My Journey and Call to Action on International Womens Day

So, it's been about a month since I started my new role at BearingPoint Caribbean, and with it being International Women’s Day, it's time for a moment of reflection. I'm looking back on how far I have personally travelled in my career, how far our industries have progressed, the amazing journeys of the women around me, and the work still ahead of us.

My journey started in the English countryside. I was into Literature, History, and Biology. Math, Physics, & Chemistry? Not so much – I had to really put in the effort there.

But I could see how important technology was going to be to all of our futures, so I took the less traveled road into Engineering. It wasn't a breeze; I wasn't a natural. Every stumble meant picking myself up, dusting off, and pushing forward. And push forward I did. I kept grinding, learning, growing. But why? Why stick to the technical stuff when others bail?

Fundamentally for me it came down to knowing, and seeing, the impact of technology on all our lives, positive and negative, and being determined to be a part of driving that future. That is what drives me to this day.

Seeing tech's impact on our lives, good and bad, makes me wanting to contribute to shape that future.

But it's not only just about what drives me. It's about getting that drive into new talent, especially women in tech roles. Why do they leave? Sure, that's important, but why did they start, and why should they stay?

For me, there were no female tech leaders to look up to, at least not back then in the English countryside without the internet. So let’s take you back to what kept me going.

What was it that made the difference for me?

• I had a family around me who encouraged talent, whatever that was or whoever that was. They love nothing more than to see people succeed, they build people up, and will lift you up on your darkest days.
• I went to a school that encouraged you to choose and own your path, and to foster persistence and resilience. A school that did not discourage girls from doing things because they were girls but encouraged girls to do things because they could.
• I was surrounded by women who followed their passions because it was simply unthinkable for them not to do that. Women who chose their paths and stuck to their paths regardless of what others thought or said.

I realized I was lucky to have two essential gifts:

1. Amazing role models - maybe not women in the tech field, but women from history who were often told they couldn't or shouldn't do something, yet they responded with determination, saying "I will" and "I shall."
2. Amazing supporters - usually men in powerful positions - who recognized my skills, helped me develop, and backed me up. They played a big role in my growth, learning, and building my confidence and career.

With all this in mind, we have to realize: we set the tone for diversity in the workplace and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic fields. It starts with how we encourage future generations, especially girls, to explore, learn, and not be afraid to fail.

We have to remember in our communication to encourage growth and curiosity, to open minds to possibilities, and not build road blocks to success in the minds of our children – to turn our language from ‘you cannot’, ‘to you can.. just try’.

A final word - one of the main things that attracted me to BearingPoint Caribbean is the range of diversity within the company, it is an extraordinary mix of talent from across the globe drawn together by a shared drive to bring positive change using their expertise and their technology.

This year 75% of our new hires are female making our overall staffing profile far more representative of global population, and that makes me truly proud!!

My call to action today? Two things:

Ginni Rommetty, former CEO of IBM, famously said "Growth and Comfort do not coexist"

And yet we often continue to hire and promote ‘comfortably’ – I challenge you to make yourself uncomfortable in your hiring, to chase down diversity in all its forms and lift everyone up.

Marian Wright Edelman, American civil rights activist, famously said "You can’t be what you can’t see"

And yet we often actively discourage (particularly) girls from taking maths and sciences at an early age blocking talent from emerging in our industries and stopping people from reaching their full potential – I challenge you to flip the script, encourage anybody and everybody to think about moving in to tech careers! Break those mental barriers and let them shine.

And hey, if you're interested in joining us on this journey, we're hiring! Check out our current openings at career.bearingpointcaribbean.com

if you have urgent questions,?you can ping my awesome colleagues at [email protected]?and?I'll get back to you soon!