What company would not want to be 87% better at making decisions, or deliver 60% better results? Who would not want to be 70% more likely to capture and penetrate new markets, or have 19% higher rates of innovation? These are just a few statistics that correspond to companies that focus on supporting diversity and inclusion as part of their core DNA.
But in 2024, women still represent just 28% of the tech workforce, and there continues to be a distinct lack of girls showing interest in STEM subjects in school. This is why the GTIA Advancing Women in Tech (AWIT) Interest Group is a much-needed initiative. Who better to launch the AWIT interest group internationally than the 2024 winner of the GTIA UK & Ireland Advancing Women in Technology Leadership award, Georgia Howlett, cloud development sales manager at Pax8.
Howlett took to the stage at the EMEA Member and Partner Conference in London to share her own career progression and to kick-start the new initiative.
“I started my career journey in tech as a marketing associate. I wasn’t interested in STEM, science and maths weren’t my thing,” she said. “When I joined Pax8 it was the pandemic, and I was cold calling MSPs from my bedroom. I was the only female on the team and the youngest on the team. I didn’t really know what I was doing but ended up doing very well and managed to get some good deals over the line.”
Soon after, PWR was born— the Pax8 Women’s Resources group—a community of like-minded women who inspire and mentor each other to succeed.
“We were having women coming into sales, and they had the opportunity to be successful, but their confidence was holding them back,” said Howlett. “We created a Slack group chat, and it went from there. We now have over 100 members.”
Why Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) Matter
Howlett said that while the industry has come a long way, it still has a long way to go, which is why employee resource groups (ERGs), like the Pax8 Women’s Resources group and the AWIT interest group, are still relevant today.
A shocking 50% of women in tech leave their jobs by age 35. The national average in other industries is 20%, meaning the technology industry is tracking 30% behind. Women in tech are also paid an average of $15,000 less than their male counterparts.
In 1984, Forbes reported that some 35% of tech leaders were women. But in 2023, this fell to 28%. Yet companies with more than 50% women leaders are more likely to offer equal pay.
“Women in tech groups inspire people to promote allyship and this means building relationships and seeking to understand marginalised groups and advance inclusion,” said Howlett.
It also inspires diversity of thought, she added.
“We talk about diversity, but we don’t talk about diversity of thought enough. One of the things I’m passionate about, and make sure of when hiring for my team, is to hire to the person’s strengths rather than whether they are a perfect fit,” Howlett said. “This isn’t just a nice-to-have or a tick-box exercise, but it means your business is benefiting from a profit point of view as well.”
The GTIA AWIT interest group is intended to be a catalyst for change by shaping a more inclusive and dynamic tech industry. And judging by the initial reactions of both men and women at session, and how enthusiastically they made suggestions during the ensuing discussion, the group will be very well received and supported.
