Saturday is Worldwide Ladies’s Day, a day dedicated to recognizing the important position that ladies play throughout all points of society. It’s additionally an necessary day in know-how, the place ladies make up about 25% of the workforce. To acknowledge the contributions that ladies have made in tech and the continued have to push for equality, now we have collected selective commentary from ladies on this subject.
Hammerspace SVP of World Advertising Molly Presley has held many roles over time. In 2023, she joined the chief board of the Ladies in Excessive Efficiency Computing (WHPC), the place she has had an opportunity to assist raise different ladies within the trade.
“My tech profession trajectory has been tremendously influenced by distinctive leaders who’ve pushed me to attain past my expectations,” Presley says. “Though I had a stable technical background upon coming into the trade, ascending to a senior govt position in tech advertising was not one thing I had anticipated. The important thing to my success has been the mentorship of others and my dedication to the job. This mentorship has refined my potential to pinpoint distinctive product attributes and successfully talk with a different viewers.
Molly Presley is the SVP of World Advertising for Hammerspace
“As a result of a major facet of my journey has been mentoring ladies in know-how and giving again to those that have mentored me, as my profession superior, I turned actively concerned with the ‘Ladies in Excessive-Efficiency Computing’ group (WHPC),” Presley continues. “I at present function the Director of Communications and Outreach, the place I’ve the chance to advertise mentoring applications, curated sources, and job entry that assist ladies in HPC, and technical computing obtain their skilled objectives.
“I strongly urge aspiring younger ladies within the tech subject to hunt steerage from skilled professionals and have interaction in actions similar to becoming a member of skilled associations like WHPC,” she says. “These communities present important help, instructional sources, networking alternatives, and motivation vital for reaching success of their chosen profession path.”
Ellison Anne Williams earned a Ph.D. in arithmetic earlier than working for the federal government. She finally based Enveil, which a developer of privateness preserving software program primarily based on the rules of homomorphic encryption. As CEO of the corporate, Williams acknowledges the significance of girls to contribute meaningfully to companies.
Ellison Anne Williams is the CEO and Founding father of Enveil
“On this Worldwide Ladies’s Day, I proceed to deal with substance and advancing innovation by way of important contributions,” Williams says. “I selected to maintain my consideration on delivering worth which I hope serves for instance of what it seems to be prefer to persistently pursue your dream.
“None of us can do it alone; we are able to and will encompass ourselves with individuals who help our pursuits and provide encouragement when wanted,” she continues “My recommendation to ladies with entrepreneurial aspirations in tech or some other subject is to go for it. As a substitute of letting concern or some other assumption deter, discover significant work and pursue it. Delivering worth by way of motion will shortly quiet the uncertain–and prepared the trail for many who comply with.”
Claire Nouet, the COO and co-founder of deep studying startup Pathway, has generally struggled to be taken critically by others due to how she seems to be. Nouet seems to be ahead to the day when that form of bias is a rarity. Within the meantime, she has some recommendation for different ladies on how you can speed up change.
Claire Nouet is co-founder and COO of Pathway
“Outstanding feminine position fashions are the best method to speed up gender equality in tech. Ladies, particularly these within the early days of their careers, have to see that different ladies are accelerating within the subject,” Nouet says. “Illustration within the tech and startup media has elevated considerably, largely pushed by journalists who’re making energetic efforts to showcase the work of girls within the ecosystem, however the tech trade can nonetheless be seen as a ‘boys membership.’ I feel that sooner or later the phrase ‘feminine founder’ can be outdated. The day we don’t have to specify the gender of a founder would be the day that we’re near gender equality in tech.”
Pathway co-founder and CEO Zuzanna Stamirowska, who has a PhD in advanced methods from the College of Pari and is an skilled in gaming concept, has additionally skilled bias within the trade. She has some concepts on how it may be countered.
Pathway co-founder and CEO Zuzanna Stamirowska
“A sensible and competent man is well known by the trade, whereas ladies with the identical attributes are seen as scary and questioned at each flip,” Stamirowska says. “I’ve seen this concern compensated for by bringing the girl’s seems to be into conversations, generally in a nasty sense, which might by no means be a subject level if a wise man was being mentioned.”
“A feminine VC pal, who has a Accomplice title, as soon as informed me that she must work 10 occasions more durable along with her funding committee to make a take care of a feminine founder undergo, even when small,” Stamirowska says. “I feel one of many methods to advertise equality within the tech trade can be to provide discretionary budgets to feminine VCs–to be invested in males or ladies, however they need to have verify writing capabilities.”
Hinada Neiron is the pinnacle of selling and alliances and neighborhood initiator at Aconso
says her 20 years of expertise present right here that there’s a scarcity of feminine illustration in tech, and that profitable ladies generally undergo from imposter syndrome. That has led her to talk up on the problem of a necessity for change.
“I don’t imagine we’ve created a gender-equal working setting. Ladies proceed to should work more durable and nonetheless don’t have equal standing,” Neiron says. “And the tales I’ve heard of derogatory gender-related language being thrown about in workplaces even by the youthful generations present this isn’t a historic or a single organisation’s downside. It is going to be persistent for future generations except we proceed to struggle for change.
“For me, a really gender-equal tech trade is one the place ladies haven’t solely the identical skilled alternatives as males of their office, however the place their working setting is as inclusive of their wants,” Neiron says. “This requires not solely a higher dedication from their employers, but additionally from the federal government at a coverage stage, for instance by closing the gender pay hole.”
Julia Astashika is senior director of development at StarTree
The IWD 2025 marketing campaign theme is “Speed up Motion.” Julia Astashkina, the senior director of development at StarTree, says that theme resonates deeply along with her, not simply as a frontrunner in tech however as a mom, too.
“My daughter is rising up in a world the place ladies proceed to push boundaries in science, know-how, and management, but true equality stays simply out of attain. I need her to see a future the place alternatives aren’t delayed, biases don’t dictate outcomes, and progress occurs in actual time,” Astashkina says.
“We will’t afford to attend for change to occur steadily. Progress requires motion, not simply phrases or guarantees, however tangible steps that create alternatives for ladies at each stage,” she continues. “This implies actively monitoring illustration, fostering mentorship, and making certain ladies have well-defined, well-supported pathways to management. Change doesn’t occur within the background; it requires visibility, urgency, and dedication.”
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