Q:  Do women need to act like a man to be a successful Women in Tech?

Gray: In short, No. I have worked within the technology industry for over 20 years and in my experience, women are often very successful by being women and not acting like a man. Certainly, in my early days in technology there were very few women and I found I had to work harder to earn respect and overcome the stereotypes within the IT industry. I do believe, however, success has more to do with the individual rather than their gender. Being a man or a woman does not mean that you are automatically going to be successful, you need to work hard for your goals regardless of your gender. This means not only ensuring you have the right technical knowledge to support your role, but also the right attitude and drive to succeed.

Q: What would be the biggest challenge for the next generation of women and how can we be a strong role model for them?

Gray: The biggest challenge for the next generation of women is the same challenge facing many people within the IT industry - rapidly evolving organisational requirements. As we have seen over the last month, the way we all work has changed radically, and this is likely to have a long-lasting impact. This change has posed numerous challenges for organisations who are increasingly relying on technology to support them now and in the years to come.

Technology providers need to respond to these changes, and I believe that there will be a substantial increase in the number of new applications developed to meet this demand;advancements within AI being one of them. There will be a wide variety of new skills and approaches that IT professionals will need to learn, and quickly. This means there will be a requirement for people to not only be adaptable but, also the self-drive to learn the new skills for evolving environments.

To support IT teams with the challenges ahead, managers need to be strong role models and lead by example. Leaders need to embrace change and assist employees as they get to grips with these new essential skills and applications. It is then essential that leaders possess attributes which help to nurture and develop their teams from both a professional and personal perspective. To enable this, a mentoring approach to leadership, a manager must be patient, compassionate and empathetic.

Ultimately, it is the responsibility of not just women, but all leaders within technology, to continue having conversations about the industry, the opportunities, and challenges ahead to show that it is an inclusive and exciting environment for everyone.

Q: What advice do you have for women who are in the field of technology experiencing imposter syndrome?

Gray: I think to some degree everyone suffers from imposter syndrome – I certainly have at certain points in my career. This phenomenon is perhaps more prevalent in women in male-dominated industries, such as the technology sector, because of the cultural stereotypes of women as ‘humble’ and ‘quiet’. Due to this ingrained behavioural norm, there is a tendency for women (although not exclusively) not to shout about and recognize their achievements and instead focus on the the areas they are not so happy about rather than the positives. It is important to acknowledge these negative thoughts in the first instance to start working towards establishing the tools to overcome them.

Some time ago a colleague in my team was suffering from a crisis of confidence and fear of not being good enough. This was affecting not only her professional capacity but was also having a severe impact on her mental health – put simply she was miserable and struggling in both her working and personal life. After a period of reflection, she realised that none of the negative thoughts she had were grounded with any fact. She did this by compiling a list of things she had achieved (no matter how small) and was proud of; once she had finished the list, her achievements outweighed the negative points and she realised that there was no reason for her to feel like a ‘fraud’. She still says she sometimes feels like an imposter, but through recognising her negative thoughts (which she has named affectionately her ‘Yeah, but no Monkey’), and by revisiting her growing list of accomplishments she is able to manage them more effectively and be more confident in her abilities.

In addition, I also believe, as mentioned in the previous question, it is the responsibility of a leader to have patience and belief in an individual. Leaders need to recognise achievements, even if that is just speaking up in a meeting, and boost confidence wherever possible. It is only through doing this that you will enable people to realise their full potential and it is something that I strive to provide my team with every day.

Q: What was your biggest success and their biggest learning opportunity?

Gray: My biggest success was as a result of a challenge in my personal life, which fundamentally changed my entire outlook and approach even to this day. When I was 18 years old my whole family relocated 300 miles away to Cornwall. This dramatically impacted my life as I needed to become totally self-sufficient and independent to survive. While many of my peers were at college or university, I was working hard to pay my bills and carve a career for myself. This experience gave me not only vital technical skills but also confidence in my own abilities and helped to give me the drive needed to progress to the point where I am now. At the time I was terrified of failing, but I was patient and persevered and looking back what seemed daunting at the time has really helped shape who I am today.

Q:  What changes could be made high school and undergraduate curriculum/culture to encourage more women to stay in tech?

There are a wide variety of reasons why women do not stay or even start roles within technology and many stem from early experiences in school. Typically, IT subjects are associated with maths and the sciences. Whilst it is down to the individual, regardless of gender, whether they have an aptitude for those subjects, they are not typically associated with girls or even in previous decades and certainly when I was at school, encouraged. This hangover from the past has created some stigma around girls participating in technology classes and has significantly impacted adoption.

In recent years there has been a surge of fantastic groups such as ‘Girls who Code’ and ‘#IAWomen’ who have made it their mission to subvert these old-fashioned views and encourage girls to get involved with technology. Schools have now started to incorporate this approach to technology lesson promotion, but more is needed from early years education to make the subject approachable and fun for all.