A top tech CIO says the present representation of women in the industry “does a disservice” to the contribution women can – and should – make.
Helena Nimmo, CIO of global tech consultancy Endava Group, marked International Women’s Day to say: “In 2023 we still seem to be stuck in this loop of limitations when it comes to getting women into technology.”
Before embarking on her own tech journey, Nimmo studied Business, Economics and Marketing.
She got her start in tech when she joined Nokia in the 1990s and has since worked in customer facing and internal technology functions at Cancer Research UK, Fujitsu and Thomson Reuters.
Most recently, she took up the position of CIO at Endava where she holds global responsibility for Internal Tech across the Endava group and focuses on re-imagining the relationship between technology and people.
“In 2023 we still seem to be stuck in this loop of limitations when it comes to getting women into technology,” said Nimmo.
“Just look at the figures: in the UK there’s only eight female chief executives in the FTSE 100 and 15 female CFOs. In the US it’s much the same, with 43 female chief execs in the S&P 500 and 78 CFOs – and only 27% of CIOs in the Fortune 500 are female.”
Nimmo references the attention over recent years on bringing women up into technology through the STEM path.
This, she says, is misguided.
“Like many others, I fell into technology – I did not come from a STEM background at all. I studied economics and business at university and came into the industry with that knowledge.
“As an industry, we’ve forgotten that there are many other paths to come into technology and many other skillsets that add value to the roles.”
“Personally, I feel strongly about having women in tech roles across levels,” said Nimmo.
“Beyond the obvious reasons, a key element is that we create technology for users.
“Women make up half the global population, not having that representation within the business does a disservice to the solutions we’re able to offer as an industry.
“Technology is only as good as the people driving it forward and I’d encourage business leaders to think through this lens on this year’s International Women’s Day,” she said.
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