Advice from successful Women in IT

This morning I had the privilege to attend yet another sold out event hosted by the Women in Technology (WIT) Organisation. The were no empty seats!! Whilst I am not a Technologist myself, as a Finance professional I have always worked very closely with the Technology department. 

When working at McKesson Healthcare IT my relationship with the technologists was mostly limited to understanding their software development cycles, how capacity was allocated to top priority project as capital has traditionally been scare. In my more recent role with Equifax I have been working very closely with IT as the company continues to be in the midst of a transformation. Under the leadership of Bryson Koehler the Equifax IT organization has become very diverse. I have had the opportunity to work with many fantastic female IT professionals so their journey in the mostly men-dominated IT field is very familiar to me. 

This morning the WIT Panel consisted of very success female IT leaders who have made it to the top of the Technology organisation. They shared their journey with us along with some of the lessons they learned along the way. 

It was interesting to hear that most of the women have not ‘planned’ to be in the technology field but had stumbled across it in school or through the recommendation of a professor or mentor. Rose Kwon, who is the CIO of Mercedes Benz North America, is originally from South Korea and she shared with us her personal and career journey. Her company in South Korea offered her the opportunity to taking on additional responsibilities in China and after careful deliberation with her husband’s support they moved to China with a two-year-old baby. She had to face personal and professional challenges. Professionally, she was the only female on the management team of her company which left her determined to change this ratio which she successfully has been able to move to 50% after eight years (!!!). Personally, her husband struggled as in Asian cultures it is always the man who makes career moves and the family follows him, so after a few years trying to adopt he left Rose and their daughter behind and he moved back to South Korea. Very difficult decisions but Rose was convinced that she had bigger opportunities ahead of her so she moved to the US and the rest is history…… Her story resonated with me as I also had the opportunity to move to England with my job in 2006 but my husband was extremely supportive and we had an incredible 8.5 years working and raising the family in Europe. 

The panel talked a lot about the importance of diversity in management but also on the teams and since getting into management each of them have made it into their mission to be the voice of diversity, creating opportunities for those who had no voice! They have been paving the wave for the younger generation of female IT professionals!!

The question of ‘what advice would you give to the 21-year-old self?’ is always a good one as hindsight is 20-20…. Some of the answers included “Don’t need to have all the answers”, “Have a plan”, “Have more self-confidence”, “Be yourself and don’t try to force yourself to fit in. Find the culture and the company that fits you (this is easier in the 21s century than it was 20-30 years ago in the male-dominated IT field)”. Others focused the need to look for opportunities and say “yes” to extracurricular projects, “don’t wait to be asked just raise your hand” and “push yourself outside your comfort zone”!!

The final question asked about who the panelists’ SHERO was. Most of the panelists have been mentored by men as there were not many women in senior IT positions as they were coming up on the ranks. Through these mentoring they learned the good, bad and the ugly; what to imitate and what to ‘avoid doing’ at all costs. They also mentioned the importance of staying true to their own personal values. The panelists have become mentors to young men/women coming up on the IT ladder sharing with them their experiences and helping/guiding them on their career journey. Andra worked with a female CEO whose behavior she watched and learned from which was important on her career journey. For Andra her grandmother is her SHERO because she ‘took nothing and made it into something’ and was able to ‘influence many people on her journey’. 

One question from the audience related to “specific things that the panelists are doing to move women forward”. Creating women networks like the WIT is a fantastic way to allow women to expand their network in a ‘safe way’. Sponsoring women, mentoring and coaching is another way to help move women forward. When working with lots of man (still they significantly outnumber women) women leaders ‘should not lose sight complementing the women on their team, describing the value they bring, sharing some specifics about their accomplishments. Coach them and be behind them’. We, in leadership, have the opportunity to shine the women in front of others. 

Sponsorship, mentoring and coaching is invaluable to any professional but when it is done by women for women in areas like IT that is still male dominated, then it is even more important. 

The stories and examples I heard this morning resonate with me as the Finance profession is not too far ahead of the IT profession when it comes to female CFOs or females in senior Finance leadership positions. We have made more progress but our job is not done. Find a SHERO and try to become the SHERO to the generations behind us!!