The Big Interview

the big interview Time for women to take a leading role in IT

It is fair to say that Katerina Damcova, founding partner and managing director of Kingston-based IQ in IT likes to keep herself busy.

In addition to running the IT support services business she set up in 2009 with technical director Luke Whitelock, she is also the current president of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce.

Katerina took over the role in 2020 and due to the pandemic is the only one to be elected via a virtual AGM!

But before we look at her role within the Kingston Chamber, let’s just rewind to when she first developed an interest in IT and how her career has taken shape since. Brought up in the Czech Republic, Katerina’s grandfather was an electrician and from her early teens she developed a fascination with electronics.

This led to an interest in computers and IT which in turn resulted in Katerina studying for a degree in information technology. She moved to the UK in 2005 and found work as an IT manager for a London-based firm. Just four years later and Katerina was setting up her own business in Kingston upon Thames. What was the motivation behind this? “The reason I started the business was because I wanted to provide a better service to customers than the company I was working for (at that time) was doing.

“I always strive to do things better and provide my clients and my employees a best possible experience. Going the extra mile in supporting my clients as well as being a flexible and supportive employer is important for me in building long term relationships”.

Women in IT

The lack of women entering IT is something Katerina is determined to change. Encouraging young women to take up IT as a career is clearly an important commitment for her but she is under no illusions of the challenges involved.

“People, and women in particular, are discouraged from taking it up and studying it. The reality is that we should be talking about ‘reading, writing and IT’, it is that important.”

She argues strongly that IT should be seen as a core subject which it undoubtedly is not.

“The school system is letting people down in terms of providing a good understanding of IT. Every sector you might work in involves IT now – even for instance, farming when you need to measure carbon in the soil”.

As far as Katerina is concerned, IT needs to be front and centre of a national curriculum and there needs to be a clear nationwide strategy to ensure this is achieved.

In the meantime, she is doing her bit getting involved in the local community through charity, education and business events.

Engaging with young talent through the apprenticeship scheme or Young Enterprise allows her to share knowledge as well as help younger generations decide on future careers.

Keeping businesses safe

When IQ in IT hit the ground running in 2009, cybersecurity was not at the forefront of every company’s mind. But the landscape has changed considerably over the years. Katerina explains: “When we started the business over a decade ago, cybersecurity was not a major concern for many of our clients. But since 2009 its’ importance has grown exponentially, with Covid and the work-from-home culture an additional factor”.

While companies may be more aware of cybersecurity, they do not always understand the nature of risk and therefore the costs if they fail to act sufficiently. “There is a degree of handholding to make sure we can fully protect our clients’ data and reputation. We provide an onboarding service for all our new clients detailing how and when to contact us if something doesn’t look right”.

Katerina adds: We work in partnership with our clients to understand exactly what their vision is regarding their company. We then aim to help them achieve their business goals, keep them connected, and optimise productivity all whilst keeping them secure and resilient to losses and damages that come in association with cybercrime”.

Of course, companies don’t always understand what a security breach could mean – and learn the hard way. Yes, cyber protection will cost you money but the cost in terms of reputational damage if you don’t invest in it is potentially huge. “By the time a company’s customers or suppliers have all been sent phishing emails, they then realise they underestimated the impact. By then it is too late, the damage has been done”.

Chamber role

We touched earlier upon Katerina’s role as president of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce, where she has been a director since 2015. When did the connection with Chamber start and how has it developed over the years?

Location plays a big part in the initial contact as IQ in IT’s first office in Kingston was very close to the Chamber’s HQ.

In 2010, just a year after the business was set up, an informal conversation with the then CEO Jerry Irving, persuaded Katerina that the Chamber had a great deal to offer IQ in IT in terms of networking and recommendations.

“Like a lot of tech people I am quite introverted and standard sales calls are not something I am good at. The Chamber was hugely helpful in providing introductions and networking opportunities. And a few years later, when we moved officers (within Kingston), the Chamber helped us in negotiating business rates with the council.”

Now as president of the Chamber, what does Katerina hope to achieve as part of the leadership team? “The Chamber has been pivotal in supporting local business and we are part of the Economic Recovery Task force with the council”. (The task force has been set up to help businesses trying to get back on track after the pandemic). She adds: “The Chamber has always been about businesses helping each other and I think one of the key areas I am looking to develop is a ‘virtual community’ so rather than just meeting face-to-face, there are online meetings were people from all different types of business can share tips and experiences – and learn how to deal with an issue.

“It could be anything; for instance, ‘how do you become carbon neutral? The important thing is ideas are shared and potential solutions offered.”

We work in partnership with our clients to understand exactly what their vision is regarding their company. We then aim to help them achieve their business goals, keep them connected, and optimise productivity all whilst keeping them secure and resilient to losses and damages that come in association with cybercrime