Last night, Aberdeen had the pleasure alongside Randstad Technologies of hosting the Women in Technology International (WITI) event, Breaking Through Barriers: Climbing the Tech Ladder.
The event was filled with interesting discourse regarding the gender and diversity gap in the tech sector between five female influencers — exploring ways to advance women of all levels, and backgrounds by addressing leadership and empowerment while simultaneously creating a culture of inclusivity.
Photo credit: WITI Boston
The speakers (left to right) included Kaye Cullum – Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Paola Lucetti – Director, IT Global Transformation Office, Governance and Innovation at Proctor and Gamble, Deirdre Schreiber – Sr. Training Program Manager at Harvard University, Jean Johnson – Head of Global Procurement at LogMeIn, and Leesa Haslam – Senior Director, Product Development and PMO at Wolters Kluwers. Each woman brought a diverse set of skills and ample knowledge to the conversation.
One of the specific talking points about job placement got everyone thinking. While Dierdre was discussing her own experience in taking on different roles that she was unsure of, she brought up always accepting the opportunities that come your way — even if you don’t see yourself in it. If management is offering you the chance to take on a new place within the company, they see something within you that you may not necessarily see in yourself. She spoke of how its okay if you don’t know exactly what you want to do in life as long as you have a positive attitude and push to persevere. Her career began as a coordinator in London when she graduated college and now shes the Senior Training Program Manager for Harvard University’s IT Academy — a role she hadn’t necessarily saw herself working towards.
Jessie Coan (VP of Marketing at Aberdeen) & Parna Sarkar-Basu (VP of Brand Marketing at WITI)
Speaking of saying “yes” to opportunities, the women of course discussed the topic of being your own advocate, and speaking up when it comes to negotiating your salary. A startling statistic was thrown out there by Kaye Cullum, that 78% of men negotiate their salary at their first job, compared to a mere 6% of women. Although the wage gap is known, this was far more than anyone had expected. Kaye emphasized that opportunities are there, women simply have to ask for them.
One quote that specifically stuck out regarding female leadership was from Paola Lucetti, “A Mentor will talk to you. A Coach will talk with you. A Sponsor will talk about you.” She delved into this and discussed her own experience in roles where she had the chance to mentor others, and how that experience can vary depending on your own role withing an organization.
Paola also spoke about getting out of your own comfort zone — if you are feeling too comfortable, it is time for change that allows you to challenge yourself and experience something new that you can learn from. Leesa echoed this idea — additionally noting that anyone in a tech related role should be in constant search to gain knowledge about technology. Commenting on her own experience, she said that she seeks out any chance to learn something new and evolve alongside tech.
Photo credit: WITI Boston
Each speaker brought something to the proverbial table that they made their own seat at, and offered sage wisdom that both men and women alike could learn from. It was inspiring to listen to how far each of them have come while remaining humble, and genuinely caring about supporting other women to have the chance to do the same.
Special thanks to Rancstad technologies and WITI Boston for hosting this event with us. If you have an questions about WITI Boston, please contact Parna at parna@corp.witi.com
