Encouraging women to retrain, reskill, or return to work in the Tech industry.
We were delighted to host, for the second year running, a Women in Tech Discovery Day in collaboration with Microsoft TechHer. The event was well-attended by women at varying career stages and educational backgrounds. It was a great opportunity for women interested in tech to learn more about the types of roles available and what it’s like to work in the industry.
The event kicked off with networking before a welcome and introduction from our CEO, Mark Gorton, who presented a session on the importance diversity plays in a traditionally male-dominated industry. Mark Gorton commented: “Diversity at work brings together different kinds of energy that complement each other. It encourages innovation through creativity, different perspectives, and ideas.”
We then moved on to an interactive panel discussion led by Tracy Stanning, Alliances and Partner Director at Telefónica Tech UK&I. The panel included inspirational stories including, Ruth Playle, a Service Delivery Manager, who shared her experience of working within the Police sector, and Senior Consultant Corrinna Peters, from Adatis, who shared her own route into the tech industry.
Sarah Prince, Client Director, Microsoft, expressed that being a committed member of a team, building relationships and connecting with people adds value and strengthens your career.
Sarah Hicks, Microsoft’s Business Manager, presented an overview of TechHer learning opportunities covering the learning and development pathways and access to free, highly-regarded Microsoft training resources. Sarah also spoke about why diversity and inclusion are important ethical and business priorities for our sector.
Attendees also got the chance to attend interactive breakout sessions run by our experts, offering the chance to learn about the services and technology solutions Telefónica Tech offers, including:
- OpenAI & ChatGPT: Matt How, Head of Data Science, Adatis
- Intro to PowerBI: Matt Gordon, Principal Consultant, Adatis
- Project & Service Management: Jacqui Kennedy, Strategic Account Director, and Ruth Playle, Service Delivery Manager
Attendees could also opt for an interview skills and career development session from Lewis Wilson, Talent Acquisition Lead at Telefónica Tech UK&I.
Our Strategic Account Executive, Jacqui Kennedy’s interactive session highlighted a common question from the attendees: “I love this, but how do I get started?”
The key message from all of our speakers was that you don’t necessarily require previous technical experience to begin a career in this sector; there are plenty of opportunities that don’t require technical expertise.
To reinforce this point, HR Director Lesley Purdie, and Deborah Upton, Head of People at Adatis, shared an overview of the many different types of roles and opportunities currently available at Telefónica Tech and Adatis.
We ended with a motivational session from Frankie Spooner, Account Manager, and Mark Gorton, CEO. Frankie shared her own personal journey – from being knocked back, to being out of her depth, to developing her current attitude of “anything is possible!”
This final session highlighted the importance of mentorship including the value of failing in order to learn and grow.
The feedback from our attendees has been overwhelmingly positive.
- “Many thanks for the excellent Tech Discovery Day. I greatly enjoyed it and helped me discover the fact that I have been passionate about tech during my whole career!”
- “Telefónica Tech sounds like an amazing company to work for based on the people I met, and insights shared, thank you for inspiring me!”
- “Your stories were empowering an gave me the confidence boost I needed, and I now feel motivated to return to my career in tech!”
Due to the high demand, we are planning to run similar events in the future. Please register your interest here.
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View photos of the day here.
Follow our #WomenInTech Network here.
Join the Microsoft TechHer Community here.