Female Disruptors: Trailblazers in Tech

In February, WIB proudly held our first panel discussion for this semester - inviting esteemed female leaders in tech companies to share their insights about disruptive technology and its impact . Our panellists consisted of Ms Sunita Kaur, Senior Vice President (APAC) at Twitch; Jana Marlé-Zizková,? CEO & Co-founder of Merio; and Ms Shweta Shrivastava, the Country Manager at Medisage, an Angel Investor & Venture Partner. Each of them have incredible achievements and are changemakers in their own right.

In the 1-hr session, our guests shared many inspiring insights on navigating through transformations as well as advice on coping with challenges as a female working in the traditionally male-dominated tech industry.

Navigating an ever-changing environment:?

The discussion started off by unpacking the definition of disruptive technology, especially in an environment of perpetual change. As technology advances continuously, here are the panelists’ take on navigating disruption:??

1. Be adaptable: Disruption never stops. However,? if we can continuously learn and up-skill to prepare for changes it would empower the next generation.
2. Be curious: Curiosity is key. Transformation of data influences every single industry and profession. In order to build a strong foundation for our career, we would have to step up and learn the relevant details on how transformations would impact us as future leaders in our industry.?
3. Be attentive: Put yourself in the shoes of your consumers. As technology advances,? consumers value simplicity and convenience more.? It is important to consider how? new technology can add value to consumers and make their life simpler.

The Impact of Disruptive Technology:

Following the sharing on navigating disruptions, the discussion has come to a conversation on what kind of disruptive technology is making waves in different industries and how it might impact the future.?

The first insight on the impact of disruption in technology was about data ethics and data security. Businesses begin to collect more data from consumers as their demand for more personalised services grows. In order to deal with? such issues in the future, decentralisation may occur.?

The second insight was about the importance of first-moving advantage -, to seize the opportunities of tech innovation disruptive technology, companies should invest in finding opportunities within? these new spaces in its early stages, especially since a nascent market presents more room for trial and error.? For instance, luxury fashion brands such as Louis Vuitton and Gucci are exploring the new frontier into NFTs and the Metaverse.?

Thirdly, introducing a completely new technology is difficult, but introducing a new way of doing an existing thing is much simpler.?

Be the change you seek:

Female representation in tech leadership has become a significant issue in recent times, and when posing this question to our panelists;? The first suggestion given was for jobseekers to embody change themselves, through continuous participation in tech-related opportunities and persevering for their career goals, even when faced with challenges. Females face their own unique set of challenges, for instance - when motherhood comes into the picture. Many females sacrifice their careers as their priorities shift. Yet, such a harsh trade-off need not exist if more support for female talents can be implemented. To strengthen support for females in the workplace, jobseekers should look for companies that can provide this support for females, and have diversity in their core values.?

Advice from our panelists:

Lastly, the panellists have offered some advice for aspiring young career women:

• Don’t be afraid to ?ask for help:: Ask for assistance or guidance when having a hard time – remember that support is more readily available than you think.?
• Be yourself and recognize your worth: Don’t be afraid! Everyone has their unique strengths to bring to the table. Be authentic -invest your time in developing your strengths, instead of focusing on your weaknesses.??
• It is normal to have imposter syndrome: It is not a rare phenomenon - everyone faces imposter syndrome when first starting their careers. But focus on the job, trust yourself, and learn as much as you can -? you will overcome it gradually.?
• Make sure you know what you understand and what you don’t: Be honest, stay curious and clarify it when there are doubts in time.
• Know your team well: People surrounding you in the workplace now might be the ones that experience the ups and downs together with you in the future.

With that, we have come to the end of this newsletter. Hope the insights shared by the panellists would inspire you to navigate your own pathway through the tech industry!