Softwire

??? It's Friday and the sun is out! Perfect conditions to take a break to enjoy the latest Softwire newsletter. This issue includes: ?? Ian Cartwright on how much power you should give your GenAI solution ?? Zoe Cunningham on the rise of human-centered tech trends ?? Yemi O. on the parallels between the rise of search and the AI boom ?? Sasha Burgoyne and Esme Chant on building inclusive workplaces for disabilities Enjoy! #AI #GenAI #TechLeadership #Security #DigitalTransformation

What do women in tech want? ?? ?? Equality? Of course. ?? Career prospects? Definitely. ?? Flexibility and work-life balance? Absolutely - just like everyone else. But there’s something else. Something we don’t talk about enough. Something that truly makes a difference. Solidarity. When Softwire’s Hypatia Network started, it wasn’t about activism or big structural change—it was simply a space for people to connect. And what emerged was powerful: ?? A place to share experiences—good, bad, and “is it just me?” ?? A support system that helps everyone stay and thrive in technical roles ?? A reminder that we’re not alone in this industry For this International Women’s Day, let’s talk about how tech companies can build real solidarity among women—not just recruitment stats, but real, lasting change. ?? Read more in Sarah Binney’s article via the link in the comments ?? #IWD2025 #WomenInTech #EquityForAll #AccelerateAction

"How do you manage to be heard in a conference that’s 95% men?" The truth is, many women have been in that position—standing on the edge of a conversation, trying to find a way in. The reality? Being heard isn’t just about speaking louder. It’s about strategy, presence, and self-belief. In this article, Helen Jackson breaks down practical, hard-won advice for women navigating male-dominated spaces—whether at a tech conference, in the boardroom, or beyond. From taking up physical space to leveraging active listening and reclaiming criticism, these are the tactics that have worked for Helen - and could work for you too: Read the full article via link in comments ?? #IWD2025 #WomenInTech #EquityForAll #AccelerateAction

With International Women's Day coming up this Saturday, we're encouraging employees to get involved in a smorgasbord of exciting activities for this week. All week: ?? Donation Drive for MSI Reproductive Choices – All donations will be matched by the company to support global programmes ensuring access to reproductive healthcare.? ?? Support Women Entrepreneurs – We’re encouraging donations to offer loans to women’s charities via Kiva. Tuesday 4th March ??? Hypatia Network poker night - A fun and friendly night of Texas Hold’em, led by experienced women players from Softwire’s Hypatia Network. The network is for all Softwirians who don't identify as cis men and its purpose is to connect and build a community between its members, creating a safe space to discuss issues, rant, meet others and mobilise around issues that affect our members. Wednesday 5th March ?? Lunchtime Panel: Senior Women in Tech – Hosted by Alice Selway-Clarke, featuring Helen Jackson, Laura Hughes, Sarah Binney, Rin Shaw, and Yingxin Jiang. ?? Our in-house kitchen team will be offering special lunchtime desserts, with proceeds going to MSI Reproductive Choices ?? Evening Event: “Becoming a CTO” (Women in Tech) – We’ll be attending the London Tech Leaders event to support women’s career development and growth in the tech industry. #IWD2025 #WomenInTech #EquityForAll #AccelerateAction

How do CTOs feel about GenAI? It’s complicated... We partnered with CTO Craft to find out about tech leaders' attitudes towards GenAI. We asked them to share their emotions –?here’s how they felt: ?? 33% amused ?? 29% accepting ?? 25% anxious ?? 23% frustrated AI is dominating the conversation, and expectations are high. As a CTO, you’re expected to lead the way –?all while making sense of the chaos. At #CTOCraftCon (March 10-11), Softwire is bringing these conversations to the table. Stop by our stand to chat about how we’re helping CTOs navigate AI transformation and what GenAI means for businesses today. Grab your free copy of the report – link in the comments ?? #GenAI #TechLeadership #AIinBusiness #Softwire

Is AI’s growth sustainable? AI is transforming industries, driving efficiencies at scale. But with increasing power comes a growing energy footprint. The big question: How do we balance technological progress with sustainability? In 2023, we sat down with Anne Currie on our Digital Lighthouse podcast to discuss: ?? The environmental impact of tech ?? ?Balancing machine productivity vs. developer productivity ?? ?How businesses can reduce their carbon footprint Now, with AI’s rapid growth, this conversation is more relevant than ever. Our Principal Consultant, Rob Owen, will dive deeper into these challenges at the Economist Impact events upcoming #EnergyTransitionSummit on the panel – The AI dilemma: can society have its code and compute too? Tune into the podcast before the event for valuable insights! Find the link to the podcast and event details in the comments ?? #EnergyTransition #AI #Sustainability #TechForGood #Softwire #EnergySector #NetZero #EconSustainability

Building inclusive workplaces starts with psychological safety ??? @EsmeChant shares how @Softwire creates space for open conversations about disability. Listen to the latest episode of The Digital Lighthouse to discover practical steps for workplace inclusion (link in comments ??) #WorkplaceCulture #Inclusion #Leadership #EmployeeSupport #PsychologicalSafety

Is AI honeymoon period over? ?? GenAI has had the world in its thrall for the last 24 months or so. The likes of Klarna (700+ customer service agents) and MasterCard (2x detection rate in fraud) have boasted eye-catching efficiency gains. But is 2025 the year businesses realise AI isn’t the magic bullet they expected? ?? AI still falls short of human intelligence ?? Tech "decoders" will be in high demand ?? Workplace culture must take center stage ?? Code completion could be AI’s biggest win The future of AI isn’t about replacing humans—it’s about working with them. Read more on what’s next in Zoe Cunningham's latest article below ?? #GenerativeAI #GenAI #FutureOfWork #TechTrends2025

London, we’re back! ?? Our first London Meetup of the year is happening soon, and we’d love to see you there! ?? Thursday, 6th March ? 6:00 – 9:00 PM ?? Softwire, 315 Highgate Studios, London NW5 1TL ?? Speakers: Vahid Panjganj, Roksolana Diachuk, Sarah Binney ?? Host: Steve Bennett Join us for an evening of tech leadership talks, networking, and great conversations with fellow engineering leaders. ?? Sign up now before spots fill up: https://lnkd.in/eBy_GP4V Big thanks to our organisers Steve Bennett, Melinda Seckington, Marcus Gardiner, Helen Jackson, Vahid Panjganj, and Softwire for making this happen.

AI needs power – lots of it.?A single ChatGPT query consumes nearly 10 times the electricity as a Google search. But as industries push to improve productivity, can we afford the energy cost? At the Energy Transition Summit on March 10th, Softwire’s Principal Consultant, Rob Owen, will be joining a panel to tackle this head on: ??The AI dilemma: can society have its code and compute too? Do we need to go nuclear? ? 14:30 - 15:00 Rob will be joined by industry experts: ? Lucy Yu, Chief Executive at Centre for Net Zero (Octopus Energy Group) ? Philip M., Partner at L.E.K. Consulting ?Jeffrey Donovan, Outreach and stakeholder involvement officer at International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ?Dexter Thillien, Lead Analyst, Technology and Telecoms at Economist Intelligence: EIU Expect a sharp, practical discussion on how industries can balance innovation with sustainability. If you're attending, join the conversation – or grab us for a chat. See you there! Link to buy tickets in the comments ?? Economist Impact events Helen Ponsford Laura Chandler #EnergyTransition #AI #Sustainability #TechForGood #Softwire #EnergySector #NetZero?#EconSustainability