Other Voices: ‘Why we must create a clear path for Women in Tech’

20th June 2022

Posted In: At the Cutting Edge

The acceleration of workplace diversity and inclusion has been a huge boost to technology companies, including Altada, yet the fact remains – our industry needs more women.  From the earliest age, we learn that girls and boys, women and men, bring different ideas to different situations. At a corporate level, the fusion of these unique perspectives creates a problem-solving environment and makes gender-diverse organisations more attractive to talent.

The bottom line, though, is profitability. Research has shown that organisations are significantly more profitable when they have more women in a leadership role.

A high-profile study by Harvard Business Review found that companies with a 30% female share of the C-suite are on average 15% more profitable than other firms

Our industry needs more female leaders.

Here at Altada, diversity is one of our core values – our Co-CEO and Co-Founder Niamh Parker (main image) won the 2022 Matheson WMB Female Entrepreneur Award and we are on a mission to encourage more women to pursue a career path in technology. Here, we bring you four of our female tech trailblazers in conversation.

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Sarah O’Connell

What made you decide to go into tech?

My older siblings had a Dragon 32 which I commandeered. I spent many hours typing out BASIC programmes which rarely worked but when they did it felt like a huge achievement! I graduated to an Atari ST (with games on floppy disk) and eventually to a string of Windows based 86 machines. The fact I could create & manipulate something on the screen was magic to me. It still is.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

Don’t always assume the worst!

Name a person you look up to and why.

I’ve always had huge admiration for the hard work and dedication it takes to lead a company. In my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to have worked for two female CEOs, Ginni Rometty (IBM) and now, Niamh Parker (Altada). It’s hard to be what you can’t see, leaders like Ginni & Niamh are blazing a trail for others to follow. Their success is inspiring.

What do you love most about your job?

As Head of Software Engineering for Altada, I love being involved in the whole software lifecycle of a product or service from ideation, design and development through to testing, deployment and maintenance. It offers a huge variety where no day is the same.

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Revati Atole

What made you decide to go into tech?

I originally wanted to pursue mechanical or aeronautical engineering as I was always curious about how machines worked. However, I got introduced to coding during High School and started to enjoy making web pages with different colors, fonts, and whatnot. This might sound silly now but I was so proud of myself for creating those back then. As I grew wiser, I realized that emerging technology is the future. Thus, I went ahead with my Bachelor’s in Computer Science, worked for a giant tech leader in India and completed my Masters in Data Analytics in Ireland.

What advice would you give to a young woman thinking about pursuing a career in tech?

The tech industry is very exciting due to its rapid evolution. Keep your mind open and continue learning new things regularly as staying up to date with the new technology will help increase your confidence.

Name a person you look up to and why.

Definitely my mom. She is the strongest and most patient person I know. Whenever I am going through something I talk to her and there is something new to learn every time. She never fails to surprise me. She motivates me to be a better human being.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that there is a new challenge everyday; so there is constant opportunity to push yourself and learn something new.

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Susan O’Riordan 

What made you decide to go into tech?

I grew up in a remote village in Cork where it could be easy to feel isolated or bored during the school holidays – every parent’s worst nightmare! Technology provided me with a digital escape and hence, from a young age it played a big part in my life. It allowed me to stay connected with my friends, to discover new music, to play games, and above all, it prevented boredom! So it was no surprise that when it came to choosing a career path I naturally gravitated towards technology.

What did you want to grow up to be when you were younger?

Everything from a writer, to a nurse, to a lawyer, to an energy engineer. I changed my mind all the time!

Name a person you look up to and why.

I look up to my father a lot. He is one of the hardest working people I know, he loves his job and he has a wonderful outlook on life. He has taught me to work hard for what I want and to always be grateful for what I have.

What do you love most about your job?

It’s exciting to work in technology. It’s a fast paced environment which changes constantly. I love that I am perpetually learning new things and growing my skills. I love working with people and learning about new cultures so it is great to work with folks in our offices across the world.

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Monika Hajkova

What made you decide to go into tech?

I really liked playing video games and spending time on my computer. I wanted to know what was inside the computer that made it possible for me to see and interact with objects on the screen. I was curious and I wanted to know how it all worked.

What message would you like to pass on to your future self?

Continue doing the things you love, no matter what people think or whether you are good at them or not. Even if you think you can’t do something, try it anyway because it might turn out to be something you love.

Name a person you look up to. Why?

I have many people I look up to. One of them is my father. His non-stop commitment to staying healthy and active is inspiring and motivating to me. He always pushed me to be better than I thought I could and I am so grateful for that.

What do you love most about your job?

I love that it allows me to be creative and that I get to learn and challenge my mind while solving problems everyday.

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Research may have confirmed what we know but practical experience in life, in school, in business, has shown that more diversity equals better innovation.

By bringing together different perspectives, we can challenge one another and unlock fresh ideas that benefit everyone.

Here at Altada, we want to ensure that female students, graduates and young professionals have more role models and a clear path into the tech industry.