Women of Silicon Roundabout (WOSR) held their annual conference in London, and it was just as described, inspiring! The two-day event was an empowering gathering of female leaders in the technology space, attracting 4,500+ attendees and over 250 speakers who hosted more than 250 sessions and workshops.
The theme was The Power of Resilience, an effort to unite women in tech to boost their careers and revolutionize the tech industry. There was a host of keynote speeches given by tech leaders including Storm Fagan, CPO at the BBC and Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, to name a few. The talks individually highlighted different aspects of life in tech, ranging from building resilience and being your authentic self to merging ethics and AI.
From the series of workshops, sessions, and panels at WOSR22, it is clear that the industry is shifting and that tech leaders are focusing on a few key areas to facilitate this change:
Diversifying for success
Diversity is a key component to creating technology that matters. Having a diverse workforce provides a range of talents available to develop cutting-edge tech, that is accessible to everyone.
Supporting and leading employees
Building a strong workforce starts with providing proper leadership and support. Leaders are encouraged to be aware of and identify the early signs of changes to an employee’s performance that might be due to poor mental health or lack of support.
In order to create an inclusive environment and a safe workplace it is important for managers to be confident in having sensitive conversations around mental health and by understanding what the strategies are to provide more support.
Taking control
Being able to tick off a checklist of skills is not enough for career development. To progress within the fast-paced technology landscape, you need to own your brand to get the job done. Identify ways that you can always add a personal touch to the projects you’re involved in.
Key takeaways
Overall, there are a few key takeaways from the conference. It is no secret that there is a gender imbalance in the tech workforce – with just 26% of the workforce being women. However, this seems to be slowly shifting with more initiatives designed to facilitate a new generation of women joining the tech revolution, for example: Code First Girls and Tech She Can.
Being a woman on a team is not a weakness, it’s quite the opposite. Once you find your voice and build confidence within yourself, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with and destined for great things. More importantly, you’re not alone. There are a lot of other women who have been in your shoes.
Learning and mentorship opportunities present themselves at events like WOSR22. Take advantage of these events to gain further knowledge, support and meet like-minded women. It is important at every stage in your career.
Written by Seyi Osei – Senior Client Solutions Manager, Fatima Al Dabagh – FrontEnd QA Engineer and Aleksandra Slonowska – Client Solutions Manager at Bango