A company’s internal community serves as a platform to share common skills and interests. If done right they can increase engagement and communication among employees. They are there to support professionals and to help you grow. So how can you utilise your internal communities to thrive within a tech company? 

In this episode, we hear from Sally Emerson, Software Engineer at Kaluza and Sofia Morreale, Office Manager at Kaluza who share their own experiences of being part of Kaluza’s internal communities and the value they bring. 

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Despite the UK tech industry being valued at £1 trillion in 2022, the lack of UK tech talent is threatening to stifle the industry’s growth.

But why is there a shortage of talent and how can we counteract this? 

Amongst other things, the shortage is partly due to rapid digital transformation which has accelerated the demand for skilled workers. The global pandemic pushed the pace of digital transformation further, creating a need for employees to fill that gap. 

So where do we go to plug the gap? There is a wealth of untapped talent in the UK, including female returners, entry-level workers and culturally diverse workers.

In this episode, Marion Stewart, Chief Operating Officer at Red Helix, delves into the talent shortage further and what can be done about it.

As Chief Operations Officer, Marion is an integral part of the Red Helix management team. With more than 30 years of industry experience in companies such as Pulsant, Daisy Group, Alternative Networks and Star Technology, Marion offers fresh input to strategy and ensures Red Helix’s delivers on its growth strategy. Marion has gained expertise in leading successful multi-disciplinary teams, whilst transforming operational and service delivery models across both UK and International organisations to deliver world-class customer experience efficiently and in line with industry best practice. 

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

War, famine, global warming, discrimination and inequality – these are all big social problems happening on our planet right now.

But how do we tackle these issues? This is where TechForGood organisations come in. TechForGood is all about using technology to solve social and environmental issues and create a positive social impact.

TechForGood companies aim to tackle the biggest problems the planet faces – including climate change, food inequality and social justice. 

In this episode, Krista Griggs, Head of Financial Services and Insurance at Fujitsu UK, explores the world of TechForGood and why more women should be a part of it.

With over 20 years’ of experience in designing and implementing digital transformations across various business domains, Krista is changing the way Fujitsu helps its customers transform their business. She’s built a strong team of consultants who bring deep business and technical expertise. 

With their support, Krista is constantly looking for innovative ways to help Fujitsu’s customers succeed and grow. In recognition of her ongoing commitment to financial services and technology, she was a finalist for Role Model of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2022, Top 100 Women in FinTech 2022 and Transformation Leader of the Year in the Women in Tech Excellence Awards 2021.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Coding is a hugely in-demand skill and one that isn’t likely to drop anytime soon. Because of this, a career in coding is a great option if you’re thinking about getting into the tech industry.

A career in coding can cover everything from Data Scientist, Programmer, UX Designer and Video Game Developer. So if you love tech, enjoy problem solving and are curious, a career in coding could be on the cards for you. 

In this episode, we’ll be looking at what a coding career can look like, what skills you need and why you don’t necessarily need a degree to get ahead

We’re joined by Frances Sneddon, Chief Technology Officer at Simul8. Frances joined Simul8 20 years ago when it was a tech start-up and has been there as it went on to become a global enterprise working with clients such as NASA and General Motors, offering simulation technology solutions to help improve process efficiency.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

The tech industry is still largely dominated by men – but there are more and more fighting for greater diversity and inclusion in the sector.

There are a number of initiatives championing women in tech, networking groups, women’s events and awards all trying to address the lack of women in tech.

But why should we care? And what can women do to champion each other?

To answer this, we hear from Mary Shea, Global Innovation Evangelist at Outreach. 

At Outreach, Mary leads the team producing thought-provoking research examining the sales technology landscape. Outreach’s in-house research team explores everything from the future of buying and selling to the criticality of having diverse, equitable, and inclusive B2B sales organizations. This work fuels and informs their product, platform, and people by uncovering new trends and innovative ways of thinking.

Mary also empowers diverse talent within the company by co-creating the RISE and RISE UP programs to uplift women in sales and elevate rising Black leaders.

Mary talks to us about the importance of lifting while you climb, paying it forward, how businesses can improve their diversity.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Data Scientist are analytical specialists, responsible for collecting, analysing and interpreting data. This data is then turned into meaningful information that companies can use to improve their businesses.

Data is extracted from a range of sources, using algorithmic, data mining, artificial intelligence, machine learning and other statistical tools.

Data scientists are in popular demand, with companies facing ever more big data, hoping to extract useful information from it and make decisions.

Hannah Alexander is one such scientist! Hannah is a Junior Data Scientist at Ascent and she shares with us her experiences in her role, the challenges and opportunities she’s faced, as well as how companies can influence young females to join the tech movement.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Innovation can change lives, yet many barriers to equality still remain. Access to technology and education, that is inclusive, is crucial to the empowerment of women and girls.

This year the United Nations 67th Commission on the Status of Women priority theme is ‘Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls’.

The idea is that by embracing new technologies and advancing women's skills and knowledge in STEM, we can accelerate our progress towards gender equality.

To mark International Day of Women and Girls in Science Day (11th February), we sat down with Kimberley Michaels, Managing Principal - Banking & Payments Technology; Meera Solanki, Senior Consultant, Technology Delivery and Ineshka De Silva,  Senior Design Consultant, Innovation & Design from Capco who share why they believe it’s so important for girls to have access to education and clear pathways into inclusive workplaces. 

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Over recent years, we’ve seen more and more automation creeping into our lives. Think Telsa’s self-driving care, chatbots and smart assistants like Siri or Alexa. 

AI, robotics and other forms of smart automation have the potential to boost the global GDP by $15tn by 2030. Companies are starting to implement AI practices across their organisation to simplify, streamline and enhance their operations.

So how will this affect our working lives? And is it for the best?

A report from PwC found that women workers could be more affected by automation over the next decade, but male jobs could be more at risk in the longer term. The report also found that by the mid-2030s, 44% of workers with low education were at risk of automation.

We catch up with Yoleidy Carvajal, Head of Strategic Marketing, Artificial Solutions. Yoleidy is a leading specialist in Conversational AI and is involved in driving inclusion and diversity initiatives within the company as part of the diversity committee and externally by involving partners, customers, and other professionals on the #AIAllies program – a network of leaders supporting women in tech.

Yoleidy takes us on an AI journey to find out how it’s transforming the workplace, what to expect from an AI interview and whether AI could rebel from humans.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Mentorship is a great pathway for enhancing employees’ skills and enabling them to tap into valuable knowledge and experience. 

But what about the mentors themselves? We speak with Beatriz Quintino, Senior Data Scientist, and Mariana Ferreira, Product Lead  from FARFETCH’s programme to hear why they’re involved and what they’ve learned so far. 

Beatriz is a senior data scientist with a Ph.D. in the intersection of Computer Vision and Machine Learning from Instituto Superior Técnico and a background in Electrical and Computer Engineering.

She has been at FARFETCH for almost two years in the Fashion Knowledge System team, where she’s been applying Artificial Intelligence methods to automatically enrich FARFETCH data to empower downstream applications like search and recommendations.

Before this, she had been a Ph.D. student intern at FARFETCH and a visiting scholar at Carnegie Mellon University.

Beatriz loves fashion and a boardgames night with friends, but not as much as she loves a good pizza.

Mariana, born in Espinho (Portugal), studied Economics and finished a Degree in Management Informatics at the University of Minho, being one of the few women to enroll in the course. Immediately after graduation, she interned at Novabase, starting her career in the consulting area.

At FARFETCH for almost ten years, Mariana has been a Product Lead, responsible for the e-commerce, checkout, and payments areas, leading a team of four people.

Mariana loves to practice yoga and is passionate about the beach, sea, hiking, and cycling. She loves to travel and be with her family and friends.

In this session, we dive into the Farfetch mentoring programme, its aims, and why the mentors want to give back. 

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.

Socio-economic background relates to income, occupation and social background. This includes where you were born and raised, your family history, your level of education, and your access to funding or opportunities.

A person’s socio-economic background is a major factor in their career progression. A recent report from CMI found that found that 53% of those in management roles are from a high socio-economic background, compared to just 38% from a low socio-economic background.

Further to this, in the UK tech sector specifically, Inclusive Boards estimates that 19% of workers are from a working-class background compared to 33.3% of the nationwide population (2014 Labour Force Survey). In contrast, those with parents from a professional-managerial background make up 45% of workers in the sector compared to 31.2% of the nationwide population. 

The extent of the socio-economic diversity challenge in the tech sector is symbolised by the average class pay gap of £4,736. This means that when individuals from working-class origins enter the sector, they can expect to earn £4,736 less than their peers from more privileged backgrounds with the same education, experience and training. Broadening access to opportunities available is crucial if we are to break down barriers in the workplace and improve social mobility in tech.

But how can we buck this trend? And how do we get the confidence to own our own backgrounds and get ahead in tech?

We catch up with Dr. Tendu Yogurtcu, Chief Technology Officer at Precisely, to give us her thoughts on social mobility and the role that tech businesses can play in driving more a diverse workforce.

We take a look at why social mobility is important in the workplace, what companies can do to improve it, as well as Tendü’s advice on challenging the status quo and having the confidence to get ahead in your career.

SheCanCode is a collaborative community of women in tech working together to tackle the tech gender gap.

Join our community to find a supportive network, opportunities, guidance and jobs, so you can excel in your tech career.