The inspirational and diverse IT team #LifeAtCapgemini

Sometimes I am inspired enough to write about the work I do. Some projects are just brilliant. This is not necessarily because they are bleeding-edge-technologically-brilliant, or because they are implementing-the-most-brilliant-business-idea that I have ever come across – but just because they are that little bit different.

I’ve just finished a project like that. Being a woman in IT is essentially being the odd-one out. Always. I didn’t start my career out like that – but for me at least it has ended up that way. Anyway, I digress.

This particular ‘brilliant’ project was run by Capgemini for a company operating in the retail space. The project was more than 50% female. I was Lead Architect and overall Project Manager, we had a female Delivery Director, female Salesforce Service Cloud lead onshore, female Service Cloud lead offshore, female Marketing Cloud lead, Female Business/Accountancy Support and our customer had a female Marketing Manager who we reported to.

It’s so rare these days for such an equal team to run a project. We were more than 50% female – but only just – so the team was really equally balanced. I like to think that the team was more engaged, more considerate and just got on better because of the diversity. Maybe that is my own impression – but we were successful and efficient, and we all got along.

So why should I celebrate a team that pretty much just matched the diversity of the UK population? Because in IT terms it is so rare – and yet so successful. And it wasn’t junior female staff -  it was senior, experienced, IT staff. If Capgemini can do it – if we can put together a truly equal team on all counts, then I have to ask the question – why doesn’t everyone do it? It’s obvious that the skills are there, the team performance is there. We need to celebrate IT diversity and promote it.

Go Capgemini - you are showing the way in diversity and equality, and I for one will be getting out the Prosecco for this!