly when it comes to digital skills. Every time we deploy an individual into an organisation, we continue to provide them with access to our platform so they can continue to upskill over time. This helps the individual grow their career, and the employer to future-proof their workforce.

From our own organisational perspective, training is also key to our organisation. We work in six-week sprints – which we call Fierce Cycles – and week 1 is always a training week to give our people the opportunity to grow their knowledge and expertise.

Is there anything you can share about the future of WYWM?

We remain committed to solving under-employment globally and are continuing to bring on board exciting, inspiring partners in countries around the world to help us do this. The year ahead will see lots of growth, into new geographies but also new communities where we can make the biggest social impact possible.

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

Fostering a culture of innovation and inspiration is important in helping us improve the way we operate, whether it’s at the individual or organisational level. Industry Awards like the Women in Digital Awards provide a smorgasbord of inspiring people and innovative practices that will drive our sector forward. We need these forums to celebrate the wins and also keep us moving forward.

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

Generative AI – and in particular Generative Pretrained Transformers – is fascinating and has so many implications for technologists. As someone with a comms background, I’ve been sceptical but the tech is moving ahead in leaps and bounds and could have an enormous impact not just in driving things like marketing efficiency and effectiveness, but also in programming and computer engineering. Adding it to my learning list for sure.

And finally, Alicia, if you could leave the Women in Digital community with one parting word of wisdom, what would it be?

There’s a statistic that often gets circulated around how men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the requirements, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.

As women, we need to stop self-selecting out of opportunities. Understanding what we are capable of and the types of roles we can fulfil shouldn’t be based on gut instinct or personal perception. Go to the data. WithYouWithMe’s approach is based on understanding an individual’s true potential – and we provide comprehensive aptitude and attitude testing and career reports for free to all women. Having an informed view of what you could do and be is incredibly empowering. I really encourage everyone in the WID community to jump on our website and get their free assessment so they can see what they are truly capable of. All free and no strings attached. Let’s do this.

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

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 stories on our LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. You can also see our incredible list of 2022 WIDAwards here.

Introducing the 2022 Women in Digital Awards Innovator of the Year, powered by Auto & General, Emily Bobis!

Emily Bobis is the Founder of Compass IoT, a road intelligence company using connected vehicle data to improve road safety, infrastructure and city planning.

Now in its fourth year of operations, Emily has grown Compass IoT into a multi-award-winning organisation making an incredible impact in building safer cities and pushing the boundaries of transport planning. So far, Compass IoT has been used to map 20 million freight vehicle trips across Queensland, halve crashes on one of Sydney’s busiest roads, justify a $73 million bridge widening project, and measure a 50% deterioration of roads in Lismore caused by flooding to help prioritise relief efforts and asset maintenance.

The judges were impressed by Emily’s innovation and ambition to solve a real pain point in the market, alongside impressive growth statistics.

Here’s what Emily had to say about her win on the night:

We were thrilled to talk to our 2022 Innovator of the Year about her winning entry, career journey and thoughts on diversity in digital.

Click here to meet all the 2022 Women in Digital Award Winners.

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

I’m a 27-year-old Co-Founder and Director of Compass IoT – a multi-award-winning road intelligence company based in Sydney. I’ve spent my entire professional career building tech-enabled startups, particularly around branding, marketing, media, and PR.

I’m passionate about getting things done, communicating the value of good marketing and design for business outcomes, creating a difference, solving problems, and encouraging young people to get involved in entrepreneurship.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I’m a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo and have trained for 10+ years. Training for such a long time requires you to take on feedback, get comfortable with being uncomfortable, and challenge your own bad habits – skills that also happen to be essential to entrepreneurship and good team building.

Who is your professional inspiration?

It’s cliche but of course, I’m going to have to say, my mum. She taught me the importance of sustained persistent effort to achieve goals. It’s often persistence that builds life-long aptitude and resilience, which can trump natural talent when there’s pressure to deliver.

I’m also very grateful for my co-founder, Angus. He’s one of the most patient people I know. I’ve learnt a great deal from him about team leadership and we make a great team.

What’s your go-to startup or technology resource recommendation?

The Guild of Entrepreneurs resource library and online community. It’s an incredibly well-curated library on all things startups, and the community is a terrific bunch of founders, mentors, and enthusiasts that genuinely want to provide value.

How did you end up working in technology?

A complete accident. I applied for a study abroad scholarship program because I was trying to avoid writing a book report at university. By some luck, only 4 people applied and there were only 4 places available, so I got accepted by default. On that trip is where I ended up meeting my co-founder, Angus.

A few years later, I had a terrible experience in a corporate internship and had a realisation: I don’t want to work in a job like this for the rest of my life. After the internship ended, Angus and I started Compass IoT.

I’ve always been interested in technology and the value that it provides, but I didn’t ever plan to start a technology company. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had been a good student and just written my book report…

What has been the best career advice you’ve ever received?

There are 2 pieces of advice I keep coming back to:

When in doubt, do something – making a decision (even if you’re not sure it’s the right one) is better than doing nothing at all.
Do it scared – you’ll never feel 100% confident in your ability to do something. If you’re scared about an opportunity, don’t pass on it; just do it scared.

Welcome to our WIDAwards Alumni! We want to know… what does winning this award mean to you?

I’m incredibly proud to be representing the Compass IoT team and our success so far. We often reduce the success of a startup to its founders; in reality, there are 12 other people that deserve a huge level of recognition for building Compass IoT.

In a bite-sized summary, how did Compass IoT come to be?

My Co-Founder and I met while studying at the University of Sydney. I ended up working with him at a bike-sharing startup called Airbike. Through Airbike, we had discussions with different transport and mobility planners and discovered there was a missing link between how cities were designed and how people actually used them. We went on to found Compass IoT to try and bridge that gap using data from cars.

What have been the greatest challenges you have encountered whilst launching Compass IoT? How did you overcome them?

Adapting from being in a team of 3, where I did a lot of the day-to-day tasks, to managing a team of 12 and delegating responsibility. Learning to let go and trust others to deliver can be really difficult and is definitely a skill that I’m still learning. I’ll let you know when I figure that one out!

Compass IoT has achieved some incredible outcomes as evidenced in your submissions. Tell us, how do you work towards driving constant innovation?

So many startups fail because they create a solution first and then try to find a problem space to force their idea into. Our innovation comes from listening to customers and identifying problems, prioritising them, figuring out what is feasible to create, and THEN acting on it. We’re always scanning and searching for new problems within our focused niche and how we can potentially apply connected vehicle data to solve them without compromising our ability to deliver or our business goals.

We went to list all the awards and grants you have received here but truthfully, there are just so many. It is so incredible to see how much you and Compass IoT have achieved in just 4 years.

Often, women don’t put themselves forward for promotions or awards and this is for a laundry list of reasons with one of the most discussed being imposter syndrome.

What advice do you have for women wanting to put themselves forward for an award but aren’t sure if they should?

Self-nominate regardless of whether you think you’ll win. The worst-case scenario is you might actually win. You miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take – there are plenty of other people who will doubt you or tell you that you can’t do something. Why add to that list by being one of them yourself?

I actually don’t like the term imposter syndrome – it shifts the blame back onto individuals, fostering the idea that women are the ones that need to change instead of looking at overhauling a system that was never designed to offer us a legitimate seat at the table.

As a Founder and growing startup, how have these awards and grants helped you?

They helped by providing legitimacy and incredible brand awareness to Compass IoT, the team, and the value we provide to transport professionals.

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

It’s never too early or late to start. Building Compass IoT has been one of the most terrifying, lonely, and challenging things I’ve ever done. But it’s also been the most rewarding, interesting, and humbling experience; if I had to go back, I’d do it all over again without a second thought.

What has been your biggest learning this year?

Execution is everything. Ideas are amazing to have but don’t really mean anything unless you act on them and create something tangible.

What is next for you and for Compass IoT?

We’re in the process of expanding internationally to New Zealand and the UK.

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?

There needs to be an attitude adjustment across all sectors regarding female leadership and mentorship (for men too!), not just technology and digital. My male counterparts have been asked on multiple occasions what business they own, whereas I’m constantly asked what company I am interning for. We need to change the rhetoric we all use so that we don’t unintentionally undermine women’s achievements with outdated assumptions based on gender stereotypes.

This change involves all genders, age ranges, and seniority levels to set an example, communicate expectations, and speak out when something is done or said that isn’t appropriate.

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

You can’t be what you can’t see. It’s important to have a platform that highlights intelligent women doing great things because, for too long, there has not been a public forum that provides enough duly earnt recognition.

My hope for the future is that we no longer need female-specific awards. Ideally, I want both men and women to be equally recognised in the same spaces, events, and award categories.

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

Connected and Autonomous Vehicles! We’ve already seen a wave of cars that are defined by their software more so than their physical hardware. Now, we’re incredibly close to seeing more driverless functions, which could lead to a drastic reduction in road deaths and injuries.

Emily, if you could leave the Women in Digital community with one parting word of wisdom, what would it be?

Back yourself. Women are often quick to turn down accolades or public accomplishments because we either think we are undeserving or are afraid to be seen as arrogant if we accept them. Self-nominate, celebrate, raise other women up with you, and become comfortable with the recognition that you deserve.

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

Award-winning hairdresser turned Business Executive, Ashlynne Sharma has proven that you can have more than one successful career. With experience across business development, sales and even corporate recruiting, Ashlynne is a keen problem-solver and enjoys tackling any challenge her clients throw her way.

We were delighted to chat with her about her career journey and role as an Account Executive at Vmation, a video content marketing agency in Brisbane.

These are incredible professional accolades, but tell us, who is Ashlynne the person?

Ashlynne the person is a loving mother who really enjoys spending time with her family outside of work hours. You’ll find us either at the beach or in the country.

What is something that not many people know about you?

A fun fact about me is that I am extremely talented at using claw machines!

What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?

Ted Talks everyday. I have attended two Ted Talk events here in Brisbane in the last couple of years and find them endlessly inspiring.

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

I do agree with this statement. It was a role I just sort of fell into however I loved it and was so glad it worked out that way. I definitely encourage women to pursue a career path in this industry as it’s certainly very rewarding.

What’s on repeat with your work playlist right now?

Andra Day – ‘Rise Up’

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

I think more awareness around the issue would certainly help to ensure more diversity throughout the industry.

What technology development is most exciting you at the moment? (e.g. AI and why)

Autonomous driving- because I dislike driving.

What’s your most recommended Business/Marketing resource?

Pre Covid-19, attending Interactive Minds was my favourite way to learn about the ever growing, fascinating world of Marketing.

How do you maintain work-life balance as a successful BD/Sales professional?

I’m lucky enough to work for a great company that understands the importance of work-life balance. I’m very grateful for this.

What is next for you?

I don’t have a specific title or role selected for my 5/10 year plan. What’s important to me is continuing to learn new things, get better at what I know and progress in my career at a reasonable pace. Working with sophisticated professionals is also crucial – as I feel like I’m at my best when working with other high quality people. Which is what I have at Vmation.

A huge thank you to Ashlynne for chatting with us and don’t forget to connect with her on LinkedIn. If you want to read more Q&A’s with the top women in business head over to our blog! We will also be sharing further female success stories on our socials so stay updated with our Facebook and Instagram.

Introducing the 2021 Executive Leader of the Year, powered by Avanade, Tracy Whitelaw!

Tracy Whitelaw won this award alongside Professor Mary Foley AM.

Tracy Whitelaw is the Chief Digital Officer at Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), leading the digital transformation and data maturity of 77 Queensland councils to help the councils better serve their communities. Under her leadership, LGAQ are setting up the LGAQ Innovation Lab, powered by Telstra, and in conjunction with Google, Facebook, local startups and universities.

The judges were particularly impressed with Tracy’s use of technology to serve the community and drive innovation across local government.

We were thrilled to talk to our 2021 Executive of the Year about her winning entry, career and thoughts on diversity in digital.

Congratulations Tracy! You have no doubt had an impressive career so far, but tell us, who is Tracy the person?

Oh this is a great question! I am not sure I’m that much different from anyone else. I’m a wife, mother, nonna, daughter, self-professed geek, nerd, gamer, lover of learning and gadget fan to name but a few parts of me. I’m also a Scozzie – Scottish Australian – having come here in 2007 and proudly calling QLD home.

What is something that not many people know about you?

A lot of people don’t realise I’ve been with my wife for 23 years, married for 3 of those and that I’m a nonna to an 8 year old and a 6 year old, Jaxon and Aria who are the absolute light of my life. When people find out they usually say “you’re way too young to be a nonna!”! But I am, and that’s a story for another time!

Welcome to WID Awards Alumni! We want to know… what does winning this award mean to you?

I am so honoured to have won this award, it was completely unexpected for me. It means a lot because I’ve seen the ripple effect that it’s had on my friends, family and professional network. My family have been so proud and so excited to celebrate the win with me and my friends and team at work have gone all out to congratulate me and continue to remind me of the great achievement. Similarly, I have had so many people in my network reach out and I hope that they can see that it’s possible for them to win something so amazing too.

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

I feel like I accidently got into it! I had a keen interest in digital communications in my undergrad degree and I’ve always been a bit of a digi-nerd since I was a kid, where I always had the latest computer or gaming device. When I moved to Australia I took a job as a content writer for a startup company who created AI chat bots (back in 2007!). In that role I quickly evolved into their Chief Knowledge Engineer and we created chatbots for companies like NASA, AMP, NAB and more. From there I was all in on digital solutions and digital communications and I combined both working as one of the first Social Media Specialists in local government for Brisbane City Council in 2010. After that, my career really just continued to evolve across the digital ecosystem and I’ve been focused on getting to a Chief Digital Officer role which I achieved in 2020.

We were inspired by your remarkable journey and evident admiration you have from your team. In a bite-sized summary, what does leadership mean to you?

Leadership is an honour, not a right. For me it’s about trusting your team to do the job they were hired to do. My role is really setting the vision and helping us get where we’re going. It’s about supporting them when they need it and getting the heck out of their way to let them shine. I think alongside trust, the biggest part of leadership is listening. I learn as much if not more from my team than they learn from me I’m sure. The trick is to hear them and action things where you can, it’s important to show you’re supporting them and always be there to get in the ring with them when they need you to. Roll up your sleeves and show up for them like they do for you.

The pandemic has been a challenging time for many leaders. How have you managed to keep your team engaged through COVID?

I am a big fan of ongoing communication with my teams whether that’s face to face or online. I have regular one on ones, team meetings and daily chats. We continued this through COVID, by ensuring that we stayed engaged online by having regular meetings, social events like trivia, coffees and more. We are a team that talks a lot, so staying engaged during COVID was an extension of what we’d normally do, but with a little more check-in time to ensure people weren’t feeling isolated or struggling.

What is one thing you wish someone told you about what a career in leadership is like?

I wish someone had told me that it’s okay to not always know what you’re doing or whether the decision you’re making is going to turn out positively. It’s hard, but being in a leadership role means people need you to sometimes make the hard calls and you can only do what you believe is right, with the knowledge you have available to you at the time.

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

It is important to continue to showcase the amazing work women are doing in this space because it does continue to be dominated by men. I think that seeing so many amazing women being nominated or winning is inspirational to other women who work in the digital field. Also, I think having the opportunity to showcase the work you’re doing on a national stage is wonderful. I’ve had so many people across Australia (and the US) reach out to me to congratulate me, so getting to put the work that local government in QLD are doing in digital under the limelight like it has, has been extremely important.

Who is your professional inspiration?

I’m a big fan of Gloria Steinem because I love that she led the way for the feminist movement and still continues to passionately advocate for that. I like that she carved a path for women to have a seat at the table, to fight for equality and that she embraced diversity at a time when many didn’t. She fought to have women of colour and lesbians considered as a key part of the women’s equality movement. I am inspired that she recognised diversity brings strength and is something that should be the minimum we’re willing to accept when it comes to our professional environment.

What’s your most recommended business or leadership resource?

I love reading academic journals and books. I’m a big fan of Brene Brown when it comes to leadership because I feel like I can connect with her empathetic and vulnerable leadership style. I like academic journals because I’m a bit of a learning nerd and like to study, so they work well for me. Also, I really cannot underestimate the power of Linkedin which I’ve become a massive fan of over the last few years. It is great for connecting and learning more about what’s happening in your field.

In what ways do you think diversity is important to someone in a leadership role?

It is critical. Diversity in your team will bring diversity of ideas. You can’t expect to deliver a good product or service to your customers if you have people lacking diversity making the decisions. We are all different and we should embrace that. As a woman in digital and as an out lesbian for many years, I have always felt I’ve been in the ‘diverse’ category, so I always strive to ensure I bring a wide range of diversity to every team I have with the people I employ. We all deserve a seat at the table.

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

If you’re in a position of leadership, make the difference. Help others into the same position. The excuse ‘we couldn’t find any females/indigenous/people of colour’ during the recruitment phase is one that needs to die. Change your recruitment process. Alter your adverts. Amend your targeting. Make the commitment to actively seek diversity and every chance you get, look to create a space for someone who is different from you. That’s where the magic happens. I’m a little tired of seeing the bro club in so many digital organisations and of seeing the ‘male, pale and stale’ on executive teams or boards. Not to say they don’t have a space, but just not ALL the spaces.

What tips do you have for early-in-career professionals aspiring to achieve leadership positions one day?

I never thought I’d be a leader as I was painfully shy during University. I couldn’t even show up for group work as it would make me so anxious. I also hated public speaking. So my advice would be, don’t count yourself out. Surround yourself with people who support you and who you can learn from. Don’t see them as competition, look at what you can learn from them and offer your own skills and expertise to them. There is always something you can bring to the table, find what it is and work on improving it. Also, don’t take critique personally (which is really hard!), use it to get better.

What technology development is most exciting you at the moment?

I am the founder of a VR/AR company called HavenXR and I’m extremely excited about the potential for the metaverse in its many forms, not just the Facebook element! We’re working on pushing the limits of technology to create a fully immersive VR/AR location-based entertainment. HavenXR will entirely immerse participants in a new sensory experience where technology and content are developed from the ground up to create an exciting experience and that’s just the beginning. This is what’s really exciting to me at the moment in terms of technology development and I’m so keen to see where this goes.

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

Want to get involved with the 2022 Women in Digital Awards? Register your interest 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 full list of winners here.

At Women in Digital, we love celebrating incredible women in digital and listening to the fascinating career stories they have to tell us Rachael Dagge has anything but cookie-cutter career. A former yacht stewardess, medical receptionist, private chef and product development scientist, Rachael has an impressively diverse resume that simply cannot be condensed into one short sentence.

She has not only co-founded a food wastage AI startup and studied a Bachelor of Health Science, but Rachael has also worked closely with UQ Ventures as the Chief Student Entrepreneur in 2020 and embarked on a fully funded scholarship for the SheCodes Plus program 2021 cohort. Currently a Consultant at KPMG Australia for the Health, Ageing and Human Services division and about to start her Masters in Biotechnology, we think there might be nothing Rachael can’t do.

Involved in several initiatives supporting women in tech, we were thrilled to talk with her about her career and insights into diversity in tech. Before we dive in, go and follow Rachael on LinkedIn to see her amazing journey for yourself!

These are incredible professional accolades, but tell us, who is Rachael the person?

I was born in Hong Kong because my parents lived there for 10 years and we then moved to Brisbane when I was 2.

I would probably describe myself as a high-energy, focussed people person. I am naturally very curious and I love learning anything new about the science/ technology space.

What is something that not many people know about you?

Hmm, that I used to be in circus school when I was younger!

What’s the most useless talent you have?

I’m really good at doing impersonations of people and characters from movies, particularly Dory from Finding Nemo.

What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?

I’m reading Atomic Habits by James Clear and I listen to the Fear and Greed podcast every morning before work for a news update – I would highly recommend both.

Who is your professional inspiration?

Albert Einstein – to be that deeply intelligent in both science and people is remarkable. He has one of the best quotes I know, “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

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

I just found it an interesting industry and liked the speed of it, it’s always moving, changing and you’re never going to know everything about it.

Having been involved in a variety of initiatives supporting women in tech, tell us what does diversity mean to you and why is it so important?

At the core of it, I’ve always really valued fairness and I think that’s why I’ve been really drawn to this area. There are major ongoing and snowball effects to lack of diversity. For example, if you don’t hire diverse people for a team, you create a product that only comes from the lived experiences of those people. I’ve heard of image recognition software that’s been built to recognise only white skin or HR AI software that’s sexist when choosing candidates.

What technology development is most exciting you at the moment?

The biotechnology space is super interesting, I still can’t get past this start-up I saw in San Francisco called Membio who are manufacturing artificial Red Blood Cells to eliminate donor recruitment.

There are also some really interesting advancements in the food/ agriculture biotech space, such as redesigning fruit and vegetables to grow yielding a higher amount of vitamins and minerals and counteract our degrading soil quality. I’ve also met the founders of a startup called AgriSea which are designing crops to grow and absorb nutrients in ocean water.

What is next for you?

Continuing in my role as a graduate at KPMG and starting my Masters in Biotechnology.

Thank you to Rachael for taking the time to chat with us about her incredible career journey so far. If you haven’t already, go ahead and follow Rachael on LinkedIn here. We look forward to seeing where her career takes her next!

Want to see more career spotlights on incredible women in digital? Head over to our socials and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Camille Socquet-Clerc is the quintessential woman in digital. Originally from France, Camille has always been passionate about marketing and has extensive experience working as a Marketing, Communications and eCommerce Manager within global brands including Michael Hill, Alpha Digital, Mountain Designs and L’Occitane to name a few. We can’t help but be in awe of her career!

In 2019, Camille founded Bloom – an impact investing platform that helps people invest in cleantech and clean energy projects. And just last year, she did that thing that all founders dream (and fear) doing… Taking the leap and leaving full-time employee life behind her to focus all her time on Bloom.

Camille holds a very dear place in our heart at Women in Digital HQ for her passion for diversity in tech and being a long time Women in Digital community member. We were thrilled to chat to her about her career journey from Marketing Queen to impact entrepreneur and diversity ambassador.

These are incredible professional accolades, but tell us, who is Camille the person?

I was born in the French Alps and spent my childhood skiing and being out in nature. As a result, I love being outdoors! I spend as much time as possible hiking, surfing, swimming… But I also love learning and problem solving, which means my work has always had a lot of meaning to me. I am passionate about my work. And as a person, I guess I am a very sensitive person, who loves to connect with people on a deeper level.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I absolutely love dancing. I am that person that will dance until the music stops.

What’s the most useless talent you have?

I used to be a ski teacher, not very useful when you live in Brisbane!

You have recently founded Bloom. Looking back, when did you decide to ‘take the leap’ and put this idea into action?

I decided to go full time when we got accepted into the University of Queensland’s iLab program. It is a competitive and quite prestigious startup accelerator program, which gave me confidence that it was the right time to go all in. At the same time, our community was growing really fast, which also gave me extra validation that I was on the right track and needed to take the plunge. I have to admit as well that my partner has been pivotal, he encouraged me to go all in and accepted the financial risk – I owe him a large part of the courage it took to leave my full time job.

What has been your biggest career challenge and how did you overcome it?

My biggest challenge was to create my own company in a field (financial services) that was new to me. I did overcome my impostor syndrome and doubt by doubling down on work, and making sure that I methodically ticked all the steps to head into the right direction. Surrounding myself with mentors and advisors has been key to giving me confidence and accountability.

What are you currently watching/reading/listening to?

I am passionate about impact investing so one of my favourite podcasts is ‘Good Future‘. I am also a fan of Guy Raz (NPR journalist) so I highly recommend ‘How I Built This‘ or ‘Ted Radio Hour’. I purposefully don’t have Netflix to make sure I spend as little time as possible watching TV, but my guilty pleasure is “Adventure Time” – An American fantasy animated series. It’s incredibly witty and cute and only last 10min per episode – perfect after a long day of work.

Who is your professional inspiration?

I admire other female founders who have done really well in the green-tech field such as Katherine McConnell, Founder & CEO of Brighte. In general, my inspiration comes from entrepreneurs who have been bold in their vision and who are driven by making a positive impact.

What’s on repeat with your work playlist right now?

I don’t work with music – I need deep focus to do my work. In the past I actually suffered in noisy open-plan office environments! However I listen to music everyday when I run in the morning – I love the ‘Discover Weekly’ playlist on Spotify, always new things to discover and energising music to raise my energy levels and motivation.

What’s your most recommended Business/Marketing resource?

I love everything Harvard Business Review (podcast, magazine, website) – because it is nuanced and backed by research most of the time.

I recommend the book ‘Talking to Humans‘ (a practical guide to the qualitative side of customer development) by Frank Rimalovski and Giff Constable. This is one of the best resources I have come across to build my startup. Talking to your customers is so simple YET so few people truly do it. To me this is a skill and resource that should underpins any other business or marketing strategy.

From global brand names to Australia’s largest cleantech startup accelerator, how did this transition evolve?

My career took a turn in 2018, when I started learning more about Climate Change. I could no longer reconcile working for an industry that did not actively provide solutions to the climate crisis. As soon as I made the decision to be aligned with my value, a Communication Manager role at EnergyLab was advertised and I knew it was my chance to do the work I was meant to be doing.

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

We need leaders and people in position to hire to develop progressive HR and diversity policies. We need leaders to educate themselves on the many benefits of diversity (Women in Digital activities and events are a great place to start!) – there is now overwhelming research linking diversity and performance for businesses, there is no excuse for any leader in business to be passive on this matter.

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

I am excited by blockchain for its potential to create more transparency in supply chains and revolutionise the way people consume energy across the world.

What is next for you?

Launching our App later this year! For now people can sign up to our waitlist here.

A big thank you to Camille for taking the time to chat with us. If you haven’t already, go ahead and follow Camille on LinkedIn and learn more about starting your climate impact investment journey with Bloom here.

Want to see more career spotlights on incredible women in digital? Head over to our socials and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

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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!

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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!

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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!

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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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