Digital & IT
Published: July 4, 2024 | Updated: 4th July 2024
Business and tech community Women in Tech Hampshire has revealed the panel for its next event.
Taking place at 6pm on Tuesday 9th July at Axis Conference Centre, the ‘Attract, Retain & Male Allies’ event is already at 70 per cent capacity, with the predominantly female group expecting to draw in a larger male audience than previous events given the topic and speakers secured.
Mark Rands, Eco-System Manager at Barclays Eagle Labs, Rachel Harrison-Smith, Group Chief Enterprise Data Architect at Bupa, Richard Gomer, Lecturer in Computer Science at the University of Southampton, and Sam Gaskell, CEO of DataFit Ltd will take to the floor for a 60 minute open discussion around what employers can implement to attract women into the industry, and how to keep them there.
WiTH founders, Amy Lee and Lauren James of Spectrum IT Recruitment (South) Limited, will also be discussing the importance of male allies with the panel, acknowledging the role both men and women have in making sure more women are making it into tech.
Commenting on the line up, WiTH co-founder Lauren James said: “I recently came across a statistic from TotalJobs that only 19% of applications for a Junior Software Engineer were from women, dropping to 8% for a Lead Software Engineer role – while I was sad to see it, I can’t say I was shocked.
“Women in tech are without doubt the minority which is why this panel discussion is one of our most important topics to date. We can’t wait to hear from our experts on what they consider to be the best ways to attract women into the industry, how we can create new societal norms that see little girls aspiring to be scientists, engineers, technicians and of course, the pivotal role that men have in making this a reality.
“This isn’t an us vs them situation but a collective discussion around how we can make sure our daughters, granddaughters, nieces etc have the chance to have a seat at the tech/top table, a responsibility that sits with all genders.”
WiTH officially launched in January 2024 with its first event which attracted an audience of more than 50 tech professionals from across Hampshire. The bi-monthly gathering, which is completely free to attend, always takes the same format;
Sam Gaskell, July panelist and founder of SME data consultancy and training provider, DataFit Ltd, added: “Supporting young women into data careers is a true passion of mine and an area I actively campaign in. When I was growing up I distinctly remember an innate interest in the tech world, but little to no role models around me to support and inspire my journey – I hope my visibility inspires and gives hope to aspiring women in tech.
“I am delighted to be involved in July’s panel and want to take the opportunity to thank Amy and Lauren not only for the creation of WiTH but also for giving a platform to such important discussions – together we can make big changes for the next generation!”
To book your tickets for ‘Attract, Retail & Male Allies’ please visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/women-in-tech-hampshire-attract-retain-and-male-allies-tickets-919555975677?aff=referral.
