Reflecting on our International Women’s Day event

We recently hosted an inspiring International Women’s Day event at our London HQ, to discuss diversity through the lens of the technology industry. The conversation was packed full of insightful advice and personal stories.

In this blog, we've captured the key moments, so you can hear directly from the women shaping the future of tech every day. 

Diversity is more than gender

We were lucky enough to welcome Tricia Troth, a General Manager at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Startup business in the UK & Ireland, to talk about her experience as a leader. 

Tricia opened the discussion by going back to basics - what does diversity actually mean? 

“Diversity extends far beyond just gender”, Tricia explained. “It encompasses race, religion, nationality, socioeconomic background, and more. A truly diverse workforce is one where different experiences, cultures, and perspectives come together to drive innovation and growth.”

Tricia reflected on her own experience in building and leading teams, and shared with the audience how important it is to be intentional about hiring. “Achieving a 40% gender diversity split within my team has required intentionality and consistent effort, resulting in double-digit growth over time. Beyond gender, half of my team comes from different countries, contributing to a level of cultural richness that enhances problem-solving and decision-making.”

However, Tricia highlighted some stark statistics in the industry. “Women currently represent only 22% of the workforce in AI. This highlights the critical need for conscious efforts to increase representation and ensure that diversity is not just a metric but an integrated part of how we build our organisations.”

What is the business case for diversity?

Diversity isn’t just a moral imperative, it makes business sense. 

Tricia shared some insights from a McKinsey report. The top-quartile FTSE 100 companies with highly diverse teams have a 35% higher probability of outperforming their peers. 

Additionally, companies with greater diversity in management and immediate reporting lines demonstrate, on average, a 15% stronger financial performance than their counterparts.

Building a high-performing and inclusive team

As a female leader in tech, Tricia shared what managers can do in the workplace to build diverse and high-performing teams:

1. Be intentional about hiring. "Be deliberate about hiring more women so others in the team see it. If you don’t lead with the change you want to create, it’s just lip service and that’s not good for anyone."

2. Foster engagement. "We don’t always get the engagement with underrepresented communities right. It’s important to make sure your team feels comfortable talking to you about what works for them and what doesn’t. Then people feel part of the journey."

3. Encourage enablement. "People who have a position in the business who can be influential to you to enable you to spot opportunities. Whether it's a promotion or a speaker slot." Explore coaching and sponsorship programmes to help your team grow in the business.

4. Build a culture of allyship. "One of my mentors gave me some really sound advice: Get out of your head. Don’t let ingrained bias stop you from being who you are or doing what you’re good at." Mentorship is a great way for your team to learn.

Addressing questions on D&I initiatives

During the event, Tricia answered some questions around diversity and inclusion in the workplace from the audience.

1. How do you find the right mentor?
“Networking is essential, but don’t wait for a mentor to find you. Be proactive. Identify industry leaders who align with your goals and approach them with confidence. Most people are willing to engage in meaningful conversations, and those who aren’t aren’t the right mentors for you.”

2. How do you manage the perception of specifying that you want to hire more women?
“Diversity targets are necessary for building representative teams. When hiring, present the business case – diverse teams drive performance. For example, if your goal is 40% female representation, be clear that until that target is met, you are prioritising diverse hiring.”

3. How do you respond to organisations rolling back D&I initiatives?
“The public rhetoric around D&I rollbacks can be divisive. When faced with opposition, return to the data – companies with higher diversity perform better.” 

4. How can we ensure our voices are heard?
“Data-driven insights are powerful. Anonymous surveys can highlight workplace disparities. Additionally, identifying internal allies and change-makers can help drive systemic improvements.”

5. How should diversity influence career decisions?
“If a company lacks diversity, ask why. A lack of representation can be a red flag, indicating deeper issues around inclusivity and opportunity.”

6. How can you overcome imposter syndrome?
“Most people experience imposter syndrome to some degree. The key is to reframe self-doubt. Focus on what makes you unique rather than comparing yourself to others.”

Hearing from the panel

Once we wrapped up the questions for Tricia, we welcomed our panel to take to the stage:

• Aoife Young – Talent Development Coordinator

• Dinan Alasad – Associate for Government and Public Services 

• Alena Frankel – Technical Principle for Defence

• Sher Lynn Wong – Lead Machine Learning Engineer for Energy Transition and Environment

• Abbey Cooper – Customer Director for Government and Public Services

Naorin Sharmin, one of our Associates in the Consumer and Services business unit, moderated the panel.

One of the most thought-provoking discussions revolved around the role of diversity in building responsible AI.

Alena shared her perspective on the importance of involving women from the initial design of AI solutions. 

“You only design systems for the people that are involved. For example firearms are not built for people with small hands, they are huge. So the system is built stacked against the minorities. Therefore they don't get chosen as much and the whole thing spirals downwards.”

Dinan added, “when it comes to considerations for AI safety ... a lot of the technologies are particularly dangerous for women. Anything from devices being easily tracked, to the data you provide apps to deepfakes that are being used for women. These considerations are not front of mind for people building them. Right now AI safety is so important to consider, because the law hasn’t caught up to the technology. It’s up to us.” 

The panellists emphasised the importance of inclusivity in building responsible AI. They highlighted that when women are part of core teams, it's the collective responsibility of everyone to create an environment where all voices are heard. They stressed that no one should feel pressured to alter their stance or demeanour to appear more confident or present. Ensuring that minority voices are valued and included benefits the greater good, as it allows for diverse experiences and expertise to be integrated into the AI tools being developed for clients.

The panelists engaged in a candid and insightful conversation, exploring the skills cultivated through their varied paths, the obstacles they've encountered and continue to overcome, and the vital role of the people who have supported them along the way. Sharing these experiences sparked a truly uplifting and encouraging atmosphere, leaving everyone feeling connected and inspired.

Next steps forward

International Women’s Day serves as a powerful reminder that while progress has been made, there’s still much work to do. 

Whether it’s increasing funding for female entrepreneurs, challenging workplace biases, or ensuring AI development includes diverse perspectives, the call to action is clear: we must be intentional, proactive, and relentless in driving change.

A huge thank you to Tricia Troth and our panel for making this event such a success.