Nancy Zukowski of Object Management Group (OMG) kicked off the discussion asking simply, “Why aren’t there more women in technology?”
Siemens’ Bettina Rotermund cited diverse reasons. She said that she had skipped Maths in 12th grade, and felt the perception was that you needed to pass the subject if you wanted to be in tech. “I couldn’t code – but I’m learning now! So much more is needed in envisioning a future business model.”
Tech companies tend to display a hard core, nerdy look which is not the first choice for many women, she believed. Rotermund’s now looking for hospitality, customer experience and other broader skills that are needed.
“We’re not telling the whole story to girls,” Libelium’s founder, Alicia Asin Perez commented. “If you hate Maths you don’t see yourself in a lab or coding. But if you want to lead a tech company you need to go to business school as well.
Jessica Poliner, the CEO of industrial IoT (IIoT) solution provider, relayr, stated that there’s no one right career path. “I’ve lived in India, Panama, Belgium, and Germany and this diverse culture tells me there’s no one right way. I didn’t have a woman role model,” she added.
Rotermund described how she is now mentoring two bright women. “I was asked, do I need to take a more male approach?” Her reply was, “No, be as authentic as possible. Don’t copy males, we need diversity of opinions.”
Dress like one of the rest
A guy once told Alicia Perez not to wear a dress, but instead to “dress like one of the rest” – in other words, like men.
Her response was, “I won’t waste my energy to think about that, instead of focusing on my messages. I
don’t care what other people are thinking.”
The key issues facing women in tech, according to Zukowski, include lack of equity in pay, opportunities, professional development, and work-life balance. What can women do about it?
Poliner said, “Keep doing what you’re doing. I don’t need men to be allies; I’d challenge men to be advocates not allies. We should all feel the responsibility to advocate for women as senior staff. A lot of what women need to succeed is what men need. Allow flexible working – men want it as much as women, make it gender-neutral.”
Rotermund agreed that split time and flexible hours are very important. She believed many people ask themselves, “Can I pursue the career that I plan if I do have kids?”
Check for any hidden road blocks
So, she said it’s important to start “grass-rooting”; start with tech colleagues. You should look into your organisation to see if there are any hidden road blocks.
“I never had any female mentors,” Rotermund continued. “I had a great male mentor. I need to pass the baton on to the next generation, so the females in our organisation have someone to have a dialogue with. Leverage your platform to help females thrive.”
Pick the battles you choose to win
Nancy Zukowski asked the Panel, “How does your organisation measure diversity?”
Perez replied, “In Spain it’s not legal to ask an employee or a candidate’s sexual orientation, or gender, etc. And it’s not the point. Last summer we surveyed our staff – most of them are men. And 95% of staff said they felt totally safe at work.”
Zukowski wondered what the panellists believed was the role of chief diversity officers. Some companies, she pointed out, have had these for 15 years. “Sometimes the role goes to HR (human resources) or the CEO, sometimes it gets a bit lost.”
Said Poliner, “I’ve worked for big companies with the role reporting to the CEO. It’s symbolic. Webdon’t have a CDO at relayr, it’s everybody’s responsibility.”
“In the first mining sales organisation I led,” she continued, “the feedback I got was that I’d never be a good leader. Why? ‘Because you’re very smart but people will never like you.’ And I went to every EQ (emotional intelligence quotient) coaching, I led bigger and bigger organisations. I wish I’d said ‘Not everyone will like me, I don’t need that’. Pick the battles you choose to win.”
Alicia Asin Perez was down to earth about this, saying, “Nobody has THAT big an impact. Nobody can ensure you’ll succeed. Sometimes the feedback is useful, sometimes it’s not.”
Bettina Rotermund recalled that when she first entered a Board room one guy said, “The Decoration’s walked into the room.”
“I said, ‘In four weeks’ time the Decoration’s going to tell you how high to jump!’ Don’t take it all too seriously,” she added. Build good relations and trust and show you’re here to help.
IoT Now asked if the Panel plan ahead for diversity and benchmark where they would like their organisations to be.
Jessica Poliner replied, “I’d like it not to be a topic. I’d like to have a situation where I don’t have to measure it.”
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The author is Jeremy Cowan, editorial director of The Evolving Enterprise, IoT Now and VanillaPlus.
