A Stoke-on-Trent technology expert was invited to Number 10 Downing Street as part of a push to champion diversity in the UK tech sector.
Juliet Moran, technical director of Systems.co.uk, based at Trentham Business Quarter, took part in the networking event organised by the Government’s Women in Tech taskforce, which was launched in December.
She was invited by Dr Allison Gardner, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, and joined around 100 women working in the sector to discuss how to break down barriers preventing women from entering, staying and progressing into leadership roles.
Juliet, who has worked in technology for 27 years, said: “It was great to go to Number 10, meet lots of women working in the industry, discuss some of the challenges and do some lobbying.
“I’ve never done anything like this before and didn’t know what to expect, but it was fascinating. I’m hoping to find ways to get involved with the taskforce and help to solve of the challenges.
“There can be huge consequences for technology if women’s needs are not considered – even things like women’s hands being smaller than men’s – and if female voices are not there to speak up this can be forgotten.”
Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce has also submitted evidence to the taskforce’s ‘Building a future tech sector that works for everyone’ call, exploring how emerging technologies impact women’s participation, progression and leadership.
Members of the Chamber’s Digital Forum discussed the call at their most recent meeting, with responses shaped by their feedback.
Declan Riddell, policy adviser at Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, said: “As a Chamber, we’re keen to support interventions which will build a tech sector which will support greater participation, progression and leadership of women and other under-represented groups. Unless further action takes place, there’s a real risk that existing inequalities will continue or become further entrenched in these emerging fields.”
Charlie Houston-Brown, chair of the Chambers’ Digital Forum and managing consultant at RushKeep Solutions, added: “For us to make a step change in the current diversity imbalance within the tech sector, it is important that our younger learners can have appropriate role models which they can identify with. I would encourage anyone to get in touch if they would like to support such a step change.”
