The demand for high-caliber IT leadership has never been higher. Since the pandemic forced many companies to make rapid changes, IT leaders are facing some of their most challenging times yet. Even with the increased demand for leadership roles in technology, women struggle to obtain IT leadership positions.
The demand for high-caliber IT leadership has never been higher. Since the pandemic forced many companies to make rapid changes—from adopting a hybrid work model to implementing digital transformation practices—IT leaders are facing some of their most challenging times yet. Even with the increased demand for leadership roles in technology, members of the Pulse community reported that less than 5% of IT leaders at their organizations were women.
We reached out to tech leaders in the Pulse community to get their take on three questions related to women in IT leadership:
- Is there a gender bias in cybersecurity leadership, and technology overall?
- What does your organization do to help support women in leadership?
- Can you use networking as a means to advance in an IT leadership role?
Is there a gender bias in cybersecurity leadership, and technology overall?
Doug Barbin, Managing Principal at Schellman & Company, comments, “It’s unfortunate that there’s gender bias in cybersecurity and IT. While I see more and more women getting into areas such as cybersecurity and companies actively promoting gender equality publically, the reality is, we have a lot more work to do since most security leaders are predominantly male.”
Elisha Herrmann, Senior Director of Digital Transformation at Navisite, details how personal experiences with gender biases have been carried forward in technology. “Bias is common in technology utilizing machine learning and cognitive thinking. Teaching machines to think requires an understanding of how we do think. Our thought processes are based on environment, genetics, and experience. Our own personal experience is unique but will influence the outcomes. This ties into what we generally refer to as ‘representative bias’–when groups are placed together in error that shares many of the same qualities. As technicians, I believe we are all doing our best to minimize bias in our products, but awareness is the first start as well as diversity and inclusion at all levels.”
What does your organization do to help support women in leadership?
Elisha notes, “Mentoring is near and dear to my heart. Mentors, parents, or friends are the key to providing exposure to show women the art of what’s possible. Studies have shown that seeing oneself in the leadership role is one of the biggest factors in actually achieving that position.”
Doug adds, “We have strong examples of women from all backgrounds and family environments in senior leadership positions at Schellman & Company. Most importantly, in addition to supporting and propping up other fellow female leaders, we’ve noticed our female leadership has had a huge positive impact on the men around them, enabling all of us to be better leaders and mentors ourselves. I am a big fan of the book, Athena Rising: How and Why Men Should Mentor Women, and believe all males across the organization should work to support women in tech leadership however they can.”
Can you use networking as a means to advance in an IT leadership role?
Miten Marvania, Senior Advisor of Portfolio Cybersecurity at The Blackstone Group, outlines how networking advances careers: “Networking enables you to build your personal brand and establish trust—two key components that are required by anyone in leadership. You should always be networking, whether it’s in a social or a professional setting. Identify individuals that can help you land the next role and connect with them on a regular basis. For a leadership role in IT, you must learn how to communicate the way your customers do, become a master, and share your insights via networking on Pulse, social media, and conferences. Your potential opportunities will grow as your network expands.”
It’s evident that there’s gender disparity in the tech industry today. Raising awareness, being an advocate for women in leadership, and fostering a gender-equal environment can help empower more females to secure senior IT management roles.
For more advice from real tech leaders on how to support women in technology, sign up for our community today and join the conversation on Pulse.
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Azarmeen Dastoor
