Female Tech Leaders March 2021

ISSUE NO. 17

FEMALE TECH LEADERS

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HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY A

WOMAN

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STRONG MELINDA

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WOMAN. GATES

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WELCOME LADIES! by

Candyce

Costa

We are living different times...

But we need to carry on...and we decided to launch in Brazil!

Brazil is my place of birth and we are super excited to be from now a bilingual community: English and Portuguese!

Estamos celebrando as nossas convidadas wue aceitaram o nosso desafio.

E assim, iniciamos mais uma etapa na jornada da Female Tech Leaders.

Stay safe!

Candyce Costa Founder and Disruptor

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INTERVIEWS DEBBIE WATKINS LUDWINA DAUTOVIC NATALJA RODIONOVA POWERED BY SAMSUNG NIDA CHOUDHARY SHARON HEGARTY

ENTREVISTAS EVA PEREIRA PAULA RODRIGUES

ARTICLES 5 WAYS TO SUPPORT WOMEN - NOT ONLY ON THE - INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WHY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE CRITICAL TIME TO LEAD INCLUSIVELY HOW TO LET GO OF A FAILED BUSINESS BUT NOT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP 15 LATINAS FOUNDERS TO FOLLOW IN TECH IOT PREDICTIONS 2021

TRÊS VETORES: TRANSFORMAÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA, COVID-19 E MOBILE QUE SOMADOS, IMPACTAM O MUNDO FORTEMENTE E DITAM TENDÊNCIAS EM CYBERSECURITY EM 2021 DATA FEMINISM: A IMPORTÂNCIA DO FEMINISMO NA CIÊNCIA DE DADOS

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INTERVIEW

DEBBIE WATKINS Lucy CEO and co-founder

Tell us about you and your career, Debbie!

I’ve lived and worked in 35+ countries over the past 20 years, focused on technology strategy to help change banking and finance for underbanked populations across multiple regions. I saw first-hand the slow rate of change in the banking industry and realised that there was so much that could be done to improve access to finance for women and small businesses, but no-one was really doing it.

Lucy will fix this. Lucy is a financial technology platform built to help women who are overlooked, underestimated, and underbanked become unstoppable by levelling the financial playing field.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

Yes, completely - women are seriously under-represented. I do think that a key reason for this is that tech is seen as a "male" role - certainly I have always been outnumbered throughout my career. At Lucy, we are doing what we can to try and redress that balance, and are looking actively for female developers, but attracting more women into tech needs to start at school.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt discouraged to pursue your dreams as a woman? How did you handle it?

Too any times to mention! I've handled it by completely ignoring it, as all women should do.

It's a reflection on them, not you.

What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to choose careers in tech and rectify the imbalance?

Start at the schools - this is where young women start making choices about their future direction, and this is where they need to learn about the potential of a role in tech.

DEBBIE WATKINS Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do and how did you decide to go into it?

From the very beginning, I was hooked on tech – I took the first ever Computer Studies GCSE class at my secondary school, and it was so new that it was run by the maths teacher.

Unsurprisingly, he didn’t actually know anything about technology at all – and couldn’t cope with or answer my multitude of questions. He decided that this was insubordination, and as a result, I ended up spending a lot of time in the Deputy Head’s office… I still got an A though!

I started my career in a high street bank – and became the first woman in the bank manager's memory to leave the bank for another role ("every other woman that has worked here left to have a baby"). At the age of 21, I applied for and was offered a role as the IT Manager for a product distributor – to this day, I don’t really know why they chose me, but during my time there I wrote a stock taking module as it was missing from the ERP system, and from that point forward I got into in coding.

I progressed through increasing levels of seniority in business and financial IT solutions providers –– but throughout this time I still dabbled in coding. Not because it was required in my role, but just because it was fun and helped me to really understand what was going on. I co-founded a small company in my spare time that developed mobile stock taking and asset management applications, and wrote all the code for the module that interfaced the bar code readers to the core ERP system. While I was Head of Deployment for an e-cash company in London, I wrote an app in assembler that sat on a smart card chip and did electronic ticketing – just so we had something to demo to a potential client and I could explain first-hand how easy it was to do.

In the new millenium, everything changed. An unexpected redundancy gave me the chance to re-evaluate what I wanted from life, and I took a year out and travelled to Cambodia to do voluntary work.

The destination actually became the starting point. I first founded two award-winning social enterprises that provided jobs for local people, and then started providing technology strategy consulting to micro-finance companies. This evolved into managing large complex inclusive finance projects and global teams, working in 35+ countries – and I realised that there was so much that could be done to improve access to finance for women and small businesses, but no-one was really doing it. And that’s why we launched Lucy!

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting your career/business?

Tech is now at the core of nearly everything we do, and innovation is evolving rapidly - which makes it a really exciting time to be in this space. It's possible that many young women may see a career in tech as ultimately sitting in a room with a bunch of programming geeks who never talk.

I would say to them that there are so many different areas that encompass tech that whether you're an introvert or a social animal; whether you prefer a 9-5 or want to get out and travel the world; whether you're into fashion or media or engineering or economics, with tech expertise you have so many choices available to you. Areas like AI and machine learning and CGI and data analytics are more and more in demand, and with these kinds of skills you can really pick and choose what you want to do - employers will come looking for you.

DEBBIE WATKINS

Who are your role models for women in tech?

Ada Lovelace - why has no one made a movie about Ada? Katherine Johnson - not just a woman in tech, but a woman in SPACE tech, in the 1960's Katie Bouman - not just your "average" tech here, but tech to prove something that most of us can't even grasp as a concept...

But really...all women in tech are role models...for each other. Every woman that follows tech as a career paves the way for others. Every woman that changes the world for the better using tech, even in a small way, is a role model.

In your opinion, what workplace/business?

is

the

biggest

obstacle

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women

to

succeed

in

the

There's a great article by the Harvard Business Review on this subject, which I think will resonate with most women in business, and I'll quote a part of it here: "....the main reason for the uneven management sex ratio is our inability to discern between confidence and competence. That is, because we (people in general) commonly misinterpret displays of confidence as a sign of competence, we are fooled into believing that men are better leaders than women. In other words, when it comes to leadership, the only advantage that men have over women (e.g., from Argentina to Norway and the USA to Japan) is the fact that manifestations of hubris — often masked as charisma or charm — are commonly mistaken for leadership potential, and that these occur much more frequently in men than in women."

Michelle Obama said something very similar about the men in power that she has come across: "“Here’s the secret: they’re not that smart. There are a lot of things that folks are doing to keep their seats because they don’t want to give up power. And what better way to do that than to make you feel you don’t belong . . . you have to prepare yourself, because when you get those arrows thrown at you, all you can fall back on is your experience and your ability.”

The single biggest obstacle for women is not necessarily confidence - it's how threatened men often feel by women when those women ARE confident. Especially when the men aren't all that competent.....

How do you find inspiration in your life?

One of a number of small quotes that I use often - "the secret of happiness is to find beauty in everything". I find inspiration in observing - being "present" - and being curious.

I tend to look at things and notice them, want to learn about them, how they work, and why they are the way they are. I'm a bit of "fixer" too, anything from furniture renovation to repairing electrical items.... I think it's this learning that keeps me inspired, because learning makes you see things in a different way, and from there you see connections to other things that you may not have seen before.

To what do you attribute your success?

Staying grounded.

Working hard.

Not being scared of sharing crazy ideas with people.

Ignoring those guys I talked about earlier.

Having a husband who has always supported me in whatever I do but will also always tell me when I'm making a mess of things.

And focusing on maintaining positive mental health and getting enough rest and leisure time.

WE CANNOT CHOOSE OUR EXTERNAL CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS CHOOSE HOW WE RESPOND TO THEM FAVORITE QUOTE DEBBIE WATKINS

LUDWINA DAUTOVIC CEO and Founder The Room Xchange

Tell us about you and your career, Ludwina!

I’ve been an entrepreneur, tech investor, innovator and businesswoman for 26 years. I'm currently the Founder & CEO of The Room Xchange – Australia’s most trusted house sharing platform - www.TheRoomXchange.com.

I’ve been in tech since the analogue days where I produced and presented a number of TV shows that were broadcast nationally on the Optus Vision Cable Network. I also created and produced a video production workshop series that was delivered in over 300 schools across Australia which was sponsored by Optus and Apple.

As digital came in, I launched what was then Australia’s third largest women’s network events company. We held business events across five states in Australia and developed an online mentoring program for women in business.

I began my podcasting journey in 2010 whilst recovering from a major surgery brought on by kidney cancer. The following year after another surgery I self-published the book - 'It's That Easy - Online Marketing 3.0' which I launched in print and digital worldwide after my third surgery the following year. I have since invested in and raised capital for three tech companies and serve on two boards.

Leading and managing the technology build for The Room Xchange has been my biggest and most accomplished technology achievement to date.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do and how did you decide to go into (your career)?

I fell into tech accidentally. It certainly wasn’t an intentional journey. I began working in analogue so once digital entered our world it was a natural progression. It’s an interesting story that you can read on my blog here: https://ludwinadautovic.com/women-in-tech/

LUDWINA DAUTOVIC Who are your role models for women in tech?

Bianca Cefalo, who I recently interviewed, stands out for me. Bianca is a Rocket Scientist and advocate for women in STEM. She is a woman with a lot of hutzpah and doesn’t apologise for who she is. This quote from her sums it up well: 'One day rocket scientists will look like our daughters.' I like that. When we can remove gender from tech, we’ll be heading in the right direction.

Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

Within my generation of women, there will be a lack of women in tech for a little longer. We weren’t raised with tech. It was something we had to adopt as opposed to it being a part of our life. But as the new generation of young women are raised with tech being a natural part of their life, that will change. We have to remember that tech hasn’t been around that long. I was 30 when I first used a computer so to be at this level of tech at my age (54) is not a common occurrence.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt discouraged to pursue your dreams as a woman? How did you handle it?

I’m sure those moments have been in my experience but not in my conscious awareness. I have experienced both racism and sexism throughout my life but for me it was a normal occurrence. Thankfully that’s changing now and it’s not accepted which is wonderful to see.

But for me, when I was discouraged for any reason, I just picked myself up and kept going. I believe it’s what formed my ability to be so resilient. It was a part of my life experience.

Women of my generation, sadly, became used to it. I came from very difficult life circumstances growing up where I experienced a lot of hurt and racism. The messages I received as a young girl were primarily about finding a good husband and raising a family.

Not to hope for much more than that. I also had a lot of responsibilities at home and not enough time to focus on my schoolwork. I decided to leave school at 15 as I didn’t see it as a way to move forward and then I left home the following year just after my 16th birthday.

At that moment I decided that I would do what I want, when I wanted and how I wanted.

That determination and drive has fed me throughout my entire life. Therefore, the answer is a resounding no. I've never seen my gender as a disadvantage or the reason why I did or didn't get something I wanted. Having said that, I’m sure it was the reason many times over.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting your career/business?

Stand on the shoulders of giants. Spend time with people you want to be like.

Find them, buy them lunch, watch them speak, volunteer to help them in some way. Model yourself after them. It used to be called an apprenticeship! Most importantly, learn to be decisive. I cannot tell you the power in the ability to make clear and concise decisions.

LUDWINA DAUTOVIC What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to choose careers in tech and rectify the imbalance?

This is a tricky question and one I ponder often.

Depending on the type of company will depend on the answer. If it’s a start-up, you need to have a high-risk appetite and be in a situation where you are able to take options/shares in lieu of a wage. Unless you are able to support yourself throughout that time it can be tricky. If it’s an established company, I can’t comment as I’ve never had a day job. What I will say is, create an environment that is conducive to the needs of women and is supportive of workplace flexibility. You also need to do the same for their partners, so they can be a support system.

In your opinion, what workplace/business?

is

the

biggest

obstacle

for

women

to

succeed

in

the

I'm in my 50's, my children are adults and I've never had a day job. I'm not qualified to answer this question. But from what I've observed, men and/or female partners need to be able to access childcare and paternity leave so women aren't the ones having the time off and losing out on job promotions and superannuation. Making childcare more accessible and affordable in the workplace would help. Giving people more work flexibility would make a huge difference and thankfully that’s something that major corporations have begun to adopt.

How do you find inspiration in your life?

I discovered at the age of 50 that I'm an abstract portrait artist. It began from a need to calm my mind and give me some peace in my hectic days. Meditation didn’t work as my mind would create solutions to problems. Art has given me the ability to create and be creative which puts me into a meditative state. People are now asking me for commissions; they’re buying my art and I’m entering art prizes.

To what do you attribute your success?

Hard work, focused work, determination, decisiveness, resilience, self-confidence, being prepared for when the opportunities arise, continued life learning, innovative thinking, caring for my team and ultimately - my partner who supports and encourages me in everything I do.

You can connect with Ludwina on Linkedin.

The Room Xchange – www.TheRoomXchange.com Instagram - @theroomxchange and @ludwina_dautovic

POWERED BY

JUST SAY YES AND FIGURE IT OUT LATER LUDWINA DAUTOVIC

NATALJA RODIONOVA Sisters of Code Founder of the first Female Coding Club in Cambodia and Managing Director of IT Academy STEP Cambodia

Tell us about you and your career, Natalja.

Graduated with a Master Degree in Social Science with the University of Latvia, Natalja has been developing her career in communication and marketing working in a number of international companies in financial and telecom industries.

In 2015 she has accepted a challege and moved to Cambodia from Latvia to head and run operations of a newly established training centre STEP IT Academy, specializing in tech education. Observing a dramatic underrepresentation of girls in the field of technology, in January 2019 Natalja has founded a non-profit educational program: the first female coding club in Cambodia - Sisters of Code, which has received support and is run in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of Cambodia.

Under Natalja’s leadership, STEP IT Academy has been organizing different international programs: The Hour Of Code in cooperation with the US Embassy, STEM Hub Cambodia in cooperation with the British Embassy, Global Game Jam hosting it for 3 years already and more than 10 ICT bootcamps, taking place in different locations in Cambodia aiming to introduce students to the field of technology and the diversity of occupations.

Sisters of Code has received two international awards during 2020: Equals in Tech Sisters of Code has received the prestigious international award in the EQUALS in TECH Award 2020 for the organization and successful development of the first programming club for girls in Cambodia. Among 360 submitted projects from around the world, this educational program was highly praised by the jury from UN Women, UN Information Technology Unit, GSMA, United Nations University and International Trade Center.

SOLVE MIT AWARD Sisters of Code is one of the 7 best projects in the category Learning for Girls and Women by MIT Solve, an initiative of the Massachusetts Institute for Technology.

Did you always know that working in technology was what you wanted to do and how did you decide to go into (your career)?

I have never actually thought I would end up in the field of technology, moreover in the field of digital skills education. Especially in Cambodia!

I grow up in a provincial town in Latvia with about 80 thousand inhabitants and got my degree in the Social Science from a University of Latvia. We did study basic programming in the school and I still remember the time when there was no internet, no laptops and no smartphones! My father and mother are engineers and we would have a personal computer at home early. It was fun. We did play games, did some typing and math with my younger brother.

Technology was a part of my life and I would count myself as an early adapter – curious how things work and what can they do and I would say I was among the first active users of the Internet in Latvia too.

Working in a bank and later for a telecom company, being capable of using technology was a part of the job and to see the development dynamics, observe innovations making a real change in people’s life, have always fascinated me. That is why when I had a challenge to join a tech community and lead an educational centre development in Cambodia, I did not hesitate to grab this opportunity. Since the establishment of the IT training centre, I have learned myself a lot and that is what gives energy and excitement to know that there is so much to discover and contribute. Working in the field of education is the most rewarding professional experience I ever had. Especially when we can see how our students in Cambodia are making an amazing progress and turn from the users into creators of technology.

We offer now 2 professional programs: one in Software Development and another one in Computer Graphics and Design. We follow the market trends and introduce new training courses to respond to the needs of the industry and that means close cooperation with tech community. This where my Social Science background comes handy.

Also, I do not consider we should view technology as a stand-alone area, but rather an essential tool for anyone whatever career is being chosen.

NATALJA RODIONOVA Who are your role models for women in tech?

There are great women in tech. But my role models are girls in tech. I work with the young generation, as Sisters of Code provides free coding lessons to girls from 10 to 20 y.o. and that allows me to meet wonderful, curious, thoughtful and brave girls in Cambodia. They are my role models, they remind me about the power of being curious, dedicated and focused on learning. They join Sisters of Code being shy and unsure, and over the 18 weeks of the program we can see how they grow their confidence, how they prove to themselves, their friends and parents that they can accomplish whatever they are up to. These are my role models.

Have you ever been in a situation where you have felt discouraged to pursue your dreams as a woman? How did you handle it?

I was lucky enough not to come across such discouragement. Or maybe I just did not pay attention to such attempts. I never considered my gender to be a weakness or a barrier to achieve my dreams and reach my goals. So my approach was to ignore any possible attempts to doubt this thinking.

People might have different experiences and different opinions on their lives and the world. And that is fine. However, when creating the story of your life – focus on what you want to tell and how do you want to see yourself. We as humans have unlimited potential and so much to discover about ourselves and the world and it would be just wrong to discourage this exciting journey of exploration, the gift or learning and development, for the sake of misconceptions about differences in genders.

NATALJA RODIONOVA Do you notice a lack of women in technology? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

There is an obvious lack of women in the field of technology. Women are making 50% of human population. But if we look at the technological companies, or at the classrooms in the Universities or training centres – consider yourself very lucky to find 3 female programmers in a group of 10 people. That is a global problem and it is even more serious in Asia.

I come from an engineering family: both my parents are engineers. There was never a question if a girl can study technology. That is why I had a cultural shock when we would have only 5% of female students enrolling to Software Development courses in Cambodia. Some groups would be boys only. In some groups we would have 1 or 2 girls.

Girls are raised with a thought that technology is for boys. Boys are better with computers, with logic, with math. That is what girls hear and they start to believe so. They start thinking – why should I even try if it is obvious it is not for me. They are discouraged by parents, brothers, friends. We did a survey in Cambodia and realised that around 10% of girls truly believe boys are better with computers and 44% admitted that they are not supported to study technology. Imagine what kind of will power a girl should have to be brave enough to stand out and tell – no, I want to try myself, I want to learn, and I want to see if I can do. When we have established Sisters of Code, the first female coding club in Cambodia, I had the honour to meet those women – Cambodian female programmers, who challenged the dominating perception of girls being not capable to learn and work in the field of technology, and they all wanted to support the young generation of girls to support them. Sisters of Code has proven that with the right approach, with the focus on creating a community and collaboration, girls are making an amazing progress in coding, they do enjoy it and they unleash their creative potential. They are curious and willing to learn and get involved into the field of technology.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in your industry or what you wish to know before starting your career/business?

I have a teenage daughter who is right now having this stressful period to make decisions on what to study next after she will graduate high school. So I know how hard and challenging it is. I also meet a lot of young students who come to our training centre and some of them feel confused and unsure if they are making the right choice. And it is ok. It is normal. I would say it is even amazing that people think, analyse, try to find ways for themselves and not just follow someone’s instructions. What I always tell them – get ready for a lifelong learning path and consider your life a journey of discovering and development. You will make mistakes, you will face some challenges, but you will also be rewarded by getting stronger, wiser and skilful.

I always tell them – observe yourself and notice what excites you, where do you see yourself engaged, what makes you fell motivated and keep your interest. Accept the fact that technology is the key skill to any area you would choose and that can only enrich your experience. Women now have so many possibilities and it is much easier to be heard now, than maybe 50 years ago. So get engaged in this important change happening in the society, become the voice of this new world, as the future depends on us.

How do you find inspiration in your life?

I find life itself to be an inspiration. I find my inspiration in reading books and discovering facts and thoughts. I find my inspiration in travelling and observing the diversity of cultures and landscapes. I find my inspiration in art and music, that unleash creative potential and brings new dimensions and impressions. I find inspiration in meeting people, who share their stories and their views. I find inspiration in nature, that is constantly changing. I find inspiration in self-development and learning, that is so important for me.

NATALJA RODIONOVA What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to choose careers in tech and rectify the imbalance?

I have been thinking about this question since we have started Sisters of Code and I think that businesses engagement is extremely important to rectify the imbalance.

First of all, by supporting such clubs as Sisters of Code, that provides free coding lessons to young girls, we help them to gain confidence to study and work in the field of technology, even before they are making this decision about the future career path. By addressing this issue early, we grow the potential pool, we encourage a change in the mindset and behavior.

Not only for them, but also for the community.

Secondly, it is not only for the companies to encourage women to choose careers in tech, but also to stay in tech. The researches show, that even if women study technology, many would give up later on and choose some other jobs, as they do not feel supported in the maledominated teams, they feel judged and discouraged in many cases. So companies should look at their company culture and the HR policies, as well as work not only with women joining the tech field but also with men who are making the majority right now.

The gender balance is the key to creating tech products that would be relevant to people’s needs, would be inclusive and efficient.

In your opinion, what is the biggest obstacle for women to succeed in the workplace/business?

Each of us has personal struggles and challenges. So I would not take a responsibility to define the biggest obstacle for women to succeed. However, based on my observations working with youth and building the Sisters of Code community, we should focus on growing confidence among girls, encouraging them to dream and act, showing them different opportunities and supporting them in their endeavours. Therefore, it would require a change of the attitude among teachers and families as well, who are having a great influence. Right now many female students face obstacles in their closer circle – being doubted and discouraged by families or in the schools. That growth deep and influences the ways how girls would see themselves in the future.

I was lucky to have the freedom to choose what to do in my life, what decisions to make and what career to have. It was not an easy way, but it was mine. That is why I believe emotional support, trust and encouragement are so important for women. We should remove from the agenda any doubt that women cannot be successful, cannot be achievers, cannot make their own decisions.

To what do you attribute your success?

For me success is be proud with what I am doing and bring a positive contribution to the society. I can consider myself successful as my work in the field of digital skills education and support to the female students is a truly rewarding experience. I can see the results of our work when our students find well paid employment, when they make more confident choices about their lives and their future. I am proud about what I am doing and I am proud of our team. Our success is based on the dedication to quality, to serving our students with a great responsibility and on commitment to learn and develop.

The most important attribute for success is to understand that success is not an ultimate goal, but a process, which can both rewarding and challenging. Also believing in yourself and abilities to achieve goals, not being scared to dream big and be open to new opportunities is what makes a person successful.

WHAT IF...?

FAVORITE QUOTE - IT HELPS TO STAY CURIOUS AND BRAVE. I LOVE THIS QUOTE KEEPS FOCUS ON OPPORTUNITIES AND EXPERIMENTS. NATALJA RODIONOVA

INTERVIEW

SHARON HEGARTY Marketing Director, Samsung Electronics, UK & Ireland

Tell us about you and your career, Sharon!

My career with Samsung Electronics began in February 2020.

Joining the team as Mobile Marketing Director, I was able to bring a real mixed bag of experience to the table – having previously held the position of Marketing and Brand Director at Virgin Media, and over a decade of business and marketing experience through similar roles at organisations such as Sky, TalkTalk, Three UK and Vodafone.

Eternally curious, I’m part of a wider team who don’t sit still. In driving forward Samsung’s strategic approach to campaigns, 5G, and loyalty programmes, we’re ensuring Samsung UK & Ireland remains firmly on its growth trajectory.

What's your favourite quote?

It has to be from the best female leader around. Michelle Obama is truly inspirational. You have to read Becoming, which for me is a truly inspirational memoir. I agree with her when she says: “Success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives”.

That really resonated with me and it’s absolutely true. If there is one thing COVID-19 has taught us, it is to just make time for each other. Even if we can’t all be together right now, we can video call parents, friends and colleagues. The technology is there.

I love to see the difference technology can make in peoples lives. This year it has enabled us to work flexibly and I can spend more time with my children now I am working remotely. Looking at our wider economy, technology can help people build businesses from their front rooms without a huge budget and encourage small businesses to thrive. Outside of the UK, technology is also connecting people across the world. My dad lives in Iran and I haven’t been able to see him for two years but the fact I am able to video call him and stay in touch? Well, that is precious.

What does a typical day look like?

SHARON HEGARTY

My current role as Marketing Director gives me the opportunity to be part of shaping the future ambition and growth for the business – something made even more exciting by working with such a fantastic team of talent.

There are some parts of my day which are more structured than others. We have a rhythm to the working week which we have had to rethink now we are still working remotely, although certain meetings are more structured.

My working day begins with an online workout first thing with a group of friends to keep us motivated. Next I meet with my peer group, the Samsung Mobile UK & Ireland leadership team, where we discuss our people, business performance and big projects on the go. This is then followed by meetings with my direct reports where I catch up on how the team are doing, marketing campaigns across our portfolio, and status updates.

There will be other sales and commercial meetings across our mobile portfolio, team one-toones, creative campaign reviews and meetings with my European counterparts and colleagues based in our headquarters in South Korea. I always make sure we kick off our meetings talking about people and team welfare; now, more than ever, it’s important to look after each other.

I keep my lunch hour free to go for a walk, get a breather, or treat myself to a real coffee from a nice local coffee shop. I might use that time to catch up with colleagues on the phone too, so I get a break from video calls.

Do you think there is a diversity issue in the tech sector? Do you notice a lack of women in technology? Has it affected you in any way?

Tackling the diversity imbalance starts with education – doing more to encourage girls in STEM subjects and changing attitudes towards tech and the role it plays. But effort and investment from business is also essential in improving gender equality in the workplace, and this must focus on both new and emerging talent, as well as established talent.

What is really evident to me, is that many girls and women in education lack the role models or mentors to ask about technology – there is currently no real pathway into the industry. My daughter has started her A-levels in STEM subjects, and it’s important to me that she is aware of the opportunities within tech and she has a pathway through to a career if it's what she chooses. While Samsung is a leading pioneer in technology, there is a brand positioning job to be done for ‘technology’ as an entire industry to be more accessible.

What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to choose careers in tech and rectify the imbalance?

More must be done to empower women to choose tech, remain in tech and grow in tech. The first stepping-stone in tackling the imbalance begins with education – doing more to encourage girls in STEM subjects and changing attitudes towards tech and the role it plays.

Ensuring that women are aware of the opportunities within technology and dispelling the myth that it must be a male-dominated industry, from the earliest possible ages, will be key to equipping future generations of female leaders to be fearless and bold in their aspirations.

Women should feel comfortable in pursuing their interests in technology at every stage – remaining relentlessly unapologetic, while able to access networks and benefits tailored towards them.

SHARON HEGARTY Technology is a male-dominated field. Tell us about your experience in the tech sector.

I’ve been in the industry 20 years and I’m passionate about championing diversity and continually innovating as a sector. My personal purpose is to inspire others and pay it forward.

Young girls in education and women entering the world of technology are on a journey of growth. They need someone like a mentor who instills self-belief and helps their ideas grow. I have always been a huge advocate of this and have mentored throughout my own career journey.

It’s amazing to drive real change not just inside, but also outside, the business. A real passion project of mine recently has been the launch of Samsung Pioneers – our commitment to championing greater gender equality within the UK technology industry. The first Samsung Pioneers event – a virtual interactive panel discussion and Q&A held on Ada Lovelace Day – took the form of an open and honest discussion between speakers and audience of their personal views and experiences as women in technology.

With more events to follow, we’ve had great feedback from those that attended, and we’re excited to take this further into 2021.

It’s important to ensure that we provide a gateway for young women coming into the industry as well as supporting those that are already in it. When I started my career at Vodafone, I worked with mostly men but as I progressed into new companies there was definitely more of a mix and marketing teams tend to have more women in them. In my early career I didn’t notice the lack of female role models too much as I was focused on carving out a career for myself. It wasn’t until I went to ICO Global, where I worked with a more varied group of people from different backgrounds and cultures, that I appreciated the benefits of having a diverse workforce.

Working at Three Mobile was exciting as there were suddenly people in the business from all different sectors (music, health, publishing), all creating new mobile content. When Three was in start-up mode I got to be involved in so many different propositions. Developing location-based services, music downloads and launching video calling back in 2003 was a brilliant experience.

We were truly making the market.

The role was fast-paced and exciting but then I had my children, and things do change as a working parent. I wanted more flexibility and at that point in my career it wasn’t just about me and my career anymore, I had to find a solution that worked for me to allow time to spend with my young children.

So after six years at Three, I took the plunge and decided to go it alone and consult independently for a time, to work around them. I set up my own business, Hannah Joseph, named after my children’s middle names. It was great for me to set up my own business and work on consulting projects for a time and I used my network of contacts to get my first project working for Atlantic Records and then Warner Music Group where I worked on developing brand partnerships; it was all great fun.

Consulting gave me freedom and flexibility to work around my family when I needed to. At the same time though, it gave me the opportunity to experience new sectors and cultures. Working with Warner Music and Japanese brands such as SEGA wouldn’t have happened if I’d have stayed in the telco industry. It’s good to mix things up and it has worked out in the long run as my experience across media, music, entertainment and telecoms has converged and blended in my current role.

When returning to the corporate world full-time, you do notice male counterparts have moved up the ladder, however I don’t regret taking time to focus on my children and I’m happy with what I have achieved so far in my career. From my experience, I have found this is the time when most women depart the industry for good, leaving a smaller pool of talent to develop upwards.

This doesn’t apply to everyone, but it is one of the reasons why I believe leadership teams tend to be male dominated.

SHARON HEGARTY Are there any particular women in tech who have inspired you?

Martha Lane Fox was one of the pioneering Brits in tech during the first dotcom boom and I admire what she did with Lastminute.com back in 2000. She was really at the forefront of ‘making the market’ for digital commerce. Since then she has gone on to support the likes of Twitter, Chanel and she has continued to be a digital ambassador for business and advising government.

I also think Sheryl Sandberg as probably one of the most well-known female global COOs. She wasn’t afraid to share her views as written in her book "Lean In" and whilst not everyone agrees with her, you’ve got to admire her for putting women in the workplace on the agenda.

I also love hearing stories about women who developed ideas for business from their kitchen table and have gone on to make it huge successes. Other businesswomen I admire is Sara Blakely, and the creator of Spanx CEO, Michelle Mone, who set up her company Ultimo when she got made redundant. They both found a niche in the market, understood their audiences and filled a need. Brilliant.

And finally, I’m inspired by the ultimate female leader, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She’s been Chancellor for 15 years and whatever your political leaning you have to admire her and how she has led for Germany and on the international stage. She is a true scientist as well with a degree in Physics and a Doctorate in Quantum Chemistry. A clever, clever lady!

What would be your message to women trying to get into technology?

Develop your own purpose, and really think about what you stand for. Make sure you foster your network in and outside of your business and maintain it throughout your career. And don’t let the doubt niggle – say yes to opportunity. Whilst it can help, a successful career in tech is not necessarily born from a background in STEM. The industry needs people from all backgrounds – everyone in my team has their own strengths and experiences to bring to the table, which creates a wealth of knowledge. If your boss or whoever is giving you a new opportunity and they think you are ready, you are ready.

What do you think we should be doing more to encourage more girls to consider a career in tech?

Tech is so relevant in today’s world and provides huge benefits, as we’ve seen through the pandemic. It is of the utmost importance that we do a better job of explaining to girls from an early age these benefits and how tech supports our everyday lives, whether it’s video calls, entertainment streaming or our smartphones.

While our numbers in the industry are lower than I’d like, women like myself and my colleagues who are already here have a momentous role to play through inspiring and mentoring younger generations to confidently pursue a career in tech. As we push to break down these invisible barriers through working together and inspiring each other, we get ever closer to creating a single unified voice to champion women in tech.

pow

by d ere

WOMEN SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE IN PURSUING THEIR INTERESTS IN TECHNOLOGY AT EVERY STAGE – REMAINING RELENTLESSLY UNAPOLOGETIC… SHARON HEGARTY

NIDA CHOUDHARY Senior Strategic Partnerships Manager (AI, Voice, IoT), Samsung Electronics UK

Tell us about you and your career, Nida!

I initially joined Samsung in 2012 in a part-time role, as a member of the field sales team. My passion for tech led to my promotion to Field Marketing Manager UK & Ireland within two years, before transitioning to the role of Smart TV Partnerships Manager in 2016. Now I’m responsible for Artificial intelligence and voice-controlled experiences across all Samsung hardware.

The women in technology debate is one I’m passionate about, but I wasn’t actively involved with any initiatives until last year. Through Samsung, I joined the Everywoman network and became a representative for equal opportunity advocacy; encouraging my colleagues to join networking opportunities to stay feeling connected and ensure that gender equality issues remain top and front of mind for all.

What does a typical day look like?

I sit in the Connected Living team, with a large focus area of mine being artificial intelligence and voice control (along with the Internet of Things). I lead the strategy for making smart homes more accessible and convenient through the open integration between SmartThings and consumers favourite voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant and Bixby.

The majority of my wins come from early calls with our Korean HQ or late calls with my colleagues and partners based in the US and Canada. During normal office hours, I’m usually giving virtual demonstrations to my UK colleagues from the Digital Appliances, TV and Audio teams – with my hands in my pockets to prove I really am just using my voice!

I also spend a lot of time trying to break things – since I am ultimately responsible for improving the SmartThings and Samsung connected device owner’s user experience.

NIDA CHOUDHARY Technology is a male-dominated field. Tell us about your experience in the tech sector.

I decided I wanted to pursue a tech career in 2012 but it wasn't until 2016 that I met or actively became aware of someone that looked like me and was in a senior position; a female of Asian descent, with an Asian sounding name, at commercial director level. Whilst I knew I wanted to grow in my career, I had no idea whether I was limited in how far I could go thanks to the glass ceiling’. I really didn’t have any true idea of what I was able to achieve and aspire towards.

I wasn’t consciously aware of the fact that I didn’t fully see myself represented in any of the people I considered mentors or inspirational but when I finally did meet someone who could truly represent my future capabilities (Faz Aftab, ITV), I had this fire ignited that pushed me to work harder and faster. It also gave me a new confidence and I started demanding support and guidance from senior leaders and managers on how to progress my career.

While at Samsung this confidence has only grown – as a brand, we’re so encouraging of women in business and making sure that everyone has equal opportunities. With the tools and initiatives available, it became easier for me to connect with other women across the company and wider industry, sharing experiences and benefits from the advice they can offer.

It’s the internal initiatives available to me now that inspired me to take part in the launch of Samsung Pioneers. I hope that my story and involvement in that will help inspire others to do similar things – and that by the time my nieces Khadija (seven) and Ameerah (three) are applying for their first jobs, they won’t think twice about applying for a tech position.

Do you think there is a diversity issue in the tech sector? Do you notice a lack of women in technology? Has it affected you in any way?

The tech sector itself is one of the more progressive when it comes to gender diversity, but much, much more needs to be done and progress has stalled somewhat recently. The topic of gender equality needs to be spoken about more often, and with greater confidence to inspire women within the industry to speak up and not be afraid to do so.

Sadly, too often I think to myself “would a man do it this way?” or “if I was a man, would anyone flinch at this comment or opinion”. For a long time, this was my sense check for whether something was the right thing to do to progress my career, and I hated it. It’s absolutely essential that this isn’t the norm for the next generation of female talent in tech. So, for me, more representation and visibility for women in tech is important. It opens the conversation, makes sure that senior role models are more obvious to aspiring female leaders, and forms an invitation to others to enter the world of tech.

Are there any particular women in tech who have inspired you?

Some of the women that inspire me include: Reshma Saujani, CEO and founder of Girls Who Code Anne-Marie Imafidon, CEO and co-founder of STEMettes Hedy Lamar, actress and inventor (who pioneered the technology that would one day form the basis for today's WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth communication systems) Miriam Daniel Mann, NASA mathematician "human computer" and racial justice activist

NIDA CHOUDHARY Do you think it is getting easier for women to get into Tech?

Yes, positive progress is being made and the barriers are at the very least becoming more recognised and spoken about. From when I entered the tech industry over eight years ago, I’ve certainly noticed that there are more female, and particularly Asian female, role models than before.

But there still aren’t anywhere near enough women in the industry, or young and aspiring women considering technology as a career path, which shows there is more still to be done.

Technology plays such a pivotal role in our modern lives – more so over the last eight months in various stages of lockdown and remote working and socialising, than ever before. Those within the tech industry need to be bolder about the importance it plays. At the same time, more needs to be done to reach younger talent at an educational level to plant the seed of interest in technology careers. Making young women confident that the industry is accessible and showcasing inspirational stories or role models will go a long way to helping shift the imbalance in gender we still see.

What are some of the biggest challenges that women who want to venture in the world of technology face today?

For me, and I suspect for many others too, it was the lack of role models that made me question pursuing a career in tech. I saw almost no Asian women in senior positions across the industry and so I didn’t see it as a path for me.

There was a cultural influence on this too. My parents worked exceptionally hard to immigrate to the UK and sustain ‘secure’ careers to provide a comfortable and privileged lifestyle for my sisters and I. Technology definitely did not feel a secure path, and that is still the case in some instances – particularly for women. There remains more emphasis on traditional’ careers such as medicine, law or finance – with tech seen as the outside option. This bias then comes at an early age through choices you're expected to make at school, or pressure from family to excel in certain subjects.

I had wanted to study History at university but decided it would not add value to my future career so completed a Politics and Law degree.When I told my parents that I had no desire to pursue law any further, they encouraged me to pursue accountancy (ACCA) despite having no intention of becoming an accountant either! Luckily, I was so frustrated with my studies that I decided to take a weekend job selling Samsung TVs in my local John Lewis, which enabled my elopement to the world of tech.

So many of my female - in particular, Asian female - friends have had to be their own champion when growing a career in tech because their loved ones feared that the industry was ruthless and too ‘male oriented’. It can get really lonely, so even those who do manage to dip their toe in the waters might give up due to societal and peer pressures.

NIDA CHOUDHARY What do you think companies can do to encourage more women to choose careers in tech and rectify the imbalance?

Women who do hold senior positions are role models whether they intend to be or not. Young talent or those in education will see them succeeding in a technology career and feel empowered to do the same and demand the same opportunities, too. Just seeing these success stories will inspire others to believe they can do it too. Hopefully, this will lead to increasing numbers of women applying for roles within technology.

It should also be the norm for all job descriptions and advertisements to use gender neutral (they/their) pronouns at this point. I think part of the reason the pay gap is still so vast is that people (women, particularly) are not made aware of what can be earned within technology roles.

This isn’t the case for ‘traditional’ industries, so salary brackets should be clear in technology job ads as well.

What would be your message to women trying to get into technology?

Firstly, technology is for everyone. As I’ve mentioned, technology is fundamental to the daily lives of almost every person on the planet – so we need to empower women from an early age to understand it and take more of an interest in it, so they can help shape the future. There’s definitely an awareness job to be done around the requirements to start a career in the industry, as it’s not as hard to get into as people may think.

Secondly, I’d emphasise the importance of connecting with others. Support networks for women at every stage of their career ensure female professionals aren't networking and facing any potential challenges in isolation. There are many out there to take advantage of, such as Everywoman – after joining through their partnership with Samsung, it really made me realise that we are so much stronger together. These networks are about open discussion and experiencing career moments together to share collective wisdom.

What's your favourite quote?

“85% of all consumer purchases are made by women… women use social media at a rate of 600% more than men – we own the internet.” – Reshma Saujani (TED Talk – ‘Teach girls bravery, not perfection’)

by d ere w po

TECHNOLOGY IS FOR EVERYONE… WE NEED TO EMPOWER WOMEN FROM AN EARLY AGE TO UNDERSTAND IT AND TAKE MORE OF AN INTEREST IN IT, SO THEY CAN HELP SHAPE THE FUTURE NIDA CHOUDHARY

BRASIL ENTREVISTAS

EVA PEREIRA CMO, Head de Aliancas, Conscientização e Responsabilidade Social na IBLISS & Vice Leader e Team Coach de Alianças, Legal e Marketing da Womcy Brasil Conte-nos sobre você e sua carreira.

Especialista com mais de 20 anos de experiência em projetos de criação, implementação e operação de soluções de MSS, Cloud e Outsourcing. Desenvolvimento de negócios, parcerias estratégicas e desenvolvimento de marketing, focados em Segurança da informação e Privacidade em empresas multinacionais para diversos segmentos de mercado, envolvendo desenho de portfólio e produtos, análise de tendências e gerenciamento de P&L. Autora do projeto de Responsabilidade Social sobre Navegação Segura para as Crianças na Internet, o SEC4KIDS. Fale sobre a WOMCY: seu papel e o que adicionou a sua vida e carreira.

Como Vice Lider Brasil e Team Coach de Alianças, Legal e Marketing da WOMCY, sinto que posso contribuir para o empoderamento das meninas em cybersecurity para que elas possam trilhar um caminho mais leve do que n'os passamos ate agora.

Conte-nos sobre a sua experiência pessoal em Cybersecurity!

Desenvolvi minha carreira em cybersecurity, iniciando em redes e telecomunicações, passei por infraestrutura, security operation center, consultoria e auditoria. Atuei ainda com treinamentos e como palestrante para vários clientes. Migrei para area de desenvolvimento de negocios especificos para seguranca da informacao e privacidade. Atualmente atuo com desenvolvimento de negócios e marketing, além de conscientização e sensibilização, pois entendo que pessoas eh o elo mais importante da corrente, eh justamente o topico que necessita de mais atenção quando falamos de segurança e privacidade.

EVA PEREIRA O sector de Cybersecurity ainda é um campo dominado por homens. Como vocês encaram este desafio?

Neste mais de 20 anos, tenho visto uma evolução considerável deste tema! Mas ainda ha muito o que se conquistar! Embora os índices de mulheres em cibersegurança tenham aumentado, ainda somos minoria! Mas o importante eh entender desde cedo que homens e mulheres são diferentes por terem dominancia de características específicas, mas que estas diferencas tem o mesmo peso quando olhamos para cada lado e que juntas elas se completam.

Quais são os maiores desafios que as mulheres enfrentam hoje?

No mercado de trabalho, por exemplo, ainda se busca maior igualdade em termos de remuneração e reconhecimento, ainda que as mulheres caminhem lado a lado com os homens no que diz respeito à competência, responsabilidade e demais qualidades exigidas a todo bom profissional.

Qual seria a sua mensagem para as mulheres que estão entrando na area de tech e por que elas deveriam se especializar em cyber?

Estude, especialize-se e mostre seu valor e sua capacidade de realização! As mulheres são forte por natureza, ( A Natureza eh Feminina). Jamais deixe que ninguém diga que voce nao é capaz ou que este ou aquele não é o seu lugar, seu lugar é aonde você quiser! Faça as coisas para mostrar sua capacidade e não para ser querida e ou tentar agradar a todos!

O que pode ser feito para que mais mulheres entrem na area de tech?

Nossos amigos homens podem ajudar muito nisso, sendo embaixadores desta causa.

Empresas podem abrir mais oportunidades para as mulheres. Colegas de trabalho podem respeitar mais a presença das mulheres no ambiente corporativo. E as meninas podem se empoderar atraves de diversas iniciativas como o que proporciona a Womcy, com networking, mentorias e capacitacao.

Na sua opinião, o que as referências e iniciativas dedicadas a mulheres podem fazer em parcerias com as empresas para trazer mais diversidade?

Mentorias, direcionamento, networking e outras ações de engajamento.

pow

by d ere

EU NAO ME ACHO, EU TENHO CERTEZA DE QUE COMO MULHER SOU CAPAZ DE TUDO AQUILO QUE EU QUISER FAZER! FAVORITE QUOTE EVA PEREIRA

PAULA RODRIGUES Head de Operações de Cyber do Banco Safra e Líder WOMCY

Conte-nos sobre você e a sua carreira, Paula!

Atuo há mais de 15 anos na área de Segurança da Informação. Já estive em grandes empresas como Embratel e Itaú. Minha experiencia esta muito ligada a área de operações de cybersegurança , em temas como monitoração, tratamento e prevenção de incidentes.

Sou Formada em Tecnologia da Informação e certificada CIAC Incident Handling. Atualmente sou Head de Operações de CyberSegurança no Banco Safra Fala sobre a WOMCY: seu papel e o adicionou a sua vida e carreira.

Comecei como voluntária no WOMCY participando do 1encontro na Cisco. Hoje , depois de 1 ano , sou lider de 3 programas : Mentoring , Talent e Talks. A Womcy me colocou em contato com números que até então eu desconhecia e me apoiou para por em prática uma vontade ja existente, de trabalhar em favor da diversidade. Além disso, me deu a possibilidade de conhecer mulheres e histórias incriveis que reforçaram ainda mais o meu propósito, me inspirando e me renovando pessoalmente e profissionalmente.

Conte-nos sobre a sua experiência pessoal em Cybersecurity Desde sempre fui uma mulher que adorava executar comandos e participar de "janelas de troubleshooting". Muito pouco comum para essa área de cyber. Meu primeiro contato foi com um Firewall PIX e com a ferramenta Nessus. Depois disso vieram os equipamentos de deteção de intrusão (IDS) , os firewalls de nova geração, as ferramentas de proteção anti-ddos, entre outras inúmeras tecnologias. Passei por grandes empresas, tive a oportunidade de trabalhar ativamente nas Olimpíadas de 2016 no Rio de Janeiro.

Atuei desde a implantação da proteção de borda até a monitoração de alertas durante os Jogos. Hoje atuo como líder de uma equipe, mas não perdi o hábito de estar bem próxima da equipe e sempre participar de uma boa discussão técnica.

PAULA RODRIGUES O setor de Cybersecurity ainda é um campo dominado por homens. Como vocês encaram este desafio?

Sim! As estatísticas mostram, certo? . Apenas 24% das vagas são de mulheres, segundo ISC2. E se olharmos para carreiras técnicas como a minha , esses números ainda são mais desoladores. O desafio está em quebrarmos certas crenças.

Sejam elas em mulheres adultas, através de iniciativas com a WOMCY. Que tem como objetivo trazer exemplos de mulheres que chegaram lá, mentorias sejam elas de soft ou hard skills. Além de incentivarmos desde cedo as nossas filhas a se envolverem em atividades científicas. Vamos trocar as bonecas e as panelinhas, pelas computadores, pelos laboratórios de química, pelos jogos de desafios matemáticos.

Quais são os maiores desafios que as mulheres enfrentam hoje?

Na minha visão o grande desafio é a crença que as próprias mulheres se autoimpõem. De não serem capazes. De se limitarem a chegarem até certas áreas e a certos caminhos.

Uma vez que consigamos quebrar essa barreira dentro de nós mesmas, o céu vai ser o limite!

Qual seria a sua mensagem para as mulheres que estão entrando na area de tech e por que elas deveriam se especializar em cyber?

Simples e convincente : CyberSegurança é uma das áreas mais promissoras em termos de mercado de trabalho. Existem milhares e milhares de vagas esperando para serem preenchidas.

O que pode ser feito para que mais mulheres entrem na area de tech? É necessário que sejamos intencionais. Que tenhamos ações bem definidas e organizadas com esse objetivo. Falando uma linguagem que a mulher entenda e se identifique.

Além disso, que esteja claro para as empresas e para todos nós , a importância da representatividade da mulher não só na carreira de Tech. Mas em qualquer carreira.

Na sua opinião, o que as referências e iniciativas dedicadas a mulheres podem fazer em parcerias com as empresas para trazer mais diversidade?

Como eu havia comentado na pergunta anterior, e acredito que ainda caiba nessa reposta!

Sejamos claros e intencionais.

E em ações práticas : abertura para discussão do tema, compartilhamento de banco de CV`s de profissionais , sessões de mentorias , e uma infinidade de outras iniciativas . E lá na WOMCY já pensamos em várias dessas necessidade e estamos disponíveis para apoiar as empresas.

pow

by d ere

NÃO SABENDO QUE ERA IMPOSSÍVEL, ELA FOI LÁ E FEZ! PAULA RODRIGUES - PARAFRASEANDO JEAN COCTEAU

Laurie Wang ARTICLES

5 Ways To Support Women - not only on the International Women’s Day 8th March stands out with good reason - it is International women’s day!

Let's explore why IWD is so important and how we, women and men, together, should find ways to support women and reduce the gap in gender equality.

So here are five simple ways of supporting and empowering women!

Support one another Supporting women and those that empower women is essential to achieving gender equality and it is the best way to support and accelerate the growth of women professionally, in education and in business.

You can make a difference by making conscious choices to empower girls and women.

Supporting women in business, donate to a charity, supporting working mums and girls in education.

Educate those around you Educate those around you when they make inappropriate, discriminatory or/and misogynist comments in a conversation - tell them what it is the right thing to say and what the consequences may be for their words and actions.

A lot of people still not even realize how their behavior may affect girls and women and we must educate and encourage them to make better choices of words and attitudes.

Advocate Start publicly supporting or recommending a particular cause related to the women - Girls in Tech, Women in Tech, Women Who Code, Women in Data etc Listen to women's stories, talk to other women on social media and add/follow hashtags, join groups on social media (and engage),

Volunteer You can volunteer with an organization - there are hundreds of nonprofits and social enterprises dedicated to helping women around the world.

Speak up for women’s rights and gender equality by joining an organization and use your voice, skills and power to commit to an equal future for all of us.

Be a leader If you are a woman (or male ally) in a high position why not mentor or guide other females who are also looking to be in your position in the future. You can give them the insight and tools to achieve more and you can be one of helping to bridge the gap.

Candyce Costa Candyce is the founder of Female Tech Leaders magazine and passionate about Diversity and Equality especially topics related to the role of women in our society and in technology. She has been an activist for the past 3 years and besides the magazine, she owns a Digital Marketing Boutique working with small B2B business managing their social media and channels as well being an Ambassador for Women in Tech and an advocate for London Tech.

She is a speaker, event organizer and an investor.

WHY THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE CRITICAL TIME TO LEAD INCLUSIVELY This article was written by Marissa Ellis, Founder and CEO of Diversity and was originally published in www.diversily.com blog as part of a 6-part Inclusive Leadership series. In Part 1 I shared why knowing yourself is the first step to becoming an inclusive leader. In, this article, Part 2 we’ll ask, why now?

Many people have been working tirelessly in Diversity and Inclusion for decades. They have devoted emotional energy and hard work. Progress is being made. However, many feel that the landscape is exactly the same today as it was 20 years ago. Those with privilege rise to the top, with minority voices simply not being heard, never mind having a seat at the table.

Historically, diversity and inclusion efforts meant creating diversity networks for minority groups and investing corporate social responsibility funds (CSR) in causes that were looking to address imbalance. The hard work of many of these smaller, often not for profit, organisations is coming through in nurtured diverse talent. Now companies need to not just put money into side-line initiatives, but walk the walk and invest deeply in building diversity and inclusion into the very heart of their organisations.

Diversity is nothing without inclusion.

As the talent pipeline diversifies so the need for inclusion becomes even more critical. We can get as many women or people from minority groups into the pipe, but if it’s leaking they are not going to make it through to the other end. People in minority groups are more likely to feel excluded if intensional effort is not made to make them feel included.

Women are more likely to quit tech industry jobs according to a report by the National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT). The turnover rate for women in tech industry is 41%, compared to just 17% for men. The message is simple, people who do not feel included will not stick around for long. The result is often a less diverse and therefore less capable workforce.

A really key point is that we can’t expect the disadvantaged, the minority groups, those without power or the diversity and inclusion experts to drive change alone. We need everyone to be a part of the conversation. Transformational change will really only come when the majority get involved. We need to take diversity and inclusion to the mainstream. It needs to be connected to and embedded into business daily life. Not just because it is the right thing to do for people, but because it is the right thing to do for business.

Diversity and inclusion raises the bar. It drives innovation, improves customer experience, enhances staff wellbeing and results in better financial performance.

Building #diverseteams is giving a better reach to the wider #market and #customer base; this is becoming even more important in the growing #digitalworld of virtual assets and global distribution.”

Lana Tahirly Abdullayeva — Strategic Advisor, Digital

The message is simple.

Being neutral is no longer enough.

In fact, being neutral is having a negative effect as you are essentially saying ‘it’s ok as it is.”

And quite frankly it isn’t.

As a leader you have a choice. You can either be a part of the problem or a part of the solution. There is no middle ground. It’s time to get involved. It’s time to step up before you get left behind. For the well-intentioned masses who choose to be a part of the solution the question isn’t, whether to get involved, but how you can make a difference and what you can do.

It comes down to a simple equation.

Awareness + Intent = Change.

As an aside, this equation was the foundation for The Change Canvas, but I won’t digress. If you want to be part of the solution you need to build your awareness, you need to understand the problems and the issues. You then need to commit to do something to drive change. Only with this awareness and intent will change ever happen.

When it comes to business, it is about building it into the everyday. By this I mean understanding the benefits, building it into targets, connecting it to personal reward, allocating budget, measuring progress and embedding diversity and inclusion considerations into daily work. This is how it becomes relevant and important to everyone. Yes, I did say allocating budget. Diversity and inclusion will affect your bottom line in a positive way, but you need to invest. Budget allocation is a clear statement of business priorities. There is a lot that can be done without investment, however if you say this is important but will not spend any money you are sending a very mixed message and will undoubtably limit your overall success.

It’s time for action. But how do we move people to act?

Essentially you have two options; hope or fear.

The ‘hope’ story is ultimately about creating more opportunities for everyone. Diversity and inclusion is great for individuals, organisations and society. Learning to think inclusively is a critical skill that will not only help you develop your own skills and relationships, you will be a greater asset as an employee. Diversity and inclusion bring huge benefits to businesses in terms of performance, competitive advantage, ability to innovate and increasingly being an employee of choice. Using hope as a lever for change is all about opportunity and a brighter future.

The ‘fear’ story is about not wanting to get left behind or being the next ‘failure’ due to the lack of diversity. There are some really interesting articles that relate the lack of diversity as being a factor both in the 2008 financial crash and the 9/11 events. There are also lots of examples of ’tech’ gone wrong — such as the racist automated soap dispenser, that only works with white hands or the face recognition software that equated African Americans with gorillas. Using fear as a lever for change is all about negative consequences of inaction.

People are moved to action through hope and fear.

So why change now?

There are some critical drivers that mean that there has never been a more pressing time for change.

Your job as an inclusive leader is to help others to take a step forward in their own journey in being an advocate for inclusive change. In Part 3 of this Inclusive Leadership series I’ll talk more about this ‘inclusion awakening’ journey and how to create allies and advocates. But first, I will share nine drivers for urgent change here. Everyone’s journey is different, but by sharing these drivers, you can reference elements of this article to convince more people that now really is the time for change.

1. Evidence of Benefits There has never been more research that backs the benefits that diversity and inclusion can bring. From profitability, innovation, reputation, productivity & employee and customer satisfaction to name just a few. The benefits are wide reaching. Gallup Research found that closing the gender gap could increase the world GDP by $28 Trillion. McKinsey research found that ethnic diversity and gender diversity increase the likelihood of above average financial returns by 35% and 15% respectively. Inclusive leaders get better results and create more opportunity and better solutions for everyone. There is a huge opportunity cost of inaction.

2. The Empathy Economy To put this simplistically, as the robots take our jobs our value will be in being more human.

This means applying our emotional intelligence to address challenges and solve problems that can’t be automated. We will shift our collective attention from manual, repetitive, lowvalue tasks and focus on providing human expert judgement, emotional understanding and qualitative evaluation. To do this well, we don’t just need emotional intelligence, we need ‘inclusive intelligence’. We need to build empathy not just for people like us, but for everyone.

3. Problem Space Complexity We are operating in a global and more complex world than ever before. Diversity of markets, customers, ideas, and talent is driving the need for inclusion as a new leadership capability.

Collaboration has never been more important. Deep wide-ranging expertise is needed to address challenging and complex problems and satisfy unique and varied needs. The old world of a ‘command and control’ style leader, no longer works, as a single person cannot have all of the answers. Company success is limited by the capabilities of the puppet master.

We need inclusive leaders who can bring diverse perspectives together to spark ideas, remove blind spots and inspire everyone to innovate. What is important is collective, not individual capability. Diversity is the secret weapon to improve collective intelligence.

4. #MeToo and our shifting social expectations Harry Weinstein has been convicted for 23 years for sexual assault. His defence were hoping for 5 years. A very strong message has been sent. You cannot use your power to abuse or take advantage of others. The #MeToo movement sent ripples through society. Societal norms are shifting, and workplace culture needs to keep up. New generations think differently. For example, ‘nappy changing’ is now generally expected of both parents whereas for older generations a father who changed his children’s nappies was a rare find. Inclusive workplaces are a huge card in the war on talent. Inclusive leaders need to build authentic inclusive cultures, not just pay lip service to diversity if they are to attract and retain top talent.

5. #BlackLivesMatter Invigorated by the killing of George Flyod by a police officer on the 25th of May 2020 in Minneapolis, the #BlackLivesMatter movement has received global attention. It serves as a pressing call to take action against systemic racism, now. Gender was always the comfortable first step for diversity initiatives. Everyone has a female in their lives and it was a more relatable and comfortable diversity dimension to discuss. However support for white middleclass women does not come close to addressing the varied needs of everyone who identifies as a women. Race was always a more awkward and often avoided topic. One of the most powerful outcomes of the #BlackLivesMatter movement is our collective increasing level of comfort talking about historic oppression, racism and privilege. Now is the time to build, not lose, momentum to drive some real change and remove systemic bias and injustice.

6. COVID19 In the current time, it would be difficult not to mention Corona Virus when talking about reasons for change. All of our worlds have changed dramatically in unimaginable ways due to the global pandemic. We may all be in the same storm, but we are certainly not in the same boat. Underlying inequalities are more apparent than ever. The call for change is louder than ever. The crisis also brings a huge opportunity, not just to return to where we were but to leapfrog where we were. To embrace new ways of working, new ways of collaborating and new ways of adding value. Many teams are working remotely for the first time. Colleagues are learning more about each other, opening up and sharing in ways they haven’t done previously, as they talk to each other from their homes. Leaders are having to pro-actively think about inclusion as they consider the individuals in their teams and their specific circumstances to ensure that everyone is connected, supported, fulfilled, feels like they belong and are able to thrive. This is what inclusion is all about. Something that is embedded.

Not something that is purely the work of the 'Diversity & Inclusion experts’.

7. Purpose and Impact People are connecting to a deeper sense of purpose and reassessing what is important and how they can personally make a meaningful difference. People are crying out to be a part of a positive movement for change. We are now seeing the consequences of our actions and becoming more aware of the damage we are causing. We want to leave the world in a better state than we found it. It’s time to course correct.

8. Growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) As our technology becomes more sophisticated, we are essentially encoding our biases into the AI systems that influence pretty much all aspects of our lives. We could all be subject to discrimination unwittingly — intentional systematic action is needed to help us avoid unintentional exclusion. Diversity of experience and opinion is crucial in building the future.

The issue here is one of scale. Bias in a single algorithm can have so much more impact than bias in a single human. We have seen this play out with the algorithm used to determine student’s A-level results, who were not able to sit exams due to COVID-19. Capable students with high predicted grades from their teachers, who know their capabilities well, were marked down due to the post code of the school. Not only do we need to build ‘inclusive intelligence’ in the humans who build the machines, but we need ‘inclusive artificial intelligence’. We need to understand the difference between causation and correlation,

avoid using harmful proxies and avoid using training data that is riddled with historic bias. To illustrate this point, let’s take the gender pay gap. Women are paid less than men for the same work. This is a reflection of a patriarchal system and historic bias that should be corrected. Using historic pay data to train AI to make decisions about our futures, if left unchecked, will simply perpetuate historic bias.

9. The Gender Pay Gap The World Ecomonic Forum ‘Global Gender Gap Report 2020’ states that it will take 99.5 years to close the global gender pay gap. This is not fast enough for me, nor my daughter, nor hers, nor hers! We need more people to take inclusive action now to accelerate progress. I want my children to grow up in a fair and equitable world. This can’t wait for my great, great grandchildren.

The drivers for change are compelling and the time for change is now. Leaders like Susan Falola are taking action now to create a brighter future for us all.

The pandemic hasn’t just highlighted the need for more inclusion, it has highlighted why the need is so imminent. Over the next few years we will see a shift in how digital platforms operate, and how they will play a big role in social development; with the needs and wants of the ‘People’ being the one important factor that businesses take into consideration.This is why we must lead with inclusively, as it defines our lives, finances and sustainability for the future. As an inclusive leader, I choose to advocate that there are ‘No Barriers To Entry’ meaning access to all with no labels or profiling.”

Susan Falola CEO / Creative Director of JUUBIX LTD I want to be a part of a world that celebrates the diversity of its people and understands and caters for different needs. A world that enables people to be themselves and everyone feels like they belong, are welcome, valued and able to contribute to the best of their abilities. A world where business is not just about pure profit, but also about impact, value creation and making a positive difference.

Even those in the majority stand to benefit from this new reality.

Now is the time for change. Are you ready to be a part of the solution?

Marissa Ellis is an advisor, strategist, speaker and best selling author.

Marissa Ellis

She is the founder of www.diversily.com and the creator of The Change Canvas, and other visual, business frameworks that are used around the world by global brands and start ups alike to drive positive change. She helps business leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers do better business; business that is purpose-led, human-centred with diversity and inclusion at the core. Her highly rated strategic management methodology, uses The Change Canvas to connect strategy to execution and empowers high performing, inclusive teams that deliver continuous value.

She has over 20 years of experience driving transformational change in the tech sector, from well-known names such as Reuters, Barclays, lastminute.com to high growth start-ups and accelerators.

HOW TO LET GO OF A FAILED BUSINESS BUT NOT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP

BY SUSANNE BIRGERSDOTTER

Failure is a business reality.

It happens to everyone and it can happen anytime. It is also a part of life. We are all bound to face failure at some point in our lives. Failure is not the opposite of success, rather, it is what defines success.

What separates the winners from the losers is the ability to overcome failure.

Every successful entrepreneur has faced and overcame failure, at least once. They are successful because they were able to let go of the failure and moved on with their entrepreneurial journey. They are proud of their failures and much as they are of their victories. There will always be a section in their memoirs that will feature their business challenges and how they overcome them. The losers, on the other hand, have either stuck on the failure or have quit the business for good.A failed business will not define you as an entrepreneur. How you treat it will. Closing down a business is one of the hardest tasks an entrepreneur will ever have to face. But it is a must if one must go on with one’s journey to success.

Step 1 – Accept the Failure The first and hardest step is accepting the reality that your business is failing. It will be a bitter pill to swallow. Stop denying what the numbers or your business reports are saying.

Stop painting the future with bright colors. Accept the fact that the best years or months of your enterprise is over and that now is the time to end it.

Step 2 – Make the most of what is left If you act now, not all is lost. Take stock of your failing business and make a list of its salvageable assets. The sooner you liquidate, the better for you and your financial wellness.

Sell what you can. Finally, take extra steps to ensure that you retain good relationships with the people – your customers or clients, the investors and financiers, suppliers, contractors, and your employees. You will be dealing with them again.

Step 3 – Take a Breather Give yourself a break. You deserve it. Running a business is a tiring endeavor that comes with massive responsibilities and endless tasks. Take a breather and take this opportunity to enjoy some time with the people you love, do what you love, practice self-care, and just relish what life has to offer. You may never get this chance again for a long time.

Step 4 – Learn from the Experience Before you make another attempt to starting a business, make sure you’ve dug deep into what happened to your last one. Every failure is a lesson. Grab the opportunity to learn and improve yourself as an entrepreneur. What were the missed opportunities? What worked for the business? What didn’t? Do you need to learn more skills? Do you have the right people in your business circle?

Step 5 – Start Again After a good respite and business introspection, you are good to go at it again. Your body and mind are rested and refreshed. You’ve learned a valuable lesson in business and you’re a notch smarter and wiser. It is time to put the failure behind, take up courage, recoup your resources, and start again.

Letting go of a failed business is a step towards your success goals. It is not a failure, rather, it is your first step towards recovery. You are letting go of a weight that is pulling you down and holding you back from advancing. With the burden out of the way, you can now focus your attention, efforts, and resources to new and better endeavours. If you are facing failure or business closure for the first time, take courage. This might not be your last, but you can make this one the hardest. Many successful entrepreneurs are hardened and polished through failures. They got better and wiser. They used the knowledge and experience from the failures to make better decisions.

If you’re failing right now, you’re in good company. You are about to join the sisterhood of successful businesswomen. You just need to pass the initiation rites.

I welcome your thoughts and comments. Send me a message on LinkedIn. I will read them all. I invite you to join me on my entrepreneurial and success journey, and for you to let me join yours. You can get the paperback copy of my business inspirational book, Pivotal Moments, here. It is also available in Kindle from this link.

About Susanne Birgersdotter Susanne is a Swedish self made entrepreneur and investor, has gone from designing her first app from her kitchen table to becoming one of the most influential entrepreneurs and brand builder within 7 years. Susanne’s strong instincts and intuition has helped her grow her companies including designing a #1 ranked app and founding IGOTCHA, SthlmAppLab, SBDM & Birgersdotter Innovate. Susannes biggest passion in life when she's not building business is Female Entrepreneurship, Health, Fashion - Tech and food.

15 LATINAS FOUNDERS TO FOLLOW IN TECH Over the last year I have been on the lookout for any other Latina founders and it has been difficult to spot them outside the USA - so if you know a Latina Founder, contact us!

Here is a list of 20 Latina Founders techies you should follow!

Tricia Martinez - Founder and CEO of Wala Wala is a mobile financial platform on a mission to help people reach financial prosperity by eliminating the barriers to banking.

Cristina Junqueira - Co-Founder at Nubank Nubank is the largest digital bank in the world and it is focuses on solving financial problems using technology.

Polly Rodriguez - CEO and Co Founder Unbound Unbound is a sexual wellness company for women making and selling vibrators, lubricants, and accessories online along with our digital magazine.

Karla Monterroso - CEO of Code2040 Code2040 mission is to activate, connect, and mobilize the largest racial equity community in tech to dismantle the structural barriers that prevent the full participation and leadership of Black and Latinx people in the innovation economy.

Tanya Menendez - Co-Founder and CEO of Snowball Wealth Snowball Wealth is an app that helps people understand and pay off their student debt. Snowball provides personalized goals and recommendations on how and when to pay off debt.

Natalia Oberti Noguera - Founder and CEO of PipelineAngels Pipeline Angels is a network of women investors that’s changing the face of angel investing and creating capital for women and non-binary femme social entrepreneurs.

Beatriz Acevedo - President and Co-founder of Mitú Mitú is the leading technology-driven media brand focused on millennial Latinos.

Estrella Jaramillo - Co-Founder of B-wom B-wom is a digital coach for women's health - B-wom is raising awareness about the importance of knowing your body, caring about your intimate health and about building good habits to increase your wellbeing and sexual experience.

Juana Barco - Founder and CEO of BackStartup BackStartup are revolutionizing the way accounting and legal services are being provided to startups, micro and small enterprises

Blanca Menchaca - Co-founder and chief operating officer of BeMyGuest BeMyGuest is a travel start-ups in Asia, BeMyGuest, currently the largest aggregator of Asian activities and tours globally.

Maricel Saenz - Co-Founder & CEO of NextBiotics NextBiotics brings a unique combination of genome engineering, phage biology, pharma and bioinformatics experience

Monica Berrondo - Founder and CEO of Macromoltek Macromoltek is a computational drug discovery company dedicated to the advancement of antibody drug development through strategic partnerships.

Rafaela Cavalcanti - President and Co-founder of Cloq CloQ is a fintech startup with the mission of providing financial inclusion to the low-income and unbanked population reducing financial vulnerability.

Isabel Aznarez - Co-Founder and VP, Head of Biology at Stoke Therapeutics Stoke is pioneering a new way to treat the underlying cause of severe genetic diseases by precisely upregulating protein expression

Cayetana Polanco - Co-founder of Keyo Keyo is the global identity network. With a contactless scan of the palm we let users pay at stores, redeem tickets and unlock doors.

IOT PREDICTIONS 2021 As we start with 2021, it is customary to look at key industry predictions widely circulated by various analyst firms. Connected devices will continue to dominate many industries, with the Internet of Things (IoT) still at the forefront.

Consider that IoT Analytics has forecast that 5.5 billion connected IoT devices will be in use by 2025, a forecast recently revised to 30 billion. They indicated an annual growth of 4.6% and a market value of $1.4 billion by 2030.

To underscore IoT's importance in 2021, several trends will continue to gain momentum, from data-intense experiences used in self-driving cars - to smart homes and smart cities, connected health, remote monitoring, remote working, to the rise of artificial intelligence.

The above are just some of the trends that will dominate the IoT ecosystem in the years to come. IoT trends in 2021 will focus on three main areas: Applications Customer experience Services Into the Looking Glass Let is look more closely at the three areas that will fuel IoT's exponential growth in 2021 and beyond. The more things are connected, the greater the number of apps and services in the IoT app development ecosystem.

Customer Experience IoT technologies will be crucial for better customer service experience as they are used to meet basic needs. Many of these measures form a foundation and help companies focus on the most critical aspects, such as customer satisfaction and customer loyalty.

Retailers will begin to explore location-based services and focused location data for consumers and employees. The idea is to use location information as a basis for customer service, not only in the store but also in other business areas.

AI in IoT will soon be worth billions in terms of the value to the IoT ecosystem.

Organisations are already adopting AI and augmented reality (AR), and this trend will continue. In 2021, we will see AI and IoT working together to make edge computing smarter than ever. Growing awareness of IoT as an integral part of the economic future gives us much to look forward to in 2021 and beyond.

Connectivity Forrester Research predicts that while 5G will continue to be looked at as the start for IoT growth and development, especially around Smart Homes and Smart City environments, connectivity options will be diverse and not standardised. The IoT landscape will remain fragmented, with various types of connected devices, services, and applications abound. This fragmentation is forecast to continue for the global IoT market in 2021. Part of that is undoubtedly down to the hype, but part of it will be down to market developments.

Companies are becoming more dependent on IoT technologies as part of their business strategy for the next ten years.

According to a Forrester report, at least 80% of companies will develop IoT applications, including those that increase employee safety, improve resource efficiency, and solve security problems.

IoT will continue to gain ground as people and businesses become familiar with the technology and integrate it seamlessly into their everyday lives.

Pandemic Saga As the coronavirus pandemic is likely to keep many people at home, even in 2021; Businesses are learning to operate remotely with limited capacity to protect workers. Many are further limiting their capacity by reducing the potential spread of COVID-19.

Companies looking for solutions that would help them cut costs and improve processes to increase efficiency are now doubling their digital transformation to lose productivity. When a pandemic occurs, the ability to improve productivity and efficiency, especially in the supply chain, suffers. Many supply chain holes and weaknesses were exposed, and companies are being forced to accelerate their technology adoption.

Data generated by IoT devices and automated processes will help companies gain new insights into their business to drive innovation and improve efficiency. For instance, using connected equipment in manufacturing can help a company stay productive when working remotely.

Businesses are learning to operate remotely with limited capacity to protect workers. To ensure employee safety in the office, companies need to introduce tools that help them better track employee movements in and out of the office and track contacts when an employee or guest tests positive for Covid19.

IoT in the health sector Networked health solutions are being developed to manage the disease and monitor health. Forrester expects this to be driven by wearable sensors that help patients track things like chronic disease and cancer, diabetes and heart conditions.

Contact restrictions have led to a rapid expansion of telemedicine capabilities that enable patients and doctors to be cared for at home. Technologies rarely used by doctors and other healthcare professionals are used to increase safety and operations for providers and patients at all times. There is also a need for portable devices that patients can use to allow medical staff to monitor their patients from anywhere.

The health industry will use these tools to help more people than ever before to get healthcare and to keep more at-risk patients out of hospital beds, create space, and expand healthcare to more remote areas.

Although the adoption of IoT business solutions is not expected to slow down in the near future, security must remain at the forefront of any IoT deployment strategy. IoT Security's growth is fueled by government regulations that require solution providers to use security through design when building IoT solutions.

Conclusion Industry observers predict a significant increase in the number of IoT devices and applications in 2021 and beyond.

Juniper Research expects that the total number of IoT devices on the US market will triple to 46 billion in 2021. A huge number that will continue to soar relentlessly and positively impact our lives and businesses, not only in terms of productivity but also the economy as a whole.

According to the IAB report by 2021, the IoT healthcare market will reach a $136 billion net worth. 2021, is here and we will continue to see momentum in the connected health sector via the use of wearables and virtual care, heralded by the pandemic.

Companies across all industries are accelerating IoT devices' adoption as they modernise their business processes to improve productivity and efficiency to meet the new norm caused by the pandemic. The rapid pace of implementation will continue as companies strive to automate, ensure their employees' safety, and improve the benefits of introducing new connected technologies.

IoT will help transform a wide range of industries through automation. New insights from these devices' data will help companies improve their processes and find new and innovative ways. Predictions and forecasts in terms of numbers will never come close to the actual number of IoT-enabled and connected devices on the market. We know for sure that connected devices and services are here to stay, a trend that will continue for years to come.

Nassia Skoulikariti - Founder/CEO Apiro Data Ltd Nassia is passionate about finding ways to humanise technology and making it easy to implement and use. She is the Founder and CEO of Apiro Data, an end2end IoT platform and full stack IoT ecosystem that helps customers implement and monetise connected smart products through modular solutions which allows them to grow and innovate at their own pace and minimise their investment risk. Nassia has over 25 years of international experience in Telecoms, Cloud communication and IoT; has lived and worked in several countries and has managed culturally diverse commercial and technical teams globally. In the process Nassia has developed a “people first” Moto which is the driving force at Apiro Data. Nassia holds a BA in Communication from the University of New Hampshire.

ARTICLES

Laurie Wang

TRÊS VETORES: TRANSFORMAÇÃO TECNOLÓGICA, COVID-19 E MOBILE QUE SOMADOS, IMPACTAM O MUNDO FORTEMENTE E DITAM TENDÊNCIAS EM CYBERSECURITY EM 2021 Uma indústria que não pára de crescer em ritmo acelerado - essa é a indústria do cyber crime que inevitavelmente encontrá um campo fértil para seguir prosperando em 2021.

Veremos os fatores que impulsionaram e continuarão impulsionando esse crescimento, mas antes vamos refletir sobre alguns números alarmantes de 2020.

Segundo Boletim de Segurança da Kaspersky, em 2020, cerca de 360 mil novos arquivos maliciosos foram lançados todos os dias – aumento de 5,2% em relação ao ano passado. O crescimento foi motivado principalmente pelos trojans (uma das ameaças mais comuns e que tem uma série de funções, como roubo de dados e espionagem) e backdoors (tipo específico que permite o controle remoto do dispositivo infectado). Ambos tiveram aumentos de, respectivamente, 40,5% e 23%.

E em 2021 quais as ameaças estão por vir?

O que podemos esperar que os malfeitores façam?

Todo esse crescimento é delineado principalmente por uma aceleração da inovação em várias frentes, ocasionando forte transformação tecnológica, cultural e econômica.

Aqui observamos uma gama de transformações tecnológicas que chamaremos de Primeiro Vetor: São transformações importantes para o progresso dos negócios, porém não deixam de ser um vetor que direta ou indiretamente propiciam riscos à segurança.

O avanço da utilização do método Agile que se adapta a necessidade dinâmica dos negócios digitais.

Serviços em nuvem pública, entregando autonomia ao desenvolvedor de aplicações, em subir máquinas virtuais.

Utilização crescente de Cloud e multicloud impulsionando a transição cultural de TI das corporações e tracionando todo o mercado para inovar nesse ambiente virtual.

A busca pelo Anywhere Operation habilitando que qualquer informação necessária para a continuidade do negócio possa ser acessada de qualquer lugar por qualquer pessoa, seja funcionários, parceiros ou clientes de forma digital e remota.

Crescimento do uso de tecnologia de IoT (Internet das Coisas) em diferentes aplicações da sociedade, seja no agronegócio, em ambiente doméstico, em aplicações médicas, e diferentes setores que ainda descobrirão a aplicabilidade.

O IoB (Internet of Business) que é uma das nove tendências tecnológicas estratégicas do Gartner e que permitirá a plasticidade ou flexibilidade que os negócios resilientes exigem na revolução significativa impulsionada pelo COVID-19 e o atual estado econômico do mundo Implementação do 5G apoiando todo esse tráfego de dados.

Engenharia Inteligência Artificial favorecendo a interpretação de grandes volumes de dados tendo como ganhos maior escalabilidade e governança.

Blockchain elevando a segurança na descentralização e no fluxo de informações.

Automação industrial acompanhando o ritmo de desenvolvimento global.

Open Banking e PIX. Aqui existe um destaque relevante: cada uma das tecnologias em ascensão, caminha em simbiose com as demais, gerando exponenciais desafios à segurança.

O Segundo Vetor a ser analisado: Covid-19 - Pandemia A Pandemia acelerou vertiginosamente a forma com que corporações e pessoas sobrevivem.

Em espaço curto de tempo o lock down moveu o centro dos negócios empresarias para a casa das pessoas, “longe” dos servidores, longe da rede com firewall, do controle da navegação, e de demais ajustes que ainda poderiam estar ocorrendo em um espaço de rede “limitada e aparentemente mais previsível”.

Com esse fato o trabalho remoto virou uma constante e as informações em volta do tema Covid-19 começaram a atrair atenção dos usuários que por sua vez trouxe mais uma grande brecha para o ataque fraudulento.

Com olhar para o Segundo Vetor, encontramos: A segurança de dados no trabalho remoto como uma grande vulnerabilidade.

Os Phishings sendo mais atrativo pelos temas utilizados pelos criminosos. O trabalho remoto aumentou o recebimento de e-mails de phishing. A vulnerabilidade de rede e proteção tornam esses links maliciosos mais difíceis de detectar.

Aumento de ataques de ransomware: esse tipo de malware aumentou 500% em 2020 deve continuar crescendo durante 2021. As principais vítimas desses ataques serão o setor financeiro, instituições públicas, empresas da saúde como hospitais, empresas de fornecimento de serviços essenciais de infraestrutura crítica.

Grupos como PRILEX e Guimob que objetivam ações fraudulentas, irão expandir sua atuação em 2021.

O Terceiro Vetor: Mobile.

Nesse último cenário é onde grande parte das aplicações mais utilizadas rodam, serviços como aplicativos financeiros e pagamentos instantâneos via QR Code ou NFC, aplicativos da área do transporte privado urbano, redes sociais, assistência médica, entrega de comida pela internet e muitos outros que rodam dados sensíveis.

Nesse cenário, a vítima se torna ainda mais vulnerável por muitas vezes estar distraída com jogos, e-commerce, músicas e vídeos e os ataques são velozes: SMS com promoções, códigos de aprovação, links atrativos e mensagens de isca disfarçadas de originais.

Páginas de redes sociais em nome de empresa, porém fakes.

Tendo em vista todo esse dinamismo em torno do que vale dinheiro, ou seja, a informação, o cenário de ameaças previstos para 2021 sem dúvida contará com o aumento da sofisticação dos métodos de ataque, incluindo a mudança de enfoque para dispositivos móveis, o abuso de informações pessoais roubadas.

Para minimizarmos esse grande problema que impactará cada vez mais os negócios globais e nacionais, como medidas de prevenção à prejuízos, vemos alguns passos importantes a serem fortemente praticados como um bom gerenciamento de patches, a implementação de proteção de endpoint e servidores, com detecção e resposta a ameaças nesses locais, com controles de dispositivos, de aplicações, além de funcionalidade de gerenciamento de patches automatizado, atuando com mesmas políticas inclusive fora do perímetro, a priorização de treinamentos de conscientização por toda organização, soluções de segurança para mobile, domínio sobre o armazenamento dos dados pessoais em vista as exigências da LGPD e por último a gestão de identidade.

Com ajustes em configurações e observando esses passos, nosso êxito nessa batalha aumentará de nível, oferecendo maior resistência para o progresso dessa indústria do roubo, fraude e terror.

by d ere w po

Patricia Pinelli Formada em Engenharia e atuando há 7 anos no mercado de cybersegurança, com atuação em fabricantes e integradores globais deste segmento; auxiliando as empresas a definir e implememar ambientes seguros e resilientes.

DATA FEMINISM: A IMPORTÂNCIA DO FEMINISMO NA CIÊNCIA DE DADOS De acordo com uma pesquisa realizada pela Forbes em 2018, são criados por dia mais de 2,5 quintilhões de dados, e podemos ver a partir da imagem abaixo que grande parte deles são gerados através de nossas interações nas redes sociais, aplicativos, compras online, etc.. Com base nessas informações/dados são criadas estratégias para direcionar as empresas e ajudálas na tomada de decisão, seja para conquistar mais o consumidor, compreender melhor quem é ele, direcionar investimentos, e muitos outros.

Portanto o diferencial das empresas no mercado hoje está no como elas utilizam esses dados e não no quanto é gerado, e é a partir desse ponto que entra um profissional muito importante para essa finalidade, o cientista de dados.

De acordo com um post feito pela IBM Cloud Education, "A ciência de dados é uma abordagem multidisciplinar para extrair insights acionáveis dos grandes e crescentes volumes de dados coletados e criados pelas organizações de hoje. A ciência de dados abrange a preparação de dados para análise e processamento, realização de análises avançadas de dados e apresentação dos resultados para revelar padrões e permitir que as partes interessadas tirem conclusões." , ou seja, é uma área multidisciplinar que auxilia na tomada de decisão a partir dos resultados apresentados, portanto é o cientista de dados é um profissional que tem muita influência na decisão final.

Mas se os cientistas de dados forem um grupo homogêneo com origens e interesses semelhantes, isso estreita o mundo que é explorado e limita a validade dos insights que são produzidos a partir dos dados, e assim entra a importância do feminismo nesta área.

Antes de prosseguir, é relevante lembrar a definição de feminista, que é uma pessoa que acredita na equidade social, política e econômica entre os sexos, de acordo com Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, escritora nigeriana, feminista e ganhadora do prêmio National Book Critics Circle Award. O feminismo foi um movimento que teve várias "ondas", sendo a primeira com as sufragistas lutando pelo poder do voto, para que a mulher fosse vista como cidadã e não propriedade masculina. Vale reforçar que, nesta onda, as mulheres negras estavam lutando ainda pelo direito de serem consideradas humanas e não um objeto. Hoje em dia com a tecnologia os movimentos feministas estão mais integrados e conectados, e com isso conseguimos acessar grupos feministas de diversas regiões do Brasil e do mundo.

Conforme dito anteriormente, os dados são basicamente registros armazenados, e através da ciência e análise de dados podem gerar informação, e com isso levar o conhecimento.

Mas o que poderia afetar essa geração do conhecimento?

Viés do cientista: A tecnologia é feita por pessoas, e muitas vezes ela pode carregar os vieses inconscientes das pessoas que a desenvolveram. Um excelente exemplo para isso foi o caso da Joy Boulamwini, uma estudante de pós-graduação no MIT que trabalhou em um projeto de classe em que teve que usar um software de análise facial. O software não conseguiu detectar seu rosto moreno até que ela colocou uma máscara branca para então o sistema detectar o rosto. Acontece que apenas 4% das faces no conjunto de dados eram de mulheres de pele escura. Em sua incrível apresentação no TED Talks ela explica bem como vem lutando contra os vieses nos algoritmos.

Falta de diversidade no time: Que tal fazer o "teste do pescoço", olhar para o lado e refletir sobre quem são as pessoas que trabalham contigo? Elas são negras, periféricas, são classe média ou alta? Que tipo de cores você percebe ao olhar o seu entorno? Isso reflete nos times que estão construindo tecnologia - ter pessoas com o mesmo contexto social, mesma vivência, acaba não possibilitando ter um(a) cientista ou alguém para questionar a falta de diversidade ou alguns estereótipos existentes nos dados.

Falta de conhecimento do contexto dos dados: quando as pessoas não conhecem sobre a realidade e o contexto dos dados inseridos, não conseguem avaliar de forma precisa. Por exemplo: eu moro em São Paulo e estou avaliando os dados da cidade de Fortaleza, conseguirei fazer uma análise precisa nos dados comparado com uma pessoa que mora lá?

Em 2020, Catherine D'lgnazio e Lauren F. Klein escreveram um livro chamado "Data feminism" (Feminismo de dados), que busca entender como as estruturas desiguais da sociedade afetam a ciência de dados, e assim elas fornecem um novo jeito de pensarmos em ciência e ética nos dados através do pensamento feminista. O feminismo empregado no livro é definido como “um conjunto de iniciativas que desafiam o sexismo e outras formas de opressão (machismo, patriarcado, xenofobia, etc..) e assim criar mais justiça, equidade e um futuro melhor para as pessoas, pois o feminismo não se limita a apenas gênero, ele busca analisar toda a intersecção pessoal como raça, classe, deficiência, entre outros”.

Portanto é sempre importante termos em mente as seguintes perguntas: Qual dado é consumido? Por que ele é importante?

Que tipo de dado eu produzo e para quem eu produzo?

E como podemos aplicar o feminismo na ciência de dados?

1. Coleta de dados: é necessário olhar para trás para descobrir o contexto daquela informação ou conjunto de dados extraídos e pensar também nos dados ausentes.

Catherine D’Ignazio deu um excelente exemplo sobre isso em sua entrevista para o The Guardian: nos Estados Unidos, os números indicando a quantidade de pessoas infectadas pelo coronavírus são duvidosos, pois os kits são escassos e as pessoas têm dificuldade em fazer os testes - pessoas pobres ou imigrantes teriam o acesso limitado a esse recurso.

Como dito por Lauren, uma das autoras do livro, “uma concepção ampla de ciência de dados é essencial se quisermos trabalhar em direção ao nosso objetivo de refazer o mundo".

2. Visualização de dados: As visualizações são vistas por vários tipos de pessoas, com diferentes backgrounds, portanto é importante ter em mente quem é seu público-alvo.

Além disso, a visualização precisa ser acessível para todos, então precisamos tomar cuidado com as escalas dos gráficos passados, as cores que estão sendo utilizadas (pensar nas pessoas daltônicas) e tomar cuidado com os estereótipos (por exemplo: usar azul para representar meninos e rosa para as meninas).

3. Ambiente de trabalho: Precisamos lembrar que representatividade importa e ela é mais que ter dois gêneros no time, é necessário ter pessoas com raças diferentes, classes sociais diferentes e portadores de deficiência. As empresas precisam ser diversas porque a sociedade é plural. Precisamos de dados mais plurais, os cientistas e desenvolvedores criam soluções para problemas reais, e com a diversidade nos times conseguimos trazer produtos mais fidedignos e realísticos à sociedade atual.

Não é fácil aplicar todos esses pontos de uma vez, mas se você tentar aos poucos vai fazer uma grande diferença. Precisamos aceitar que os dados não são neutros e não deveriam ser tratados apenas como números ou imagens, pois as formas de opressão comentadas anteriormente podem aparecer e isso afeta a veracidade das análises feitas, além de afetar também as Inteligências Artificiais construídas a partir deles. O data feminism é uma forma de lutarmos contra isso e é para todos, para homens e pessoas de todos os gêneros, não apenas para mulheres.

Vou finalizar esse texto com uma frase incrível, dita em uma entrevista da Catherine: "Nenhum de nós é livre se alguns de nós não o são."

Para quem quiser saber mais sobre esse tema, indico a leitura dos seguintes livros: "Data Feminism" (https://datafeminism.io/) "Algorithms of Oppression", da Safiya Noble "Race After Technology", da Ruha Benjamin

Laura Damaceno de Almeida Cientista de dados na IBM, onde trabalha com machine learning para auxiliar os clientes na tomada de decisão e atuarem de forma proativa no ramo. Graduada em ciências da computação e co-fundadora da comunidade AI Girls.

BOOK CLUB INNOVATING WOMEN: THE CHANGING FACE OF TECHNOLOGY

by Vivek Wadhwa

From one of Time Magazine's 40 Most Influential Minds in Technology: women across the globe share stories of closing the tech industry’s gender gap. Women in technology are on the rise in both power and numbers, but we need to accelerate that momentum if we want to "lean in" and close the gender gap. The future of technology depends on women and men working together at their full potential. For that to happen, it is vital that women feel welcomed, rewarded, and respected in tech sectors.

Hailed by Foreign Policy Magazine as a “Top 100 Global Thinker,” professor, researcher, and entrepreneur Vivek Wadhwa, alongside award-winning journalist Farai Chideya, collect anecdotes and essays from female tech leaders around the world, sharing how their experiences in innovative industries frame the future of entrepreneurship. With interviews and essays from hundreds of women in STEM fields, including Anousheh Ansari, the first female private-sector space explorer; former Google[X] VP and current CTO of the USA, Megan Smith; Ory Okolloh of the Omidyar Network; CEO of Nanobiosym Dr. Anita Goel, MD, PhD,; and venture capitalist Heidi Roizen, Innovating Women offers perspectives on the challenges that women face, the strategies that they employ in the workplace, and how organizations can support the career advancement of women.

WOMEN IN TECH: TAKE YOUR CAREER TO THE NEXT LEVEL WITH PRACTICAL ADVICE AND INSPIRING STORIES

by Tarah Wheeler

This tech-oriented career guide for readers of #Girlboss and Lean In alternates teaching career skills with inspiring personal stories from successful women in tech.

Geared toward women who are considering getting into computer science or engineering, or those already in a technology job who want to take their career to the next level, this book combines no-nonsense career advice and inspiring personal stories from a female startup CEO and a host of other successful female tech professionals, many of them non-traditional and self-taught. Useful for many types of STEM careers including engineers, programmers, coders, technologists, entrepreneurs and even gamers and hackers, and for anyone who wants more diversity, equality and inclusion in tech, this book will help dismantle the unconscious social bias against women in the tech industry. Readers will learn: the secrets of salary negotiation, the best format for tech resumes, how to ace a tech interview, the perks of both contracting (W-9) and salaried full-time work, the secrets of mentorship, how to start your own company, and much more!

BOOK CLUB THE THRILLING ADVENTURES OF LOVELACE AND BABBAGE: THE (MOSTLY) TRUE STORY OF THE FIRST COMPUTER

by Sydney Padua

*Winner of the British Book Design and Production Award for Graphic Novels **Winner of the Neumann Prize in the History of Mathematics **Nominated for the 2016 Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album and Best Writer/Artist In The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage Sydney Padua transforms one of the most compelling scientific collaborations into a hilarious set of adventures Meet two of Victorian London's greatest geniuses... Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron: mathematician, gambler, and proto-programmer, whose writings contained the first ever appearance of general computing theory, a hundred years before an actual computer was built. And Charles Babbage, eccentric inventor of the Difference Engine, an enormous clockwork calculating machine that would have been the first computer, if he had ever finished it. But what if things had been different? The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage presents a delightful alternate reality in which Lovelace and Babbage do build the Difference Engine and use it to create runaway economic models, battle the scourge of spelling errors, explore the wider realms of mathematics and, of course, fight crime - for the sake of both London and science. Extremely funny and utterly unusual, The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage comes complete with historical curiosities, extensive footnotes and never-before-seen diagrams of Babbage's mechanical, steam-powered computer. And ray guns.

WOMEN OF COLOR IN TECH: A BLUEPRINT FOR INSPIRING AND MENTORING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY INNOVATORS

by Susanne Tedrick

*Nonfiction Book Awards Silver Winner from the Nonfiction Authors Association *Winner of CompTIA’s 2020 Diversity Technology Leader Spotlight Award *Winner of a Technology Rising Star Award from the 2020 Women of Color in STEM Conference Women of Color in Tech: A Blueprint for Inspiring and Mentoring the Next Generation of Technology Innovators will help you overcome the obstacles that often prevent women of color from pursuing and staying in tech careers. Contrary to popular belief, tech careers are diverse and fun—and they go far beyond just coding. This book will show you that today’s tech careers are incredibly dynamic, and you’l l learn how your soft skills—communication, public speaking, networking—can help you succeed in tech. This book will guide you through the process of cultivating strong relationships and building a network that will get you were you want to be. You’l l learn to identify a strong, knowledgeable support network that you can rely on for guidance or mentorship. This step is crucial in getting young women of color into tech careers and keeping them there.

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17 Health Measurements At Your Fingertips – Weight, Body Fat Ratio, Hydration Level, Muscle Mass, Body Mass Index, Visceral Fat Index, Subcutaneous Fat, Base Metabolic Rate, Muscle Rate, Bone Mass, Protein Rate, Metabolic Age, Standard Weight, Weight Control, Fat Mass, Weight without Fat, Protein Mass.

GADGETS

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COLABORATIONS we are looking to collaborate with all digital and tech organizations focused in women, diversity and equality.