EDGE Next Women Attend Women in Tech Summit
MEET:
Priya, our Director of Product who has worked in tech for 18 years
Martyna, a Data Scientist who has worked in tech for nearly four years
Jiaojiao, a Senior Cloud Engineer who has worked in tech almost two years
Priya, Martyna, and Jiaojiao were just a few of the women from EDGE Next who recently attended the 2022 European Women in Tech Summit. The summit explores emerging technologies and offers interactive classes and workshops—but it’s also the largest event in Europe for women who work in the tech sector.
Like many industries, the world of tech has traditionally been dominated by men. Even today, you’ll find few women in leadership roles. Yet studies show that companies who include women on their executive teams are 25% more likely to do better financially.
We believe the women on our team are essential to our success. We’re delighted to help you get to know Priya, Martyna, and Jiaojiao as they share their thoughts on working in tech and attending the Women in Tech event.
Q: Have you ever been the only woman on your team?
A:
Priya: YES!!
Martyna: No
Jiaojiao: Yes
Q: Do you ever feel isolated, or do you feel you have struggled in a role because of the way your gender is treated?
A:
Priya: YES!!
Martyna: I have not felt isolated, but I have witnessed jokes and comments directed at other women in a work environment, which made me and my female colleagues feel very uncomfortable. We were, however, always standing up for each other.
Jiaojiao: It really depends on the company culture.
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges for women in tech at the moment?
A:
Priya: We need sponsors. Women need to feel empowered to become leaders in tech.
Martyna: Getting leadership roles. The number of women leaders in tech is growing, but not fast enough.
Jiaojiao: It’s difficult to keep a healthy balance between work and family, especially if you have kids.
Q: Why did you attend the Women in Tech Summit?
A:
Priya: I was looking for inspiration, and I wanted to learn how to support Women in Tech initiatives.
Martyna: Since I’m at the beginning of my career, I was interested to learn more about other women’s experiences.
Jiaojiao: I wanted to meet people and see what other women are doing in the tech field.
Q: What was the most surprising thing you learned at the event?
A:
Priya: The difference between mentorship and sponsorship. (A mentor may help you network professionally, but a sponsor will be more active and go out of their way to include you in their own network.)
Martyna: I didn’t realise how prevalent gender discrimination still is. I was lucky enough not to experience it so much myself. Learning more about it made me more aware of possible struggles that I might face in the future.
Jiaojiao: There were no real surprises, but it was inspiring that most of the topics were around AI.
Q: Speaking of inspiration, what was the most inspiring thing you learned?
A:
Priya: I loved hearing about women in leadership within tech who came from non-tech, traditional backgrounds.
Martyna: For me, the most inspiring thing was hearing female leaders speaking on how to be a good leader in a field dominated by men. The success stories along with hurdles on the way were very inspiring. There were a lot of messages about refusing to give up; being yourself; and taking opportunities along the way.
Jiaojiao: I was inspired by security during the dev work, as well as the message to go forward in my career with happiness. We need to treat ourselves well!
Q: What was the most enjoyable part of attending the summit?
A:
Priya: There was so much amazing content to choose from. I loved the mix of workshops, talks, and panel discussions.
Martyna: The whole event was very enjoyable overall. I especially appreciated the opportunity to speak to different companies about their technological development. The workshops were very well structured and informative. The VR station was a nice addition but made me dizzy for quite a while. 😃 Nonetheless, I would happily go again!
Jiaojiao: I enjoyed the time spent as a team, especially when we went out together.
