The ratio of men to women in the technology industry is currently 80-20%. However, the world in general and the technology industry in particular stand to benefit from the increased representation of women in tech. Here is the reason why!
Many people believe that women are unrepresented in the technology sector. The argument for increased representation of women in the tech sector is backed by a European Commission study published in 2013. According to the study, Europe can grow by as much as nine billion euros each year by hiring more women in the digital technology sector.
While many tech leaders and companies back the need for gender diversity in the technology industry, only a few are taking practical measures to ensure it. As of now, the technology industry is dominated by men—to say the least. In the U.S, there is a shortage of skilled talent in the tech sector today. According to a recent survey, more than 60% of the chief information officers (CIOs) in the tech sector say they are facing of a shortage of skilled IT professionals in their company. To add to this, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics says that by 2022, there will more than a million computer and tech job openings but not enough people to fill them.
One way to overcome the above problem is addressing the current underrepresentation of women in the technology industry. By increasing the number of women working in the sector, the tech industry can not only alleviate, but also resolve its existing talent crisis. If given the chance, women can be more than just useful tech professionals. Want proof? Here are four women who are helping transform the technology industry.
Angela Ahrendts
The senior vice president(retail) at Apple Inc, Angela Ahrendts is responsible for developing the strategy for Apple’s physical stores, contact centers and online store and ensuring their smooth operation. Ahrendts reports directly to Tim Cook—the chief operating officer of Apple, and is one of the main people helping create a seamless customer experience for the over one billion users of Apple’s devices.
Delivering expert advice from creative professionals and support from high trained tech professionals, Apple’s physical and online stores ensure that customers get the most out of their Apple devices and all this is possible due to the efforts of people like Angela Ahrendts. While Ahrendts became well-known after joining the American tech company, she has been leading global teams for quite some time.
Before joining Apple, Ahrendts was working at Burberry—the British luxury fashion brand, as its CEO. Under the leadership of Ahrendts, Burberry experienced outstanding growth in the UK and other places where it had a presence. In addition to being the senior-level executive at Apple, Angela Ahrendts has served as a member of the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Business Advisory Council and is a recipient of the Coats of Arms award.
Safra Catz
In 2014, Larry Ellison—the founder of Oracle, stepped down as the company’s chief executive officer. Not one but two were hired as his replacement and one of them was Safra Catz—the current co-CEO of the company. Unlike many other CEOs in the tech industry, Catz has progressed through the ranks at Oracle to become the company’s CEO. Born in Israel, Catz moved with her parents to the United States when she was just six. After completing her bachelor’s degree, Catz worked for several different companies before joining Oracle in 1999.
At Oracle, Catz has led many successful acquisitions. One of the highest paid female CEOs in the world with a reported salary of over $40 million, Catz has helped oracle to secure more than a hundred acquisitions since 2005. There were rumors of Catz joining Disney as its director but nothing of that sort has happened yet.
Weili Dai
A Chinese-born American businesswoman, Weili Dai is the co-founder and director of Marvell Technology—a manufacturer of communications, storage and semiconductors products. Dai established Marvell in 1995 and today the company ships over a billion chips each year. Prior to founding Marvell technology, Dai worked as a software develop in several different organizations. A computer science graduate from the University of California in Berkley, Weili Dai has accomplished a lot since immigrating from China to the United States aged 17. Today, the company founded by Dai her husband Sehat Sutardja is worth an estimated $2.3 billion.
Aparna Chennapragada
The former director of Google Now—an intelligent personal assistant developed by Google, Aparna Chennapragada has served as the Technical Assistant to the CEO at one of our country’s tech companies. At Google, Chennapragada has challenging duties which include developing an intelligent system for a range of users worldwide and helping drive cross company product strategy. Right now, Chennapragada is serving as the Google Lens’ Senior director of product —an app designed to bring up relevant information during visual analysis.
Currently, Aparna Chennapragada is researching the potential of algorithms and artificial intelligence to build products capable of improving everyday life. With almost two decades of experience in the tech industry as a product leader and computer scientist, Chennapragada has the skills and experience required to help transform the technology industry. And, if given the chance, many other women can follow in Chennapragada’s footsteps.
The four women mentioned above are just a few of the thousands of women worldwide who are helping transform the technology industry. Women in tech have proven that if given the chance, they can match—if not excel, their male counterparts, in leading the transformation in the technology industry.
We are always actively looking for women with a technical background. We are very proud of the women we have on staff today and they bring significant depth to our teams. For those women with a technical background, please visit our career page today: www.percentotech.com/company/careers
by Bobby J Davidson
We love our company and we love what we do. Check out the ‘Why Percento‘ page to learn more: Love of Technology and Business! Contact me today to discuss how our great team can assist: 1 800 614 7886 or our Contact Form.