Knocking on the
Door of Number 10
A personal account written by our Digital & PR Director
On the 6th of March, I was privileged to visit 10 Downing Street.
No, it wasn’t to meet Mr Cameron… Although we did get to sit in the Cabinet Room and learned about the historical speeches that were made in it from some really cool members of the civil service… We also got to take a look at the quirky things each PM left behind — that was very fun.
Instead, we got a chance to connect with some very accomplished women in technology, who were part of the Inspiring Fifty EU 2015; a list of top women in the European technology community.
It was an incredibly unique afternoon mentoring session (#inspiringfiftyno10) organised by Inspiring Fifty and Girls in Tech London, held at the PM’s office.
The entire afternoon was incredibly surreal to me, I remember talking to another girl about how weird it felt walking up the Grand Staircase with portraits of every PM — “I literally cannot believe we’re in the PM’s Office…” I said, obviously, and I also recall muttering, “Wow, I’ve never been here in my entire life…” (I was obviously just too starstruck. Diana, you’re so weird.)
Backstory of Inspiring Fifty: What happened was, after a year long search by the Inspiring Fifty team, 50 role models were identified as the most inspiring women working in the European technology sector. They also have one entire list for the Netherlands! (The programme itself was founded by Joelle Frijters and Janneke Niessen, co-founders and board members of Improve Digital.)
“As seasoned entrepreneurs and founders of multiple high-growth companies, Janneke Niessen and Joelle Frijters know all too well how uncommon it is to find women in technology leadership positions. Further, they know first-hand how pervasive gender bias and negative perceptions can be at all levels. In launching Inspiring Fifty, they set out to challenge the industry to see itself differently, to provide a platform for the many accomplished, fierce (and all-too-often overlooked) women in technology ‘closer to home’ and set a shining example for the future leaders and entrepreneurs that will be following in their footsteps.” — Inspiring Fifty website
How did I even get to go to this?
It was all thanks to the amazing Girls in Tech London ❤
Last March, I decided technology was the industry for me. And after thoroughly revising & improving on my coding skills over the summer, I thought it was time to make friends who work in tech too, and find out what kind of roles are out there. I went on Meetup.com started going for as many interesting events as possible to learn, and meet people to learn from.
And then by chance, I stumbled upon a really cool Christmas party for women in technology, jointly organised by GIT, Ada’s List, GeekGirl Meetup and Women@Campus — “Tech the Halls” ☺
“Girls in Tech London exists to support and raise the visibility of women in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation.” — Girls in Tech website
Girls in Tech stood out to me particularly because of their simple mission; to give a platform for women in tech & entrepreneurship to speak, their committed team, and their innovative events that are open to all (unless specified ;) ).
This I found aligned naturally with my personal beliefs, and our mission for Leading Women… And the rest, they say, is history.
(Just this morning, I went for their Networking Breakfast with Runway East, making it the fourth GIT event I’ve attended, and I’m proud to say I have not once been disappointed. Read more about our Tech Night partnership below ☺)
Observing the Roundtable Discussion
After the super cool tour of Number 10 (i.e. trying to figure out which PM installed the neon lights above a doorway, and who put an intricately designed, beautiful model ship on display), we were invited to observe the roundtable discussion that the attending members of the Inspiring Fifty were having. We listened in on their insights and their views of achieving gender parity in the technology sector.
One thing that really amazed me was how they were all clapping when we were entering the State Dining Room and sitting on the sidelines — we should have been clapping for them! (Although I’m not entirely sure how that would have panned out as we were grabbing chairs…)
Sarah Wood, Co-Founder & COO of Unruly, welcomed us into the room and began her introduction, “It’s the most exciting time for a woman to grow up.” She also pointed out that as technology becomes ubiquitous to our lives, it is part of our shared responsibility to make sure that those who did not grow up with it do not end up being isolated.
From that moment, we became one community, one amazing blend of powerful women sharing one aspiration — to change the technology sector today.
It was wonderful listening to each inspiring woman share her views on the current situation and her passion technology with us. (This list is everything I managed to write down and sourced through the #inspiringfiftyno10, so it’s only a sample of all the groundbreaking things that were said.)
- Gabriele Zedlmayer impressed on us the importance of using technology to solve social issues.
- Joelle Frijters stressed that embracing technology empowers women.
- Geraldine Le Meur made a point that is close to my heart — we have to involve men and educate them on gender equality as well, she said, “We’ve got to play as a team to move the lines in big corporations.”
- Lara Rouyres talked about “helping others have the most beautiful job in the world.”
- Jennifer Schenker said, “I’m seeing more women in technology — we need to celebrate their story.”
- Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke particularly inspired me by talking about how technology changes the lives of women, especially in emerging countries. She said, “Getting more women in technology shapes societies.”
- Nicola Mendelsohn followed on with a beautiful story about her eldest daughter and physics/STEM, and talked about the ups and downs, “There’ll be times when you’re the only woman in the room.” Yet, she drove a point home by quoting Eleanor Roosevelt… (although I’m not sure she meant to, but inspiring women learn from inspiring women before them — as this event clearly demonstrates.)
“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” — N. Mendelsohn / E. Roosevelt
- Camilla Ley Valentin praised the efforts of Inspiring Fifty and Girls in Tech for organising the mentoring session, and focused on the productivity such events hold for the industry — “We need to put pressure on our governments to do this again.”
- Avid Larizadeh encouraged us to dream big, and shared an actionable insight — “Increase awareness of coding. We need to shine a light on it.”
- Neelie Kroes shared some revolutionary points about how startups are not waiting for the government to enact change, and we have the power in us. She stressed that Girl Power can make waves. (I’m also rather excited because she said she wants to bring us all to Amsterdam for a future event, after the Netherlands takes over Presidency of the EU Council. Yay!☺)
“You have power. You can be a role model. You can think outside of the box.” — N. Kroes
- Stephanie Kaiser touched on the ability of technology to change the way we look at personal nutrition and health.
- Stephanie Hospital stressed the importance of being a woman who supports other women, and told us, “It’s important to make your dream happen.”
And finally, Baroness Joanna Shields wrapped up, and prepared us for the last bit of our agenda by speaking about the two-way relationship in mentoring.
On top of the encouragement to ask as many questions and learn as much as we could in the short amount of time, she pointed out that the mentors wanted to learn from us too! I wondered (and still do wonder), “What could I possibly teach these brilliant women, at the top of their game?”
She rightly said, “We have a responsibility to look after each other.”
“This is an incredible celebration of women.” — Baroness J. Shields
Yes — many, many, many wonderful words were said that day in the grand State Drawing Room.
The Speed Mentoring Session
Now, I like to think of myself as someone who has learnt and effectively put into practice some really good networking skills, (i.e. I have no shame in admitting that the UCL Careers Service changed my life, and so did TheMuse.com and Ramit Sethi’s free IWT content) but for some reason that afternoon, I had reverted back to my previously shy self.
Perhaps it was being surrounded by a crowd of women that had accomplished so much, and had spread their love for technology to their own communities through their inspiring achievements? Perhaps it was my nerves, my brain shouting that I’m literally still in university, and I don’t necessarily have a “real job” yet… Which is completely unjustified, I know.
Regardless, the leading women that I spoke to made it so much easier for me; They were all genuine, engaging and insightful, imparting a bit of their own story and advising me from their own rich and diverse experiences.
I first spoke with Geraldine Le Meur, Co-Founder of Le Web, as she mentioned including men in the gender equality mission, an idea that is inseparable from the core of Leading Women. She told me that people commonly ask why there aren’t more women speaking at Le Web, and that it is important not to lose sight of whether or not a woman speaking on behalf of a company “makes sense” — it’s not about reaching quotas.
For her, although providing speaking opportunities is crucial, we must not lose sight of first empowering women; What we want is to give more women the opportunities to develop themselves in the field, and encourage their growth before showcasing them, not just throw them on stage and tell them to speak just because they are women.
We also discussed experimental ideas that could help men understand issues commonly faced by women in technology, or any traditionally male-dominated field.
One suggestion she made is particularly worth noting: Could we create a scenario where we have one man pitching his idea/business to a room of women?
Next, I chatted with Gabi Zedlmayer, VP & Chief Progress Officer of HP Worldwide. Her story was incredibly unique; she has enacted social change and innovation on a large scale through her work at Hewlett-Packard. She created a role specifically to lead a global team of experts focused on solving social issues (in collaboration with non-profits, governments, customers and partners), in effect innovating within the huge corporation and establishing a solid avenue for social good.
I asked her, “How did you go about creating the role? Was it difficult?” She told me that in retrospect, once she knew exactly what she wanted to achieve with it, sharing her passion with others was easy. It was the act of sharing that enabled her to ultimately realise this dream.
She encouraged me to go out and share my ideas, and then go and do them.
By this point, I was slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information I had absorbed, and reached a bit of a dip in energy. I roamed around the room, thinking, “Who should I speak to next?” and trying to recall all the information I’d found the night before. (I’d read up on all the profiles of women who were attending online and made preparations, but speaking to someone in real life/on the spot is completely different to reading a description.)
I inadvertently bumped into another mentor, struggling to remember what I’d read on her Inspiring Fifty profile…
“Is there someone in particular you’re looking to speak with?” She asked me. It was Stephanie Hospital, Advisor, Board Member and Founder of One Ragtime.
Very ironically, she was wearing a striking, bright orange jacket, and my mind immediately jumped to her role at Orange. As I also remembered her creation of One Ragtime, I introduced myself and replied, “Not in particular… I actually wanted to ask you about your previous work in Orange— did you ever feel limited and how did you gain experience in entrepreneurship?”
She told me, “You can be entrepreneurial in a big company.” And followed on by reinforcing how it’s about the entrepreneurial spirit, and you don’t necessarily have to work in a startup to have it.
This particular point hit home, as I feel that although startups are genuinely very cool, sometimes people ‘shame’ corporations too much — whether or not you work in a corporation or a startup depends on your current situation, your needs, and your skill-set.
I also had a very brief chat with Dr Sue Black, CEO of Savvify and Mentor at Google Campus for Mums about her work on saving Bletchley Park and her crowdfunding project for the book. It’s a perfect example of how having a passion for something makes work related to it much more fun.
“Writing about Bletchley Park was easy for me, because it was something I’d been working on for a long time and it’s a project that’s close to my heart.”
Suddenly, we were all reminded that time was soon to run out, and that we would have two last rounds of mentoring before closing! Right, I thought, there were so many more women I was dying to speak to, some of whom had already left, unfortunately… So I scoured the room to see who I’d made a mental “Must Speak To” note of.
I made a beeline towards Sherry Coutu, an angel investor with a wealth of board experience. She was sharing the concepts that inform her investments with a budding young entrepreneur;
User experience is critical and a personalised consumer relationship or engagement is vital to any product, and as an investor, this would be the first thing she would look at.
(It was really interesting to learn from their discussion, and I feel this is something most people miss out on — Sometimes, I go for networking events and I see people waiting for their turn to talk to a particular person, and I think, why don’t we just make it a group and all listen and learn from answers to questions posed by others?)
Then, I talked to Sherry about my current dilemma — I’m still trying to figure out what I want, and I’m at a crossroads of what to do — “I hope to one day run be in a really advanced technology-related role or part of a founding team for a tech company, and I’m stuck between developing my technical skills or my business skills, which do you think I should focus more on?”
“I did coding at the start of my career for two years,” she said — a razor-sharp response, and elaborated that those two years gave her a wealth of technical insight into technology in entrepreneurship and business, and have greatly influenced all of her professional experiences.
She motivated me to delve deeper into, and increase my technical knowledge; business skills can be learnt later or along the way, but having the technical depth is widely covetable and highly sought after. It will form a firm foundation.
Finally, I caught up with Colette Ballou, Founder and CEO of Ballou PR, who was possibly the most gregarious mentor in the room. She had, smartly, chosen to sit on the couch in the corner which had a table and a couple of extra chairs, and was surrounded by four ‘mentees’.
Yet the minute I sat down, she took notice. And after she finished answering a question, she looked straight at me, “So what’s your name and what do you do? What’s your question for me?”
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the true face of PR. She also emanated humility.
So I asked her, “What’s your approach to PR? And what shapes it?”
She immediately responded with a laugh, “I’m probably not the best person to ask that!” Although she did end up answering my question by sharing her background after I asked her how and why she set up her company — perhaps that was a better question?
She founded her company on solid ethics of inclusitivity and kindness.
She told me how she began by focusing on diversity, and hiring people based on their work and not on their sexuality, race, etc, which was unheard of at the time. She’s a strong believer of pursuing your dream no matter what people say. We were also told about her personal experiences prior to founding the company, the biggest motivation for her to set up shop; “Don’t hire or work for people whose values you don’t support.”
It was time to leave the building, and so we were ushered out, where we took a final picture together. (Below!) I was a little upset I hadn’t been able to speak to all the mentors I wanted to, but luckily one of them was still around and taking questions!
I spoke with Avid Larizadeh, General Partner at Google Ventures & ex-COO and Co-Founder of Boticca, about her work in Boticca, and asked “How did you scale it up to begin with, and how did you get your name out?” I also told her a little bit about the sustainable fashion startup I work for, Clotho. (Which was also at our Tech Night, gave free credit for our goodie baggers, and the co-founders also just graduated from EF and got into the Truestart accelerator! Yay, happiness all around.☺)
She gave me three important tips/tricks they did, which I will summarise as:
- Hire the right people, no matter how long it might take.
- Strong social media & marketing front.
- Collaborations with bloggers and magazines.
We also chatted a bit more about how she came to be a partner at Google Ventures, and her how her engineering degree helped form a solid foundation for her career — STEM love! ❤
I personally find that learning from other people’s experiences and life stories takes the scary out of, and is one of the most insightful parts of, networking.
There were so many more questions I would have liked to ask, and so many more mentors I would have liked to learn from…
Time flies, so until next time! ☺
Last Words…
On top of all the incredible things above-mentioned, one of the most important lessons I experienced is that your network starts with your peers.
The people around you will be your contemporaries.
What do you want them to think of you for?
For me, it is my intuitive & innovative spirit, my reliability, and my focus on maintaining a personal touch.
I met so many wonderful girls in technology with big aspirations that afternoon. Some of whom I hope to be able to collaborate with in the future, some of whom have amazing dreams which I would like to help build, and some of whom have unique talents which could come in handy to help build my dreams.
Learn and collaborate, always.
We don’t only share a passion, but also a future.
Check out tweets related to the event here! ☺
Other cool blog posts about the event:
Our Tech Night partnership with Girls in Tech
We were very fortunate to work with one of Girls in Tech’s Co-Managing Directors, Lora Schellenberg, on our panel questions for the evening (for which she also moderated, thank you Lora!), and through their speakers’ list sourced Jennifer Langdon, VP Engineering of Skimlinks, to join our “Startup Innovation” panel.
Thank you Girls in Tech, and we hope to see more of you soon! ☺
Our Digital & PR Director, Diana, is responsible for the face of the society, and works closely with the heads of the society to establish it.
She executes our brand and communications strategy through direct contact with prospective and current members, clients and partners, and all our media & marketing. Even speech-writing.
Have an interest in this area? Get in touch…
