Saturday is Worldwide Ladies’s Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the important position that girls play throughout all facets of society. It’s additionally an necessary day in know-how, the place ladies make up about 25% of the workforce. To acknowledge the contributions that girls have made in tech and the continued must push for equality, we’ve collected selective commentary from ladies on this discipline.
Hammerspace SVP of World Advertising Molly Presley has held many roles through the years. In 2023, she joined the manager board of the Ladies in Excessive Efficiency Computing (WHPC), the place she has had an opportunity to assist elevate different ladies within the trade.
“My tech profession trajectory has been vastly influenced by distinctive leaders who’ve pushed me to realize past my expectations,” Presley says. “Though I had a stable technical background upon getting into the trade, ascending to a senior government position in tech advertising and marketing was not one thing I had anticipated. The important thing to my success has been the mentorship of others and my dedication to the job. This mentorship has refined my capacity to pinpoint distinctive product attributes and successfully talk with a diverse viewers.
Molly Presley is the SVP of World Advertising for Hammerspace
“As a result of a major facet of my journey has been mentoring ladies in know-how and giving again to those that have mentored me, as my profession superior, I turned actively concerned with the ‘Ladies in Excessive-Efficiency Computing’ group (WHPC),” Presley continues. “I presently function the Director of Communications and Outreach, the place I’ve the chance to advertise mentoring applications, curated sources, and job entry that assist ladies in HPC, and technical computing obtain their skilled targets.
“I strongly urge aspiring younger ladies within the tech discipline to hunt steerage from skilled professionals and have interaction in actions equivalent to becoming a member of skilled associations like WHPC,” she says. “These communities present important assist, instructional sources, networking alternatives, and motivation vital for reaching success of their chosen profession path.”
Ellison Anne Williams earned a Ph.D. in arithmetic earlier than working for the federal government. She ultimately based Enveil, which a developer of privateness preserving software program based mostly on the rules of homomorphic encryption. As CEO of the corporate, Williams acknowledges the significance of ladies to contribute meaningfully to companies.
Ellison Anne Williams is the CEO and Founding father of Enveil
“On this Worldwide Ladies’s Day, I proceed to deal with substance and advancing innovation via vital contributions,” Williams says. “I selected to maintain my consideration on delivering worth which I hope serves for instance of what it appears prefer to persistently pursue your dream.
“None of us can do it alone; we are able to and will encompass ourselves with individuals who assist our pursuits and supply encouragement when wanted,” she continues “My recommendation to ladies with entrepreneurial aspirations in tech or every other discipline is to go for it. As a substitute of letting concern or every other assumption deter, discover significant work and pursue it. Delivering worth via motion will rapidly quiet the uncertain–and prepared the trail for individuals who observe.”
Claire Nouet, the COO and co-founder of deep studying startup Pathway, has typically struggled to be taken significantly by others due to how she appears. Nouet appears ahead to the day when that form of bias is a rarity. Within the meantime, she has some recommendation for different ladies on the best way to speed up change.
Claire Nouet is co-founder and COO of Pathway
“Distinguished feminine position fashions are the best option to speed up gender equality in tech. Ladies, particularly these within the early days of their careers, must see that different ladies are accelerating within the discipline,” Nouet says. “Illustration within the tech and startup media has elevated considerably, largely pushed by journalists who’re making lively efforts to showcase the work of ladies within the ecosystem, however the tech trade can nonetheless be seen as a ‘boys membership.’ I feel that in the future the phrase ‘feminine founder’ shall be outdated. The day we don’t must specify the gender of a founder would be the day that we’re near gender equality in tech.”
Pathway co-founder and CEO Zuzanna Stamirowska, who has a PhD in advanced methods from the College of Pari and is an professional in gaming idea, has additionally skilled bias within the trade. She has some concepts on how it may be countered.
Pathway co-founder and CEO Zuzanna Stamirowska
“A wise and competent man is widely known by the trade, whereas ladies with the identical attributes are seen as scary and questioned at each flip,” Stamirowska says. “I’ve seen this concern compensated for by bringing the lady’s appears into conversations, typically in a nasty sense, which might by no means be a subject level if a wise man was being mentioned.”
“A feminine VC good friend, who has a Companion title, as soon as advised me that she must work 10 occasions tougher together with her funding committee to make a take care of a feminine founder undergo, even when small,” Stamirowska says. “I feel one of many methods to advertise equality within the tech trade could be to present discretionary budgets to feminine VCs–to be invested in males or ladies, however they need to have test writing capabilities.”
Hinada Neiron is the top of promoting and alliances and group initiator at Aconso
says her 20 years of expertise present right here that there’s an absence of feminine illustration in tech, and that profitable ladies typically undergo from imposter syndrome. That has led her to talk up on the problem of a necessity for change.
“I don’t consider we’ve created a gender-equal working atmosphere. Ladies proceed to should work tougher and nonetheless don’t have equal standing,” Neiron says. “And the tales I’ve heard of derogatory gender-related language being thrown about in workplaces even by the youthful generations present this isn’t a historic or a single organisation’s downside. Will probably be persistent for future generations until we proceed to battle for change.
“For me, a very gender-equal tech trade is one the place ladies haven’t solely the identical skilled alternatives as males of their office, however the place their working atmosphere is as inclusive of their wants,” Neiron says. “This requires not solely a higher dedication from their employers, but in addition from the federal government at a coverage stage, for instance by closing the gender pay hole.”
Julia Astashika is senior director of progress at StarTree
The IWD 2025 marketing campaign theme is “Speed up Motion.” Julia Astashkina, the senior director of progress at StarTree, says that theme resonates deeply together with her, not simply as a frontrunner in tech however as a mom, too.
“My daughter is rising up in a world the place ladies proceed to push boundaries in science, know-how, and management, but true equality stays simply out of attain. I would like her to see a future the place alternatives aren’t delayed, biases don’t dictate outcomes, and progress occurs in actual time,” Astashkina says.
“We will’t afford to attend for change to occur progressively. Progress requires motion, not simply phrases or guarantees, however tangible steps that create alternatives for ladies at each stage,” she continues. “This implies actively monitoring illustration, fostering mentorship, and making certain ladies have well-defined, well-supported pathways to management. Change doesn’t occur within the background; it requires visibility, urgency, and dedication.”
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