Despite national conversations, however, women are still misrepresented – especially in innovation and growth areas such as cloud, DevOps, and AI. Enterprises looking to build a competitive advantage and address the skills issue should consider women when hiring and for promotions. Currently, women only fill 24% of tech roles across European companies. Women can bring a unique approach to problem-solving and creating new products. Innovation, after all, is contingent on diversity.
Simon Ranyard, Managing Director, Northwest Europe at Orange Business, highlights the importance of gender equity: "International Women's Day makes us all think about how we must be more proactive in making the technology industry an attractive field for women. Focusing on diversity in all spheres is pivotal to well-being and innovation in our industry. Diverse teams create services and solutions as versatile as their users, helping advance societies and creating a sustainable future. Now is the time to work to close the gender gap."
Many women are contemplating their future career options right now. We talked to our talent here in Orange Business to find out why the technology industry provides a great career path and have a say in how the digital world is developing.
Ann Lindkvist, Project Director & Nordic Build Lead, International
Question: What does International Women's Day mean to you?
[Ann Lindkvist]: It's important to me. It's a day when women can celebrate and share all the great things they have created, supported and developed.
Question: Why were you interested in joining Orange, and how has the company helped you develop your career?
[Ann Lindkvist]: I come from a tech background, and Orange had a broad portfolio and gave me a great opportunity to work with tech and in close collaboration in a mixed-team environment. My management, which has been represented by female and male leaders, has been very supportive and helpful throughout the years. They have empowered me to take on new challenges to further develop by entering a different area or applying for new roles.
Question: What can the technology industry do to promote technical roles to women?
[Ann Lindkvist]: It's important to dare to try and to be proud of yourself. It is about knowledge by having management promote a learning-by-doing approach, which makes it easier for us to open up more. We don't have to be experts in all areas; the key is to have a team around you with an open and transparent environment where we all are equal, and respect, trust, learn and support each other.
Julie Andersen, Business Controller Area North and West Europe, Sales and Marketing
Question: What does International Women's Day mean to you?
[Julie Andersen]: International Women's Day, for me, means we have made a step toward ensuring gender equality and women's rights across social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This day means a lot to me, as I trust that with this day, we as women can show we stand together for a shared cause, which is to ensure women all over the world will be treated and respected equally to males, no matter which status or society we live in.
Question: Why do you think we haven't achieved equality in the technology industry yet?
[Julie Andersen]: I think a lot of factors contribute to the lack of gender equality in the technology industry. To list a few of them, I can mention:
- Lack of role models
- A culture that can be unwelcoming to women
- Unequal access to education, which I have a feeling in some countries is slowly changing
Changing the lack of gender equality in the technology industry is not a smooth and easy exercise. This will require a shift in company policies and culture and will most likely require mentorship opportunities for women and an acceptance of gender equality.
Question: What can the technology industry do to promote technical roles to women?
[Julie Andersen]: To promote and ensure gender equality in the tech industry, I think it would be good if we focus on encouraging and supporting girls and women in pursuing education and training in the tech industry. Tech companies also need to increase the visibility and representation of women in leadership roles. And companies must foster a culture where it is normal for females to work for a tech company, with equal rights as males.
Susanna Benoni, Head of Service Management (GDO)
Question: What does International Women's Day mean to you?
[Susanna Benoni]: International Women's Day provides a useful opportunity to reinforce the fact that everyone (women and men) has a role to play in forging a more gender-balanced world. IWD is for celebrating the achievements of women and/or calling for gender parity. Even though International Women's Day is a well-known movement in most countries, we must continue accelerating awareness and actions.
I believe we have done well so far, but there is still a long way to go before we achieve a completely balanced environment for all women, both in the workplace and in our personal lives. Also, please let me finally point out that the rise of women is not about the fall of men, as we can only do better things together if we are working and supporting each other towards the same goals.
Question: Why were you interested in joining Orange, and how has the company helped you develop your career?
[Susanna Benoni]: I joined Orange more than 20 years ago, and one of the points that initially attracted me to Orange was, indeed, the international and multicultural aspect of the organization. I've grown a lot in the past years, personally and professionally. I had some fantastic managers and colleagues (both women and men, in all areas) who believed in me and supported me along the way to feel empowered and make my own decisions. This allowed me to make and learn from my mistakes. They recognized me and ultimately made me able to stretch my wings and fly.
Question: What can the technology industry do to promote technical roles to women?
[Susanna Benoni]: Technology can be "scary" for some and/or might not be of interest to everyone. However, our individual skills, interests and talents can be applied anywhere within this area. I think we should continue to improve fostering successful female role models in technology to promote that it is ok to be a woman and, yes, to work in technology.
Renet Boshoff, Head of Customer Business Management, Nordics
Question: What does International Women's Day mean to you?
[Renet Boshoff]: I still hear the comment: I "hope" she did not get the job only because she is a woman. I have never heard that said about a man. Only 24% of the people in IT are women, and the percentage is much lower in management. Equality in the IT industry has yet to be achieved. For me, International Women's Day is an opportunity to highlight the work that still needs to be done to achieve equal opportunities for men and women, not just in IT but in all of society.
Question: Why were you interested in joining Orange, and how has the company helped you develop your career?
[Renet Boshoff]: I have been fortunate to have a manager that recognizes and rewards hard work and initiative regardless of gender, a manager who has helped to push me out of my comfort zone and offered me possibilities like the Orange Talent Program.
The appointment in 2022 of Christel Heydemann as CEO of Orange Group and Aliette Mousnier-Lompré as CEO of Orange Business has given me and all other women in Orange important and inspiring role models. These appointments show us that it is possible to make a successful career in Orange.
Maria Lehtman, International Marketing, Commercial Strategy Team
Question: What does International Women's Day mean to you?
[Maria Lehtman]: International Women's Day means very much to me. It celebrates female talents and acts as a call to action for gender diversity. I contribute to the yearly celebration by rallying our social media ambassadors to spread the good word about our female talents. IWD is not only for women; I always encourage both women and men to participate in sharing key messages and thoughts.
Question: Why were you interested in joining Orange, and how has the company helped you develop your career?
[Maria Lehtman]: It was essential to be in a company that embraced my skills and personality and supported me in further developing my career. I have had many good sponsors at Orange Business, both male and female leaders, who encouraged me to transfer from one role to another. In addition, our company has excellent teams, so my learning came through consistent collaboration. The Talent Program was also a fantastic experience for enhancing leadership skills.
Question: Why do you think we haven't achieved equality in the technology industry yet?
[Maria Lehtman]: Hiring women has proven challenging because women are more risk-averse and prefer to stay longer in the companies they currently are. Therefore, technology jobs should offer sufficient job security and actively invite talented women to the field. For example, men receive more calls from headhunters than women. Also, there is unconscious bias in the hiring process (mirror effect).
Question: What can the technology industry do to promote technical roles to women?
[Maria Lehtman]: Working in International Marketing has been the first unit where I work with more women than men. We are very oriented to supporting diversity in our teams. I would encourage hiring managers to look for the right soft skills and leadership potential and not only focus on STEM degrees. Nominating women in top leadership positions is crucial to create the right balance in business culture. Talent programs should be aligned with executive sponsors to support continuous career development and opportunities for advancement. Most of all, managers should champion diversity and intervene if there are signs of bias. The future of technology is dependent on everyone’s participation.
Maria works with the transversal International Marketing team, specializing in employee and executive social media advocacy and blogging at Orange Business. She has extensive experience working with international transformation programs in the telco industry in Sales, Consulting, Professional Services Management and Marketing roles. Maria is a passionate photographer and a bestselling author who loves nature and empowering hope and inspiration.