WIDAwards Archives - Women In Digital

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Introducing the 2023 Women in Digital Awards Champion of Change powered by BlackCard, Renee Noble!

Renee Noble isn’t just your typical CEO. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with in the tech world as CEO of Tech Inclusion, CEO and Founder of ConnectEd Code and if that’s not all, she is also a Cloud Advocate for Microsoft. Her passion for technology, education, and community is at the heart of her professional journey.

Renee’s nomination for Champion of Change was centred around her incredible work with the Girls’ Programming Network (GPN) working to improve tech education for people of all ages and levels of experience, particularly women and girls.

Renee is really living and embodying the “if they can see it, they can be it” motto which has been evident in every step of her career journey! Her achievements as a champion for women in digital is nothing short of outstanding.

We were thrilled to talk to our 2023 Champion of Change about her winning entry, career journey and more.

Click here to meet all the 2023 Women in Digital Award Winners.

Congratulations Renee! We are huge fans of your work in the industry.

To try and sum up who I am at my core, I’m a person who loves to give to other people. Being able to build other people up is when I feel great, and helping other people flourish is how I feel like I am doing my part in the world. With that, I am also a person who goes all in on things. I struggle to do things by halves (but I am trying to have some more chilled-out hobbies now!) If I see the benefit or potential in something I want to give it my all, I want to see how good something can be, and I want to see what I have in myself to be able to make that a reality.

I’ve always been very motivated to prove what I can do, maybe originally this was to prove to others what I can do, but these days it’s more about showing myself how much I’m capable of. I just love figuring things out, learning what I need to take things to the next step, and working hard to make it happen. I could definitely have been described as a workaholic for a lot of the parts of my journey to this point, but along the way I’ve realised that all the opportunities I had to do all that work has been what lifted me up to this point, and that sharing the work around will not only benefit me by reducing my workload to closer to normal human levels but also make space for other people to have those same opportunities.

It has been a very conscious decision of mine to recreate opportunities that I had when I first joined GPN for as many people as possible. Being thrown in the deep end a little my first time at GPN helped build my confidence in my tech skills immensely, and having the support of the people around me was one of the things that made me feel like I had found a home in the tech scene. At that time, GPN was a tiny little thing with a tiny group of volunteers. Everyone had to do things they wouldn’t necessarily sign up for, things they didn’t think they were “qualified” to do. These days we have plenty of experienced volunteers, but it’s part of the culture I set out to establish to make space for those experiences – giving people a little bit of a push to take on giving a lecture, running a room, or leading a whole event.

And to bring our readers up to speed, could you give a little pitch for Tech Inclusion and ConnectEdCode. How did ConnectEd Code come to be?

So firstly, Tech Inclusion is the charity that I co-founded around the already existing GPN program. GPN had existed for over 13 years when we founded Tech Inclusion two years ago. Until then we had been under the umbrella of various organisations, but we thought it was about time we went out on our own. Now we have set up Tech Inc. (yep that’s what we call it for short! Our org where the Inc. stands for Inclusion!), we have a lot more ability to be agile, and to work with industry partners. We’re always looking for more sponsors and more university partners that can help expand and grow our program around the country.

Within Tech Inc we’re also looking at different ways to build on the work we are doing with GPN, providing more opportunities for our tutors, trialling a new program for year 3-6 students, and many other things that are on the to do list. It’s still all volunteer-run, but we hope to get to a place where we can have people working on this as their job, to help us achieve all these benefits for gender diversity throughout the tech education and career pipeline, as well as potentially other marginalised groups.

ConnectEd Code is actually also inspired by my GPN work. In 2020, everyone was having a bit of a watershed movement, I think. It was then that I realised that I had built up a huge amount of skills and a huge network through my work on GPN and they weren’t really being recognised and were under utilised at my job at the time. It was then that I decided I wanted to tackle the problems I wasn’t getting to take on in my job.

This was about tackling delivery of the mandatory Australian technology curriculum by really listening to teachers and working with the limited time they have and the constraints of the school system. I knew a lot of the pedagogical learnings I had from GPN would be something that could benefit a lot of people. Since then I’ve come up with a lot of really creative ways to work with schools to make meeting their requirements easy, while also having kids that are really excited to learn about technology. It’s all about bringing Coding together with content, community, and curriculum. You can do a lot of cool stuff with that as your basis, like have teams design and code the tech for an escape room, or solve a murder mystery using their hand-coded detective devices.

The crux of your nomination is GPN. Tell us more about this program and what you have achieved?

I joined GPN in 2014 when there were maybe 30 girls learning to code each term at a workshop in Sydney. In 2023 we taught 1500 girls to code around the country! And that’s not even back to our pre-COVID peak attendance of around 2000 a year, since some of our GPN nodes only started back up about a year ago, and a lot of the students have graduated high school and now become GPN volunteers.

When I joined, having a nationwide network of GPN nodes was not something that was on the cards, I don’t know if that had even been imagined. But today we have nodes in Sydney, Canberra, Perth, Melbourne, and regional Tasmania. And we’ve had four others along the way we hope are back on deck soon!

It’s amazing to see how GPN has spread over the country in less than 10 years, the full story goes something like this…

About a year after I joined, I discovered I had accidentally inherited the leadership of the program, and I was hooked. As I’ve mentioned, GPN was somewhere that felt like a home for me. I wanted to help more students and volunteers to find out about it. It felt like I was giving them a gift!

With a (big) handful of commitment, I was able to add some of the hands-on activity ideas we had been talking about for at least as long as I had been there. And with this I also made space for other ideas from our other volunteers to shape the event, adding our mentoring sessions for senior school students that has meant that a lot more students keep coming to GPN throughout their senior years, seeking that support as they look to their futures.

The student population at the events started to rapidly grow. Girls were bringing their friends, who then went on to bring more and more friends. At the same time, I was racing to reach out across the tech industry to find as many women to volunteer as possible to make sure we had enough volunteers for all the kids! This led to us having a richer, more diverse range of volunteers from a variety of tech, teaching, and other sectors, at various stages of their careers.

Eventually, we reached our cap in Sydney, there simply weren’t more than 180 computers we could use at the same time. We ultimately ended up having to add an extra day of the workshop, because so many girls were upset to be missing out. We had a problem that no one foresaw, too many girls wanted to learn to code.

And, while there were girls we knew were missing out in Sydney, surely there were girls around the country who would also love to go to a GPN workshop. Canberra was the first to jump on board, with support from ASD, and soon we had Perth, then Cairns, Mackay, Adelaide, Burnie, Melbourne, and Brisbane. In bringing on board people and partners from across the country I spent a lot of time working out what it really meant to be a GPN node. And then spent a lot of time making sure our content was something that could be delivered by the volunteers on hand at every location around the country, from the middle of Sydney where software developers are plentiful, to regional Australia where GPN events were run by passionate teachers. Finally, finding more ways to help more GPN die-hards get on board to help grow and support the program, and give them a methodology for spreading what GPN is, why we do it, and how to recreate it, to a diverse range of communities around the country.

We now have a great team of experienced GPN volunteers supporting nodes around the country, travelling to new nodes and supporting them as they come on board. And all our nodes are working together to support the growth of GPN nationally, sharing the knowledge that they have gained in their own communities and experiences. This in particular is something that has helped us thrive in recent years and looks to have us scale faster than ever into the future.

How are you planning to grow the program in years to come?

In 2024 we are hoping to have at least two more nodes up and running in capital cities around Australia and to be looking at reaching students in NSW that likely aren’t benefiting from our Sydney workshop. We’d also love to see our Sydney numbers return to their pre-COVID heights, and we’ll be chasing that this year too!

We’re also piloting our GPN Junior program for year 3-6 primary school students in Sydney. There is always such interest in our high school program from parents with younger kids, so we’re trialling a half-day experience designed specifically for that demographic.

Looking further ahead, I’d love to have a node in every capital city by 2026. I’d also love to get some of our regional Queensland nodes back up and running. With our expanded team and the help of our sponsors, I hope to be able to increase support for the hardworking teachers who were bringing GPN to life in pre-COVID years.

We have a lot of other ideas as well, from programs to support uni students who are new to coding, ways to reach more students in schools, workshops on ways to build essential career skills for graduates, and creating opportunities for high school and university students to experience what it’s really like to work in a tech team. These are just a few of the things we want to get done, we’re just waiting on the right partners to help us bring them to life and to energise our operations by allowing some of our volunteers to make GPN their job.

What led you to pursue a career in tech in the first place?

I actually ended up in tech by chance. Living in college my first year of uni a couple of people decided that they wanted to teach me to program at 11pm one night. That was my first ever experience of coding, I didn’t even know that anyone could just get started with it on a regular laptop before that. It really felt like a superpower.

I took to it quite naturally, and I saw it as a way to use all the types of maths and problem-solving that I had loved in high school. I was studying Chemical Engineering and Science degrees at the time, but added a computer science subject, and ultimately squished in another science major alongside my chemistry major in Science. For my chemical engineering honours thesis, I utilised coding and machine learning for sustainable energy solutions, coding my experiments up and leaving them to run overnight, coming back to my beautifully graphed results in the morning (most of the time at least!) Meanwhile, a lot of my peers were whiling away time in the labs, with one eye on their experiments as they slowly completed.

I really loved how I could use coding to solve problems in a new way that multiplied what I could do by myself by a factor of millions. I just had to know the instructions to tell the computer. I’d found ways to use code in my chemical engineering internship as well, to make processes easier for everyone and the huge amounts of data they had. I loved the feeling of scripting something and seeing the results come out and having achieved something or having uncovered the next problem to solve.

Upon finishing uni, I decided that I was going to take the computer science route, rather than the engineering one. I got my first full-time job at what is now Data61-CSIRO, then was in an ed-tech start-up for a while, then started my own business, and now work for Microsoft – all while I was leading and growing GPN.

Tell us more about your role and what it is you do in a week as a CEO and Cloud Advocate.

While all three roles, CEO for Tech Inclusion/GPN, CEO for Connected Code, and Cloud Advocate at Microsoft are similarly summed up as tech + education + community, they are all very different in terms of the kind of work I am doing for each of them.

For Tech Inclusion/GPN, as we grow and as we solidify the charity, it is becoming more high-level work. I am spending more time looking at contracts, policies, and prospectuses than I was before, which are all new skills I’m getting to build. I also only get to move up to these new tasks because there are other amazing volunteers who are taking on things that I used to spend a lot more time on, like educational planning and event management. I am still very focused on the mission, and how to spread that mission to other locations, so after my day job at Microsoft, I often have meetings to connect with the GPN Committee running leading GPN nodes around the country, with teams starting up new projects, or spending the weekend with my powerhouse COO, Alex Penna, at one of our classic “GPN Planning Parties”.

For ConnectEd Code, that is another one where I am lucky to not be taking it on alone anymore. Since I started at Microsoft, my fiancé and CTO, Jack Reichelt, has taken a lot more of the business. Most of my work for that will be chatting with him over lunch about new initiatives that we want to pursue in relation to new curriculums and the introduction of AI tech in schools. I’m in the loop in the education industry in a variety of ways, so most of my work is to loop Jack in so we can connect meaningfully with the schools and organisations that need some help in the tech space and provide them with a solution that works for their constraints and desires. Occasionally I might need to take a couple of days off work at Microsoft so I can go and be part of a cool event where we work directly with the kids, like getting a whole school year of over 150 students, coding to solve a murder mystery with data science, launch a weather balloon full of sensors, or build and code the electronics of their own escape rooms. Those are very exciting days to be a part of!

Microsoft is my full-time job, so that follows a bit more of a normal structure, except for the fact that I’m here in Sydney, a very awkward time for engaging with a global team during office hours. But, luckily, as a Cloud Advocate, the kind of work we do can be largely done independently. This might be writing a new module to be released on Microsoft Learn, working with the Microsoft Reactor in Sydney to host a YouTube livestream with a guest, writing a blog discussing an upcoming event, or working on collecting diversity and inclusion stories to be shared both internally and externally as part of my work on the D&I committee for my organisation. We’ve had so much cool new tech coming out from Microsoft in the last year, so some time has to go into getting up to speed with that, and then telling other people about what it was like to get started with it.

How do you manage to juggle it all while keeping your energy so high?

I really love giving opportunities to people, whether it’s the chance to learn, the chance to volunteer, the chance to join and be part of something. I think that’s what keeps me going, I’m just genuinely excited about what I get to offer people, and how they respond when they realise the possibilities they’ve unlocked through learning and building skills.

Also, having people along on the journey with me is now a major source of energy and momentum. I can’t pour as much raw energy in as I did when I was 10 years younger, but having a team who believes in the mission as much as I do and knowing that we will keep the momentum going as a team, it makes it both a lighter lift for myself and everyone, and makes me want to do it even more.

What does winning this award mean to you?

To be recognised in this way is a major honour. I’ve been doing this a long time, and you do kind of get lost in the day-to-day, never-ending nature of it. There’s always something more to do. But a moment like this is one to stop and reflect on all that I have been able to achieve on this journey, and all the people who are now on the journey with me.

Also, having this moment for GPN to be seen by a bigger audience is always so meaningful. That’s what all this work is about, and giving it a moment to be seen and knowing that could lead to an even bigger impact, that’s incredible.

You have achieved incredible company growth so far! Do you have any key personal highlights?

The highlights from my GPN journey really have been around uncovering the potential I could see in GPN and bringing that to life all around Australia. It’s amazing how many requests we get for GPN to start in different communities, or people travelling great distances to get to the closest GPN to them. It is also very special to me to know how many people are carrying GPN forward, to know that this idea to make GPN this crazy big thing is shared by others and together we can ensure GPN gets to continue into the future.

I have also got to have a lot of personally exciting opportunities around my work with GPN, doing photoshoots and events with other incredible women for Women’s Weekly, CREATE magazine, and the AFR 110 Women of Influence. To be included among lists of such talented people is both very humbling and empowering.

We’re so excited to know… what is next for you? Do you have an ultimate career goal or North Star?

I think we’re really in a moment in time where we’re seeing how important it is for everyone to have an understanding of technology, whether we think about how AI will play into our futures, or the impact of cybersecurity on our everyday habits. I think equitable access to opportunities around understanding how we can change our own futures with technology is key.

Whatever I’m doing, whether it’s through GPN/Tech Inclusion, ConnectEd Code, Microsoft, or something else, is about bringing tech education opportunities to the community in a creative way. There are so many exciting things about technology, I think it is worth the extra effort to think about how we can make the way we learn about tech as exciting as the opportunities that knowing how to code and create new technology has. I want to be at the front of that, taking on the things that people say “that sounds great, but impossible”, doing things that people just don’t know how to do, or creating whole new ideas that shake up how we think about engaging with technology. If I can do that, and make it easy for teachers, students, and learners of all ages to be able to use, then I’ll know I’m heading in the right direction.

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

I have so many opinions on this, and it’s hard not to explain all the principles we have behind what we do at GPN. So I’ll sum it up in a few things we hold close to us, and some things we want to see even more of to help people at all stages of their tech journeys.

GPN’s core values are around ensuring that coding is fun, social, and represents a diverse community of people, not just “hacker” style people, but anyone, you can love ballet, baking, or basketball and still love coding. We also want to show more people that coding is relevant to them and can help them solve problems they care about, whether that’s helping people, the environment, or animals – coding exists across all industries and can be combined with nearly any aspiration in a new way. Being in a welcoming culture of diverse minds makes tech a fun place to be where we solve important problems together.

Another key component for people at all stages of their learning and career journey is role models. And that can’t just be one role model you see on the internet, or one who visits your school once. It needs to be a diverse set of role models at different stages of their own journey. The ability to interact with these different people is a core way to plan your own journey, seeing where you can be in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years’ time. It’s a lot easier to hopscotch your way to your dream than to figure out the path all on your own.

I’d love to see these principles carried out in schools, from primary school, right through to universities and the workplace. When we focus on the people and problems to be solved first, and the tech tools later, we open up a new world of thought, new ways to work together, and hopefully more welcoming environments that will attract more women, and if we keep it up, will retain them too.

If someone wanted to get involved with Tech Inclusion or ConnectEd Code, are there any opportunities to do so?

To get involved with Tech Inclusion the best thing you can do right now is support GPN. If you’re high up in a company, find a way to sponsor us! Check out our prospectus – https://gpn.org.au/sponsor

GPN also needs university partners, that’s how we bring GPN to new locations. If you have contacts at a uni in a city that doesn’t have a GPN, we need to hear from you! You can reach us at info@girlsprogramming.network

And for individuals, if you are a woman or a gender-diverse person, volunteer for GPN! There’s so much to give and so much to get in return. You never know where it’s going to take you, I think my story is a great example of that. GPN is everything we can collectively imagine it to be. Fill out our tutor sign-up form: https://gpn.org.au/tutor

As for ConnectEd Code, we’d love to hear from anyone who wants to bring coding to their school or community group. We love working with individuals to make sure we give them the help they need, whether they need teacher PD, an awesome workshop for dozens of kids, or some tips and tricks on coding projects. We take pleasure in figuring out the hard stuff for busy people! You can reach out to us at info@connectedcode.org or check out our website: https://www.connectedcode.org/

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

There are a lot of people out in the world trying to do their best, trying to do something incredible, or something that goes against the grain. This is often true for women in tech, just trying to fight the uphill battle to succeed as a minority group in tech.

Industry awards like the Women in Digital awards are a moment to take stock of what you have accomplished and take in the fact that while you might not have finished your goals yet, you are doing something amazing and to feel the support of your peers and the industry smiling upon you. It’s a nod to let you know you’re going in the right direction and to not stop now, you’ve got even more great things ahead of you.

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

I look at myself as someone who doesn’t have any innate talents. Might seem a bit self-deprecating, but actually it’s to remind myself that everything I have accomplished is something I figured out and worked hard to get.

If there is something that you want to accomplish, (that doesn’t rely on some unchanging characteristic, like being 7 feet tall) you can get there. You might have to learn something, there might be some hard yards to put in, you might fail a bunch of times along the way, it might take a lot longer than you imagined and some days are going to be harder than others, and you might even need to inspire some people to help you on your journey. And when you do get there, you’re going to be even more proud of what you have accomplished for everything you have overcome along the way.

If I had to say I have a “talent”, it’s that I want to make things happen and that I’m prepared to work hard to get there. If you decide you want to say the same things about yourself, then I can’t wait to see what you do.

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

To read more about our 2023 Women in Digital Award Winners, click here.

We know that self-promotion is an essential element of career progression, Harvard told us so! And yet, we also know that the confidence gap and imposter syndrome disproportionately affects women, who are most likely to downplay their achievements in the workplace. But how do we bring about the change we seek? It starts with exercising your self-promotion muscle and championing the people around us to do the same.

Despite their remarkable achievements and valuable contributions, we see women play down their successes time and time again. Whether it’s fear of failure, imposter syndrome, a concern of appearing ‘boastful’ or taking credit for team efforts, we want to highlight why taking note of your achievements is not merely a chance to receive well-deserved recognition, it’s about unlocking person growth, business growth and much more.

Self-promotion is time well spent and we’re here to remind you why:

Self-reflection and recognition

You’d be amazed by the number of times we hear, “I didn’t realise how well I was doing! I feel like a winner just for entering.” The nomination process encourages you to pause and think about your achievements and then articulate them. In fact, in 2022 over 88% of nominees said that they had more career confidence after completing a Women in Digital Awards nomination form. We guarantee the results are similar across other awards programs.

We know that in some cases, women may avoid applying for awards programs due to the perception that they might come across as boastful or self-centred. To that, we counter that sharing your achievements is not synonymous with arrogance. It’s about showcasing your hard work, inspiring others, and breaking barriers. Your achievements are not just about you; they pave the way for future generations.

We also acknowledge that many projects or campaigns and their delivery require a team. To the leaders of those projects that fear nominating for an individual award takes away from their team’s efforts, we say: just like when Nicole Kidman wins an Oscar, she is winning it for herself and the entire team that worked to bring the film to life! Be the Nicole Kidman! Encourage other women and your team by leading the way and sharing your successes.

But recognition aside, merely applying for awards or seeking to be nominated also brings a multitude of career benefits.

Career visibility

When we say ‘it’s not all about winning’, we really mean it. If you know the value of good marketing, you’ll know that it’s not just reserved for products and services. That principle also applies to careers!

While there is no doubt that winning is a personal and professional feat, sometimes not winning is just as valuable as taking home the trophy. Simply the process of applying is an incredibly valuable exercise and an opportunity for personal branding. Self-promotion is a skill you can take throughout your career as you navigate salary negotiations, job interviews, building your career presence and climbing the ladder.

Get your work out there, and let the success speak volumes about you.

Business exposure

This is an easy win! By entering awards programs, you’ll often have some of the industry’s finest judges and leaders review your entry and learn more about the work you do. If you become a finalist or winner, you’ll have even more of the industry’s best and brightest learning about the incredible work you do! This is business gold (hello free PR!) for Founders in particular.

Elevate your organisation

Have you ever thought of just applying for an awards program to be your company’s chance for a viral moment? You do now!

Taking part in an awards process, particularly if your organisation is shortlisted or wins presents a fantastic opportunity beyond exposure to build some excellent social proof for the business. Depending on the awards program, it can be an opportunity to align your business with an important cause or a reputable industry body, or both. It also makes for some great content for social media, your company website or PR.

Connections

The chance to make some incredible connections by just being involved in an awards program is extremely underestimated. Whether you’re interested in connecting with award partners, award sponsors, fellow nominees or judges who are often made up of knowledgeable and well-connected industry experts, you are likely to meet some great people along the way. You can also use your involvement as your golden ticket to spark a new conversation or connection with someone you admire in person or even on LinkedIn. You never know where your next opportunity might come from.

Just consider this quote from 2023 Women in Digital Awards Digital Transformation & Data Leader of the Year, Tamara Mirkovic:

“Following the awards I’ve had many people reach out to me on LinkedIn and other professional networking organisations for mentoring support, keynote speaking events and I was even interviewed on a podcast! These opportunities would have been out of reach if it had not been for the recognition associated with these awards and connections that I made through WiD.”

Inspiring others

If you’re familiar with the Women in Digital Awards, you’re probably familiar with the phrase ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’.

By sharing your achievements and participating in awards programs, you become a role model for others in your field and especially young people. When they see you succeeding and being recognised, it inspires them to believe in their abilities and strive for their goals. Your journey can ignite a fire within others, encouraging them to pursue their dreams and break through barriers.

New opportunities

Being involved in awards programs can open doors to some new and exciting opportunities. As a nominee, finalist, or winner, you may be invited to speak at industry events or conferences, join a judging panel, or even share your thoughts on a podcast. These platforms allow you to showcase your expertise, share your insights, and expand your reach and professional network. Such opportunities could also lead to further career advancements and collaborations.

When asked how the Women in Digital Awards impacted her career, Aishwarya Kansakar, 2021 Rising Star of the Year, responded:

“The Women in Digital Awards has driven awareness about my career and endeavours! I have received a number of speaking invitations to multiple national conferences and have spoken in front of hundreds of industry leaders. I’ve had the opportunity to increase my reach which has strengthened my position in the Australian technology community.”

Practice self-promotion

We mentioned it already but we really can’t stress enough the impact of practising self-promotion on your career and confidence.

Applying for an awards program will not only encourage you to take stock of your achievements and spread the word. But hopefully by virtue, it will empower you and the women around you to go for awards and other opportunities.

It’s also an opportunity to practice skills such as crafting cover letters or grant writing which can be hugely beneficial.

Challenge the status quo

Finally, for the programs like the Women in Digital Awards designed to help shine a light on the career pathways and possibilities that digital and technology provide to women and underrepresented groups, we believe that unless we have more visible role models in digital and technology, we won’t change the status quo. By entering the awards, you are making a contribution to the future of digital. And let us say… the future is looking bright!

If you too are passionate about contributing to a brighter future of possibilities for women, we encourage you to ‘get your search on’ and start nominating yourself, your organisation and deserving women in your network today!

Learn more about the Women in Digital Awards and how to nominate here.

The University of Sydney Business School recently hosted a Women Leading in Digital breakfast with Business School alumni and 2022 Women in Digital Awards winners Emily Bobis, Stevie-Ann Dovico and Elisa Chan to discuss the future of digital careers.

Here are some of our favourite quotes from the event:

“What’s wrong with maybe assuming that the woman runs the company? At worst, they could (run the risk) of giving a compliment.” – Emily Bobis, 2022 Innovator of the Year

“My career is a degustation menu, I never pick a career on the traditional criteria of seniority or pay. I know if I don’t have something that’s going to be really hard to crack or challenging, I’ll get bored. It’s a like a degustation selection, I like to try interesting thing.” – Stevie Dovico, 2022 Executive Leader of the Year

“When it comes to risk and innovation, think of it as moving one step forward. ‘F’ for forward instead of ‘F’ for fail, is really important. That will help create that competitive landscape and encourage people to choose (tech) as a career path.” – Elisa Chan, UX Leader of the Year

Read the full University of Sydney article here.

Meet the 2022 Women in Digital Awards winners here.

2022 Women in Digital Awards Champion of Change Kate Kirwin shares how She Codes is cracking the code for gender equity in tech in an article by Curtin University.

In this article, Curtin graduate and She Codes Australia Founder Kate Kirwin shares how she is empowering women to pursue and advance in tech careers all over Australia. Meet the 2022 Women in Digital Awards winners here.

“The impact we’ve made through She Codes has been life changing and I’m proud of the doors it has opened for so many women. Many of our graduates have formed highly valuable connections with industry, dozens have returned as mentors and some have even gone onto win awards. Of our 160 Plus alumni, 72 per cent have pivoted into tech roles.” – Kate Kirwin, 2022 Champion of Change

Read the full Curtin University article here.

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Introducing the 2022 Women in Digital Awards Customer Experience Leader of the Year, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), Rebecca Mitrevski!

Rebecca (Bec) is a Product Lead at Canva – an online design and publishing tool with a mission to empower everyone in the world to design anything and publish anywhere.

Rebecca was crowned the Customer Experience Leader of the Year for her work on Canva’s Creator Marketplace, a space built for creators to give Canva users a truly localised experience when they come to Canva.

Executing such a global project of this scale was ambitious and bound to be challenging. Throughout this project led by Rebecca, she demonstrated a totally different level of thinking and creativity, brilliantly leveraging internal resources and talent across Canva to build an efficient, scalable solution to help creators create more local content faster.

The judges were really impressed by the project’s return on investment as well as Rebecca’s ambition, leadership, and mentorship of women in CX.

We were thrilled to talk to our 2022 Customer Experience Leader 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 Bec! We are so impressed by your entry and obviously so were our judges, but tell us, who is Rebecca Mitrevski?

Well first up, I’m only called Rebecca if I’m in trouble. Otherwise, everyone calls me Bec. My team has also recently given me other nicknames including T-bex, and chew-becca. When in doubt, though, just call me Bec.

Now that that’s out of the way, in a nutshell… I’m Bec, I am a Bikram yoga fanatic, I have a co-dependent relationship with my dog, Bella (pics below, you can see why I’m so attached), and I love building things. At work, that manifests in building products and teams, in my personal life it manifests in mentoring start-ups, and students.

What is something that not many people know about you?

I haven’t been to a hairdresser in 4 years. The last time I went, I was in shock after I got the bill and I haven’t been back since. Not proud of it. Part of me admitting this to someone is me reminding myself to get over it.

Who is your professional inspiration?

Mel Perkins. She is so good.

‘Product’ is still largely an emerging discipline. You can’t yet go to university to study a Bachelor in Product and often, people pivot into Product once they are in industry. Tell us, what did your journey to becoming Product Owner and now Product Lead look like?

Yessss this is so true.

First up, I didn’t study tech. I don’t come from a tech family. Both parents were from migrant families, my parents didn’t go to university – my mum didn’t finish high school, and my dad was a bus driver. I grew up in South Western Sydney (Campbelltown, 2560 represent).

Tech was not on my radar when I was growing up and if someone had suggested I go into tech, I would have been waaaaayyyyyy too intimidated. I am here because people opened doors that I didn’t know existed.

When I decided to go to university, I was convinced I was going to be a child psychologist so that I could help children from underprivileged backgrounds. I went to an interview for a psychology scholarship, and afterwards, Nicola Ronan from the university called me and said “Hey, I’m going to put you forward for a double degree scholarship. Take on a commerce degree too. I think you’ll like it.”

And so I studied psychology and commerce and I loved it. In my final year, I did a forensic psychology subject and realised that I probably didn’t have what it takes to be a child psychologist. That was a scary realisation after 5 years of study and when it was time to find a job.

I then went into Human Resources but realised that also wasn’t for me.

Thankfully, a mentor called George Robinson then took me under his wing and invited me to spend time with his team, which did due diligence on internal transactions >$10m. This is where I learned about the tech space. I remember George saying to me “Go where the money is – Digital or Mandatory, Compliance-led projects”. Digital was way more “Me.”

From there, I spent time in a Strategy and Operations role before I went into Product. And I found my fit. I’ve been in Product since.

About 5 years ago, I was with another very influential leader in my life, Stephen Bowen. We were building a team in India, from Australia. And it was hard. The tech wasn’t great, we could barely hear people in India when we were in video conferences with them, we didn’t understand each others’ culture, and we hadn’t chosen the team leaders to ensure their values and way of working aligned. It was hard. Stephen suggested I head to India and spend 6 months there building the team from the inside. I lived in Pune for 8 months, building that team and product and we achieved great, unprecedented things together.

From there I moved to Canva. I was one of those people who was told they were crazy for joining a startup during Covid. I couldn’t be dissuaded, though, I’d found my people. And here I am, still at Canva. It’s a place where I’ve been able to do my best, most impactful work yet.

Again, I am only here because people opened doors for me and I could not be more grateful to Nicola, George, and Stephen for lifting me into greater challenges.

How did you end up working in this industry?

After spending time in banking and telecommunications I wanted to flex different muscles by going to a much smaller company. I also wanted to be somewhere that was female-led and Canva ticked both of those boxes.

What do you wish people knew about a career in Product?

I’ve read the book “The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work” maybe 6 times now, which is hilarious because I’m not married* BUT this book gives me so many tips for managing relationships. I’ve found the better I become at growing and improving relationships, the easier Product becomes.

*Unless you’re my mum or my grandmother, in which case, this is not hilarious.

What’s your go-to resource recommendation for Product people?

Lol. See above. It’s not a product manual but it’s the best thing any product person could read.

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

It hasn’t been explicit advice but watching Mel lead Canva has been transformative for me.

She invests so much in storytelling and bringing people on the journey. She exudes joy. She’s kind. She’s empathetic. I feel like I have a model of the kind of leader that I want to be from watching her.

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

It’s been a good moment to pause, feel proud and then reflect “Ok, I’ve had a positive impact, am I doing the most that I can to amplify that and apply that where it’s needed most” and it’s inspired me to plug into schools and start-ups more so that I can help and support others’ growth.

Obviously, Canva is a game-changer in terms of design software (and our go-to at Women in Digital HQ)! But tell us why you think Canva is so important for creators (and the wider public for that matter)?

Canva is on a mission to empower the world to design and diversity and authentic representation are at the heart of that.

With our Creators, we are able to partner with designers, videographers, photographers and illustrators all over the world to provide truly diverse local content for every Canva user.

Users benefit from this, they can come to Canva and find content that represents their culture and use that to authentically express themselves.

Our Creators benefit too. The last 2 years have been turbulent for artists, worldwide. First, we had Covid hit. When this happened we had just started the Creators beta and it was at a good time because many designers had been laid off. Many of us were also locked down. The Creators product gave us a community to connect, learn, explore, grow and earn together. Even now we have Creators share how meaningful the partnership between Canva and Creators has been.

Tell us more about your journey with Canva! Do you have any key personal highlights?

There’s so much I could talk to here… the impact the Creators team has had is so wonderful. The biggest highlights, though, are notes that the Creators send us.

Here are some of the highlights and stories, which make me smile, which I regularly go back to:

“Something that started as an extra, dedicating a little time when I could, became a very important pillar in my life.”

“I realized that it wasn’t just a job, it was something that fulfilled me. From the creative freedom it offers, the human quality of all those who are part of it and the joy of sharing my designs with many people, it really is something unique… Thank you #Canva for making my days happier and to all the team that accompanies us every week. Today we are a #canvafamily and we have a lot of love and templates to share”

“Just want to say thanks to the Canva team. I am going through the toughest time as my father is admitted in hospital for the last three months and has no insurance. It wouldn’t be possible for me to bear all the hospital expenses but Canva creator’s income helped me a lot. Canva is just not saving time it’s saving lives too.”

“At late evening, when the [baby] is asleep we both thank god that you found us. We are so happy to be with you guys on this adventure. Lifetime experience and feels like we are actually working with you guys, feels like we have a team! :)”

“I really, really appreciate all that you and the team are doing at Canva. This is my first time working with a company that really listens to and understands designers, and also takes quick action to make things easier! I really love the experience and can’t wait to see how things progress”

What do you consider the biggest challenge you faced while working on the Canva Creator Marketplace? How did you overcome it?

The war in Ukraine has been – by far – the greatest challenge that we have faced.

When the war broke out, we had a heartbreaking moment when we realised we had thousands of Creators in Ukraine and they were at risk. Some of these Creators I know personally and would consider a friend (Hi Ilona!). Canva quickly mobilised to distribute $500k to Ukrainian Creators via our Peacefund, knowing many would not be able to design at this time but would need money.

Seeing their appreciation filled our hearts with so much joy. Soon after that, Canva made the decision to exit Russia.

We had so many stories of everyday Russians who weren’t supportive of the war but wanted to continue creating for Canva. We were incredibly sad that we could no longer continue that partnership.

We worked through both of these challenging times, by banding together as a team, as a company and as a community.

It was the most challenging time for us, but we leaned on each other, we kept communication lines flowing and we worked tirelessly to respond in the way that was the most aligned with Canvas values.

What is next for you and Canva in 2023?

We’re really just 1% of the way there. It will be another massive year ahead as we continue doubling down on the huge opportunity for Canva, especially among teams and workplaces. We’re also continuing to hire around the world. Finally, we’re continuing to double down on innovation. We were the first to market with our Text to Image product which we announced at Canva Create. We’re excited to be working on lots more in this space like the recently released AI-text generator, Magic Write as well as continuing to build upon all of our new Worksuite products.

What’s your personal philosophy when it comes to customer experience design?

Don’t be afraid of doing things manually and hackily (is that even a word) first. In fact, have fun doing that, it’s how you learn what your customers actually need.

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

It’s the way of the future.

If you aren’t in tech, you are cutting yourself off from the industry that has and will continue to have the greatest and most accelerated earnings opportunities. Women need to be in this space, or else, you will miss being in a space that is experiencing steady earnings growth.

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

I mentioned Nichola Ronan and George Robinson earlier. What was probably a small gesture for them (suggesting I do a double degree and inviting me to join his team so I can explore a career out of HR, respectively), changed my life and career path.

If more people in leadership create these micro opportunities for the next generation, these tiny opportunities shape people and send them on a different path. Sure, you might be in a tech space and they probably won’t understand what’s going on but it matters. Every opportunity matters.

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

It spurs so many convos about women in tech. Social proofing and opening doors.

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

Give young people micro opportunities. Have a work experience student shadow you for a week, volunteer in a mentoring program, suggest an intern spends time in your team – do something that opens students’ eyes to other spaces – esp if they come from disadvantaged backgrounds, they won’t even know that these areas exist.

Once again, congratulations Bec on this achievement and thank you 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 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!

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!

The University of Sydney has acknowledged Business School alumni Emily Bobis, Stevie-Ann Dovico and Elisa Chan – three winners of the 2022 Women in Digital Awards.

The University of Sydney Business School alumni winners were recognised for their innovation and leadership, with achievements ranging from advancing the safety of cities with car data to transforming customer service with AI. Meet the 2022 Women in Digital Awards winners here.

“Women everywhere need to see other women succeeding, and where we are succeeding, it’s super critical that we are casting our net wide to bring others along with us on the way up.” – Stevie Dovico, 2022 Executive Leader of the Year

Read the full University of Sydney article here.

First Nations Learning Designer April Phillips is celebrated by the Australian Children’s Television Foundation for her 2022 Women in Digital Awards Rising Star of the Year award.

April Phillips is the ACTF’s First Nations Learning Designer and a proud Wiradjuri-Scottish woman of the Galari peoples of Regional New South Wales. In her role, April works to bring a learning lens to digital content creation, build the next generation of digital makers, and champion First Nations digital art education. Meet the 2022 Women in Digital Awards winners here.

“Since starting with the team 12 months ago, April has delivered virtual workshops with students at The Canberra Hospital School, experimented with screen based multi-modal lessons and collaborated with ACMI to achieve fun special effects for live audiences. Congratulations to April on this incredible achievement!”

Read the full ACTF article here.

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.

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