On international Women’s Day we are very pleased to bring you an interview with Mandeep Kang – is a former banker, woman in finance, certified mortgage advisors, entrepreneur, mother, and co-founder at Bricktrade.

In this interview she addresses the real issues and hopes involved with a being a woman, founder, and mother in this space. In short, it’s a balancing act.

1. Tell us about your background and education.

I studied Law and Business, and graduated in 2003. I come from a family of entrepreneurs and I wanted to learn the in’s and outs of how great businesses should be structured and the processes involved in making a business successful. Law is integral to good business as many entrepreneurs will know – you need to know how to read and interpret contracts in all aspects of business and know where you stand in terms of and regulations.

2. What attracted you to finance? What roles do you see yourself in? Or was it a falling into (ie accidental) career?

Working in finance was a happy accident, so to say. I was looking into a part time opportunity whilst at university and managed to secure a role with a top tier UK bank – this then led to a full time position. Whilst working in the banking sector, I enjoyed helping consumers understand complex financial products and in turn educate them on how they could achieve their financial goals. My progression in banking paved the way for me to become a mortgage advisor and underwriter. I went on to obtain a qualification to become a fully certified mortgage advisor and underwriter.

3. How far did you get in your corporate career?

Once I completed my CeMAP qualification I became a qualified mortgage advisor and underwriter for a top tier bank. After a number of years working for a corporation I decided to work for an independent mortgage brokerage, this gave me insight into a wider range of corporate and financial products. I quickly realised that most of the products a consumer needed have very high barriers to entry and are inaccessible. I therefore became focused on how we could reduce these barriers for the average consumer. This became the genesis of Bricktrade.

4. Did you notice gender disparity in your roles across your career?

In the retail side of mortgage lending at branch level I would say there was an equal balance. However I was aware that there were very few females at the top level and there are fewer women sitting in positions of real power.

Whilst working in the banking sector, it was a sackable offence to discuss your salary packet, this meant I was unaware of any imbalance in wages therefore I didn’t directly experience any discrimination.

5. Tell us a bit about your family.

I met my husband Guv whilst I was working at the brokerage firm. Our backgrounds complemented each other. We went into business together and opened up our premier estate agency – Waterfronts, with the vision of opening up our own mortgage brokerage. Which we put on hold because we decided to start a family. I am very blessed to be able to have two beautiful boys, 8 and 4. We then found ourselves in a good position to start Bricktrade.

6. How did you find maternity leave?

Being a parent I believe is the most difficult but most rewarding job in the world. I have thoroughly enjoyed parenting both my boys watching them grow, taking their first steps, their babbling turning into words, strolling to school. The milestones are endless. It was not an easy journey, to say the least. When I had my first son I tried to take 6 months off, but inevitably I would be pulled into meetings to support the business and ended up going back to work a lot sooner than anticipated. During this time because of our drive and passion we were able to open up an office in Hong Kong. This brought a lot of pressure but was rewarding as I knew we were building something that could provide a great future, and with the help of my husband we managed to make it work and had our second son.

7. What attracted you to entrepreneursh...

The technology, media and telecommunications practise at Deloitte have published a raft of predictions for the sector for 2022 and beyond. The report highlights how worldwide trends in the industry may affect businesses and consumers.

By the start of 2022, Deloitte predicts there will be 900 million console players worldwide. Each will bring an average of €81 of revenue per gamer to the industry; comfortably more than the projected €29 per PC gamer and €44 per mobile gamer.

Overall, the company forecasts that console owners will have more than 200 million multiplayer and games subscriptions in 2022. By 2025, these subscriptions will likely generate more than €9.7 billion in revenue, up from €5.8 billion in 2020.

Daryl Hanberry, Partner and Head of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Group at Deloitte Ireland, said: “2022 marks the 50th birthday of the games console with the device now a veteran of the technology industry, outlasting camcorders and CD players, among others.

We saw usage of consoles spike during the lockdown, with many using their devices as a way to socialise when restrictions prevented people from meeting in person. Usage has remained high as, for many gamers, leaving the game may mean disconnecting from friends.”

Consumer Health and Wellness predictions

Deloitte predicts that 320 million consumer health and wellness wearable devices will ship worldwide in 2022, rising to 440 million units by 2024. This comes as consumers are increasingly using smartwatches and fitness trackers alongside smartphones to track their health and wellbeing. There is also an increased focus on mental health and wellbeing and it’s predicted that global spending on mobile mental health applications will reach close to €440 million in 2022.

According to Deloitte’s Digital Consumer Trends research published earlier this year, smartwatches saw the biggest increase in ownership out of any technology in Ireland in 2021: 24% have access to a smartwatch, up from 16% in 2020. Of those that own a smartwatch, 69% of people use them daily.

Suzanne McDonald, Head of Healthcare, Deloitte Ireland said: “The most common uses of wearable devices have been to help people get fit and beat their personal best or indeed compete with friends and colleagues on step count. But increasingly people are using these devices to monitor their health proactively, and the pandemic has accelerated that with 13% of those that own a smartwatch in Ireland using it to do so.

However, data privacy remains a hurdle so it’s critical that companies integrate cybersecurity into every aspect of their product and business line. As the usage of the devices continues to grow, we’ll likely see big investments in wearable device innovation in the few years ahead. As there is a particular focus on care in the community under the Sláintecare programme we can see multiple use cases for wearable devices in maintaining wellbeing and also in monitoring and managing a variety of health conditions.”

Deloitte emissions predictions

The company predicts that smartphones will generate 146 million tons of CO2 or equivalent emissions (CO2e) globally in 2022.

The bulk of these emissions, 83% of the total, will come from the manufacturing, shipping, and first-year usage of the 1.4 billion new smartphones forecast to be sold in 2022. Usage-related emissions from the other 3.1 billion smartphones in use during 2022 will generate an additional 11%, and the remainder will come from refurbishing existing smartphones (4%) and end-of-life processes (1%), including recycling.

Deloitte’s analysis highlights that the single biggest factor that could reduce a smartphone’s carbon footprint is to extend its expected lifetime, with consumers keeping their handsets for longer.

Laura Wadding, Partner Risk Advisory and Sustainability Market Lead, Deloitte Ireland, adds: “With sustainability now firmly on the boardroom agenda, businesses across all sectors are striving to understand the impact...

In celebration of International Women’s Day 2022, digital mapping specialist Esri Ireland has created a map which recognises female representation in national parliaments across the world. The map charts current figures (World Bank 2020) and compares these to data from 1997.

According to the figures, Ireland’s national parliament comprises 23% female representation, which has almost doubled compared to just 12% in 1997.

Rwanda currently tops the list as the country with the highest female political representation at 61%, followed by Cuba at 53% and the United Arab Emirates at 50%. Mexico and New Zealand (48%) round out the top five.

In comparison, in 1997, Sweden, Norway, and Finland were leading the way on 40%, 36% and 34% respectively. Denmark followed with female representation accounting for a third of its national parliament, while the Netherlands were in fifth place at 31%.

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. This year’s theme is Break the Bias, highlighting the individual and collective biases against women that fuel gender inequality.

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Lisburn based Xperience, a Cloud and IT Services, ERP and CRM has announced its acquisition of Riverlite, a leading East of England provider of Cloud, Cyber Security and IT Managed Services.

Following the acquisition Xperience’s headcount will grow to 150 (a rise of 42% growth in 12 months). Annual turnover will increase to approximately £21.5 million and will support over 1,150 clients across the UK & Ireland. The acquisition is strategic, both geographically, and for service and sector expertise.

The purchase of Riverlite follows the acquisition of Bury St Edmunds based Green Duck in October 2021, and adds to Xperience’s existing office in Peterborough, as well as its offices in Lisburn and Glasgow, further demonstrating the company’s commitment to the aggressive growth strategy it set out last year.

In a world where cyber-attacks are increasing, the addition of Riverlite’s security offerings will help provide clients with even greater protection against external threats. The combined business brings highly skilled resources together in a market where they are scarce, and in-depth market expertise serving the not-for-profit, education, healthcare and private sectors.

Iain O’Kane, CEO, Xperience says; “Growth across the UK and Ireland remains a strategic priority, and Riverlite is a natural fit as we share a similar culture and values. Importantly, it achieves a leading presence in the East of England and strengthens our existing team nationally.

“It also provides another Cyber Security and data platform, which given the events of last year and continued global threats, is a genuine benefit for our clients. For this and many more reasons we welcome bringing Riverlite into the Xperience family.”

Paul Oggelsby, CEO, Riverlite, adds; “Scale is increasingly important in the IT space, not just because of the pace of technical change, but also due to changing working practices such as hybrid working. Clients are also having to find solutions to global threats such as Cyber Security.

“Over time, Riverlite will trade under the Xperience brand and as part of Xperience, our clients will continue to benefit from the services of Riverlite, and also have access to a broader range of resources and support locally and across the UK.”

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Digital Business Ireland, the country’s leading representative body for online businesses announced the publication of its ‘Empowering Enterprise, Furthering Females’ eBook, which platforms some of the sector’s most prominent female leaders. The initiative forms part of the representative body’s wider International Women’s Day campaign, including the announcement of a new partnership with the female-led organisation, Guaranteed Irish.

Digital Business Ireland launches ebook for women’s empowerment

The eBook is available to download on Digital Business Ireland’s website and features a host of trailblazing women, working at the helm of some of the country’s most pre-eminent businesses and organisations – including permanent TSB, IE, Checkout.com, and Orbidal – among others. Each of the women profiled has been at the forefront of innovation across their respective sectors.

The eBook also platforms Stella Power of Annertech, who was the recent recipient of the ‘Women in Digital’ award, at the representative body’s National Digital Awards 2021.

Since its foundation in 2019, Digital Business Ireland has worked in tandem with its partners, in providing learning and networking opportunities for female entrepreneurs working across the digital sector – including its female mentoring initiative launched last year and supported by former Enterprise Minister and gender equality advocate, Mary Mitchell O’Connor. In addition, the representative body provides advocacy services and industry insights through its Advisory Council.

Speaking today, Secretary-General of Digital Business Ireland, Lorraine Higgins said: “I am really pleased to launch Digital Business Ireland’s ‘Empowering Enterprise, Furthering Females’ eBook to mark International Women’s Day. The theme for this year’s IWD campaign is #BreakTheBias, and arguably, this message has never been more pertinent.”

“Our eBook profiles some of the sector’s most distinguished and emerging female digital leaders, and offers a platform through which to acknowledge their achievements and champion their career trajectories. The breadth of talent in the digital sector in Ireland is simply inspiring, and these women are at the forefront of that momentum.”

“International Women’s Day offers us a chance to reflect both on the progress that we have made, but equally, on the challenges which lie ahead. Across all facets of society, we need to see more women being elevated to leadership roles, and we must encourage greater senior participation among women in the digital and technology sectors. We have strength in numbers and we have power in our experiences – now, we must activate these assets and push for progress.”

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Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

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Mathworks the US mathematical computing software company is amongst a large number of tech companies that have setup their EMEA offices in Ireland. They recently celebrated their 5th anniversary in Galway and lot has happened in those five years including the pandemic. Ronan talks to Mathworks Ireland MD Richard Haxby about this and more.

Richard talks about his background, what Mathworks does, their work with startups, their biggest selling product and their 5th anniversary. Richard also talks about how the pandemic affected Mathworks and their clients, the new staff they are hiring, and the metaverse.

More about Mathworks:

MathWorks is the leading developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists and, looking ahead to 2022 and beyond, MathWorks Ireland is working towards the establishment of a dedicated Commercial Customer Success Team which will ensure seamless end-to-end customer support for those looking to implement MathWork’s products into their workflows.

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More about Irish Tech News

Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

For nearly two years, millions of employees have been working from home. Remote work in the pandemic rapidly accelerated digitalisation and flexible working – and amid the biggest work experiment ever, more and more companies are embracing it for the long-term.

Remote work, pros and cons

Benefits such as flexibility and autonomy have enabled many women to gain back precious time while juggling the demands of both work and home. However, remote work still comes with its own set of challenges, and simply allowing employees to work from home is not enough. Now is the time to be vigilant – and to support women in business more than ever as we make this remote work transition.

One of the biggest benefits we’ve seen is the true sense of flexibility that remote work provides to employees. For working women, in particular, this has arguably opened up the opportunity to better balance work and home, without compromising on “climbing the ladder”. The advantages are obvious. Without the stress of a hectic commute, or the pressure to be physically present in the office, you can find a better balance with work.

While these benefits are true regardless of gender, data suggests that they are valued higher amongst women. Pre-Covid, research found that women were more likely than men to leave their job over a long commute. And with more freedom to structure their day, 50% of women claim that home is where they feel the most productive when working.

Remote work is not without its challenges

While the shift to remote work has brought about great positives, we can’t neglect its unique challenges. The pandemic placed a strain on all working parents and caregivers – however, research has shown that women have taken on the greater share of unpaid care work, including housework, childcare and eldercare.

The impact of this must not be taken lightly; data from McKinsey and Lean In found that one in three women thought about cutting down, or leaving paid work during Covid. Challenges will arise when just 1 in 10 women intend to return to the workplace, leaving more men back in the office. This risk of an uneven experience gives rise to concern when it comes to diversity and opportunities for career progression, with 62% of women claiming that in some companies, Covid has negatively impacted their prospects for promotion.

Culture is key

Remote work alone is not a quick fix for women in the workplace. If remote work is to provide women with the right environment to be successful, then we must end any remaining notions of presenteeism. Businesses need to move away from the traditional view on what a typical working day ‘should’ look like, and empower their employees with greater autonomy when it comes to how, where and when they work.

To do this, we will need to move to an output-focused way of working — one that is rooted in outcomes rather than hours online, meetings are taken, or emails returned. Managers must learn to judge the result, not just the path is taken to get there — only then will we unlock greater freedom and flexibility for women.

Technology can help bridge the gap

The world of technology has quickly recognised the potential of remote work and the need for suitable tools in this new environment. Countless products are available to make virtual collaboration effective, with platforms for project management, VC solutions for real-time conversation – and screen recording tools, such as Capture, that can play a valuable role in cutting down meetings, and enabling employees to communicate with distributed teams.

However, we must make a conscious effort to be meaningful in our use of technology. More tech is not better tech – it requires strategy and careful implementation that enables employees to make use of these tools in a healthy and organised way. From today, managers everywhere need to start role modelling the right usage of technology to empower their people – and women in particular – when it comes to turning off and drawing lines be...

Last year Irish Female Founders raised more than €230 million, more than twice the record €105 million raised the previous year according to a new report released by TechIreland.

The report shows that in 2021, fifty five tech startups and scale-up companies with a female founder or co-founder raised €230 million through Venture Capital, Grants, and Angel Investments.

Female Founders Raised a record €230 million in 2021

This year’s report also highlights the gender balance within the investor community. Only 20% of the partners in Irish VCs are female and 30% of the mid-level team.

TechIreland tracks more than 470 female-founded companies, 16% of the overall startups and scaleups on the island. Of the 311 companies that raised funding in 2021, 18% are female-founded.

For the first time, eight female-founded companies raised over €10 million each, or 70% of the total. In 2020 only two companies raised over €10 million.

Despite the huge jump in funding, companies with female founders still raise less than the general population of tech companies.

While female founders on average doubled their investment to €4.1 million last year, that was still significantly less than the average of €5.3 million for all companies.

Despite significant support from Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Startup Funding and the Competitive Startup Fund, the report shows a drop in the number of early-stage rounds between €100,000 and €1 million.

Responding to the report, Chief Executive of TechIreland, John O’Dea said: “diversity is really important as all the research shows that diverse teams perform better.

“From an investor’s perspective, and for Ireland, better performance means more wealth and employment.

“These are great results, but they are not grounds for complacency – females-led tech businesses still only get 13% of the investment into Irish tech. We can and must do better than this .”

Sarah Jane Larkin of the Irish Venture Capital Association said, “We can be confident that the investment climate for female-founded companies in Ireland is improving.

“However, none of us can be happy with a world where women secure only 13% of all funding, and we must now focus on efforts to accelerate the funding of female-founded startups.’’

Sheelagh Daly of Enterprise Ireland commented: ‘‘Back in 2011 only 7% of EI backed HPSUs included a woman founder.

“By putting a spotlight on this and providing capability and funding supports specifically targeting women, this has now tripled to over 21%.’’

More information can be found here.

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Irish Tech News are Ireland’s No. 1 Online Tech Publication and often Ireland’s No.1 Tech Podcast too.

You can find hundreds of fantastic previous episodes and subscribe using whatever platform you like via our Anchor.fm page here:

If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming Podcast email us at [email protected] now to discuss.

Irish Tech News have a range of services available to help promote your business. Why not drop us a line at [email protected] now to find out more about how we can help you reach our audience.

You can also find and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

As Russia’s censorship and propaganda techniques intensify, Surfshark‘s Information Security Officer Aleksandr Valentij shares five tips on how to safely track important news without falling for fake news. The tips include reverse image searching, checking metadata, and fact-checking resources. Reports show that Twitter was blocked in Russia, following restrictions of Facebook servers amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Social media censorship stops the free flow of information and hinders people from getting unbiased information.

Spot propaganda and fake news

“Censoring widely used social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook damages people’s ability to get unbiased news about the current war. Moreover, having fewer information sources makes people more susceptible to misleading or false news. Disinformation campaigns aim to distract, confuse, manipulate, and sow division, discord, and uncertainty in the community,” explains Aleksandr Valentij.

So how does one find and check the information online? Here are some simple steps Aleksandr Valentij has shared:

1. Check for primary sources

“There is a lot of fake information about the war in Ukraine out there today. In many cases, it is constructed to make it effortless to believe, using photo manipulation techniques, fact-manipulation, and the events depicted or described are difficult to verify or are entirely possible in the nowadays context,” says Aleksandr Valentij, Chief Security Officer at Surfshark.

According to the security expert, to defend yourself from misinformation, it is essential to follow and use those means of communication that quote official sources. It may be the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, verified media outlets, or intelligence information.

However, it is advisable to avoid all Russian information channels as they are usually state-owned and are actively used by the authorities for propaganda.

2. Learn reverse image search

“Usually, people search for images online by typing the chosen keywords into Google search and scrolling through the given results. However, by using reverse image search, they can check the authenticity of most pictures more efficiently. People simply have to choose the image that they want to check and go to www.image.google.com,” says Valentij.

Looking at Google’s “visually similar images”, people can see if the picture was first posted now or a few years ago during a different military conflict. It also allows us to check if the image has been shared on a reputable website or was manipulated in any way.

Additionally, users can cross-check Google search results against other image searching tools to make sure of their findings.

3. Read the metadata

Metadata shows precise details on how and when the video or image was created. According to Valentij, checking it might help people decide whether the news is real or manipulated.

“For example, if you see a message with an image of the supposedly recent incident in Ukraine, but its metadata shows that picture was created in 2019, the facts just don’t line up. Therefore, you can be sure that news is most probably fake and should not be taken for a fact,” – explains Valentij.

To check metadata, users can download the chosen file and use Adobe Photoshop or Bridge software features. There are also online metadata viewers, which allow users to check the data using the image’s web link without any additional software.

Nevertheless, social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter often strip the metadata from photos and videos uploaded to their sites. In these cases, people can reverse search the image or ask the message’s author for the original file or clarification.

4. Use fact-checking resources

There are a lot of fact-checking resources on the internet that can help people clarify the situation about the most important events as experts took time to examine those in-depth.

“For example, organizations such as the Australian Associated Press, RMIT/ABC, Agence France-Presse (AFP...

It is International Women’s Day 2022 and the world itself feels as though it is in disarray. So is leadership. Not only have leaders had to navigate a global pandemic, workplace transition, and significant psychological burnout, but global politics have shaken and in some instances shattered notions of what constitutes leadership.

Never before, have we needed ordinary citizens to take it upon themselves to act boldly for the collective good of people and the planet. People who can see there is a different way of doing things, a ‘better way’ not just for themselves, but for everyone. People we call maverick leaders.

International Women’s Day: 4 Maverick Women To Watch

Maverick leaders is a case study approach into the minds of ordinary people, who strive to make the world a better place. They are mavericks because they see, think and act differently to the ‘norm’. They are leaders because they take others with them in order to make that vision a reality.

As a result of extensive research, interviewing mavericks from around the world, we learnt that there are four key characteristics that maverick leaders operate from.

A maverick mindset is a combination of Resourcefulness, Experimentation, the ability to remain Undeterred, and the willingness to be Nonconformist.

These four traits, which rest on a foundation of personal belief that one can make a difference – serve as a toolkit to re-engaging your own inner maverick, something we believe to be possible at any stage of life or position in your career.

To celebrate International Women’s Day, here is a snapshot of four women who fearlessly display the maverick leader spirit.

As a young married woman in India, Urvashi Sahni, was prevented from attending university classes, but in her words, was “never willing to accept boundaries” so got her bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Sociology and Economics through home-based self-learning.

Fast forward a few years and Urvashi felt the available courses did not sufficiently answer the questions she had about life, gender equality and meaning. So instead of following a set curriculum, Urvashi asked girls to write down questions they had.

At the age of 26 years old she designed a course in Philosophy and Education. This was the start of her career in education and a tangible example of her ability to remain undeterred when people, policies or processes stood in her way of achieving her goals.

Currently, Urvashi is the founder and CEO of Study Hall Foundation and presented her insights for education reform at the World Economic Forum.

Moving to Malawi, we introduce you to maverick leader Madalo Samati, CEO of one of the largest NGOs in Malawi.

If you met her you might describe Madalo as a down-to-earth, intellectually humble, warm person with a very contagious laugh. But there is stubbornness and feistiness in her.

Described by her mother as a ‘stubborn child’ Madalo realised quickly that her stubbornness was an internal strength that she could harness for her (and others) greater good.

A glimpse of her nonconformist spirit is seen at the age of nine – when, while visiting her grandmother, Madalo broke all social and traditional norms by single-handedly killing and preparing a chicken. Refusing to accept that she had to wait for her brother or uncle (or any male) to return home to get the job done, she did it herself.

She is the epitome of what it means to be a nonconformist, empowering herself and empowering others is her calling. As an adult, Madalo recognised the power that information had in changing people’s lives and transforming communities.

“I grew a passion, to tell the girls (in village communities) that it is possible for you to change the world” she reflected.

Nonconformity and being Undeterred are crucial maverick traits, but maverick leaders take others with them. They are as resourceful as they are bold and Samar Osama is an exemplar of this inclusivity.

Samar started her career in pharmaceuticals, but her vocation was ...