Ada Lovelace Day 2022: Celebrating Xero’s women in tech
Women in STEM positions make for a better workforce. Hear why from these Xeros.
Given all we know about the lack of historical female representation in STEM, the notion that a girl born in 1815 could be known as the mother of modern computing is a feat nothing short of incredible. As we celebrate Ada Lovelace’s contribution to diversity in technology with a day of international acknowledgement, we asked five of our own Xeros to tell us what the day means to them, why they got into tech in the first place, and what the future of the technical workforce will need to thrive.
“To build better customer empathy, we need better representation. It’s that simple.”
“There’s a Maori proverb I love that captures the meaning of Ada Lovelace Day well: ‘kia whakatōmuri te haere whakamua: I walk backwards into the future, with my eyes fixed on my past’. It’s an opportunity to go beyond the immediate challenges we see, and celebrate those who have paved the way for us, like Ada herself. One of those reasons to celebrate is flexibility — it’s one of the best parts of working in this industry. I’ve never worked a job that had fixed hours. In tech the focus is definitely about getting the right outcomes, however that fits into your day. Of course this flexibility is so important for everyone, but I think it’s actually essential for women who are more likely to be caring for children and elderly parents. And why do we need women in technology? Because when it comes to creating products, it’s our lived experience that shapes the way that we think. Think about it — we can never be explicit about every single little detail of who our users are or what they need, so we rely on people’s knowledge and assumptions to fill the gaps. In order to create great products for everybody, we need people with different experiences and perspectives to provide their input. This is especially important for us at Xero, as there is a significantly higher proportion of women running small businesses than running big businesses. To build better customer empathy, we need better representation. It’s that simple.”
- Lauren Percy, Head of Engineering
“It’s always a great time to follow your passion, and do something you love.”
“I have a 14-year-old right now who is deep in the process of picking her subjects for next year. She swings between having a career in fashion design, or building design and architecture. When I raise coding classes as an option, she tells me ‘oh, no, coding is easy, boring and uncool. I don’t want to take it’. This is when I explain that if it’s boring and easy for her, that’s exactly why she should do it. Putting the boring work in now will help her land that epic job she wants in the future, because it’s most likely going to incorporate some — if not lots — of technical elements, no matter where she actually ends up in her career. Women bring a different perspective, as our life experiences shape who we are, and always comes into play with the decisions that we make and how we make them. Ada Lovelace Day to me represents diversity in technology roles. Building this diversity is so important, because it’s this variation in gender, culture, background, location and viewpoint that helps us collectively make better, more well-rounded decisions. I think about my girls, and their friends and peers, and how it is so important now to expose them to great role models to look up to and aspire to. I want to show them all of the opportunities and careers that exist in technology, beyond just software development itself. Leading people, coaching and project management, the opportunities are endless. It’s always a great time to follow your passion and do something you love.”
- Abbie O’Rourke, Head of Engineering
“Ada Lovelace Day means choice and opportunity to me. Both of which women deserve.”
“As a woman, what you have to offer is valuable and necessary to the success of technology companies — and the best ones know this. Technology really is one of the most exciting industries to work in. The challenges to solve, particularly in a scaling software company like Xero, are fascinating. To do this, it takes people from diverse backgrounds with unique skill sets and ways of thinking. We need people who see things differently, and who mirror the diversity of our customers. If the pathways to success for a company don’t all look the same, then neither should our workforce. So, if the best companies with the most interesting challenges need your help to succeed, it’s a great time to seize the opportunity. I often think back to my own experience in this regard. When I was at high school and considering my future, it never once occurred to me that there would be a place for me in technology. I’ve never been good with numbers, and I didn’t know anything about engineering. It felt like another world. Back then, I would have used a catch-all phrase like ‘soft skills’ to describe what I was good at. I’ve always been interested in what makes people tick and make the choices they do, the systems in place in society — if they could be disrupted — and what it takes to bring a group together to create a winning team. As it turns out, these things are extremely relevant to working in a technology company. You can see how skills around teaming, systems thinking, change, building capability in others, empathy and influence and making connections all have an important place here. These skills lend themselves to all sorts of roles in leadership and strategy. Really anywhere where there are hard problems to solve alongside others. While our reason for being is software, our path to building products our customers’ love is unfailingly human. Ada Lovelace Day means valuing our differences and recognising diversity as an advantage. Ada Lovelace Day means choice and opportunity to me. Both of which women deserve.”
- Jayne Paterson O’Connell, GM Delivery
“Women need to feel like we have value beyond just being a wife or mother.”
“It’s a core belief of mine that women need to feel like we have value beyond just being a wife or mother. I had a very long career break to raise my children, so getting back into the tech scene after this was definitely a challenge for me. Xero gave me that chance, and for that I’ll be eternally grateful. I think that we always can do more than what we expect when we believe in ourselves, and as a woman and Mum, I’ve learnt to value the unique skills these life experiences offer to my workplace and how I work. Things like time management, communication, teaching, monitoring, multitasking and problem-solving — they’re unique to me because of the roles I’ve played outside of work, not despite them.”
- Mai Kaisem, Engineer
“I want all girls to understand the vast, constant learning available in a STEM career.”
“Technology was a wild, wild west when I joined the industry over two decades ago. It’s for sure better now than it was back then, but we still have a long way to go in terms of achieving the equality and level of diversity that is good for business, as well as individual women. Companies like Xero do recognise this, though, and are putting in strategies to increase it. I would love to see more girls and women consider investigating STEM careers just as commonly as they consider careers in other areas. I have two daughters and I want all girls to understand the vast, constant learning available in a STEM career. In technology — just like science — you have hypotheses that you try and solve for, and sometimes you get it right and sometimes you don’t, but there is always learning and curiosity encouraged. Your knowledge just grows and grows exponentially. It’s the reason I got into technology. It’s also the reason I’ve never left.”
- Vanessa Strahan, Head of Engineering
Do you want to work somewhere you’re encouraged to be your true self at work? Xero is hiring in engineering and data. Join us: https://bit.ly/XeroTechCareers
