5 Important Women in Tech and How To Take Your Place Beside Them

012

Thought Leadership Articles From CloudM

Here’s what we know about women in tech: while the tech industry booms, only 19% of the workforce is women-identifying but 53% of STEM graduates are female. Technology is an exciting field, challenging the greatest minds working today. There are constantly new puzzles to solve. It’s a brilliant and vibrant industry, leading us into a new age. Today, we’re giving you that daily dose of inspiration you need to keep persevering when the going gets tough. To lead you in the right direction, here are five incredible women in tech who changed the world (or are in the process of doing so).

Ada Lovelace

We’re starting with the best and brightest. Ada Lovelace is known as the world’s first computer programmer. Born in 1815, she was a young girl with an affinity for solving problems. Growing up, it became clear she was the best of her parents, her father being a poet (Lord Byron) and her mother having a keen interest in maths. She brought together her creativity and her keen mind, and quickly became known as a bright young visionary in tech. Ada achieved much in her lifetime, not only in technological advancement, but also in pushing forward her place as a woman in a male-dominated field. Notably, she is known for her work with Charles Babbage on their invention, the mechanical general-purpose computer known as The Analytical Engine.


Hedy Lammar

You might recognise this Hollywood starlet from the old black and white movies of the 1930s and 40s, but she wasn’t just a talented actress, she was actually a self-taught inventor who developed the technology that later became the basis for WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. She was a scrappy technologist with a vision. In every innovation and advancement, we experience in this great industry, Hedy’s footprint is at the heart of it. The world wouldn’t look the same if it wasn’t for Hedy.

That’s just two incredible women from history, but let’s turn our attention to the present day. There are some brilliant minds at work. Let’s take a look.

Vy Luu

Let’s talk about Vy Luu, a brilliant mind in tech that said: Being a woman in tech is about having and fostering courage—in ourselves and others, to go after the unconventional, untried, and crazy ideas. Our core values here at CloudM are Appreciate Others, Get Involved, Crack On, and Try New Things. We bang on about it quite a lot. Greatness comes from taking risks, experimenting and taking initiative. These are qualities that Vy embodies as she moves through the industry. Vy Luu is a woman in tech and an advocate for developing women’s minds in STEM. She has 15+ years of experience in selecting and nurturing high-performing teams within diverse technology and industries. She strives to create a cheery and communicative space.


Reshma Saunjani


Reshma has had an impressive career working in tech, but has since gone on to found Girls Who Code, an organisation working towards closing the pay gap between male and female employees. GWC also devotes much of its resources to facilitating workshops and sessions on coding for young girls to help them “gain confidence and bravery through coding”. Throughout her career, she has dedicated much of her time to empowering women-identifying people in tech. Simply put, her impact has been huge.

Kyra Seay

Last, but by no means least, we look to Kyra Seay, the Director of Social Innovation & Transformative Initiatives at Bumble, an organisation empowering women across sectors to succeed. Kyra’s role at Bumble involves leading the way to inspire diversity through social initiatives. Through her career, she has championed diverse voices and inspired equality across the industry.


With hopes of inspiring a few budding minds, CTS & CloudM will be sponsoring a not-for-profit Women in Tech conference called Reframe. The event will take place in March 2022 and aims to inspire experts and future talent, reframing the narrative around women in tech through positivity and community. They will be sharing positive journeys from leading and new voices in the sector.

When writing this blog, we wanted to touch base with some of the amazing voices that work here, at CloudM, and they had some great advice we wanted to share with you. Here’s what they had to say....

Niamh Connolly

A Junior Product Owner, has been with CloudM for just over three years, progressing through various roles. She imparted some empowering advice for women-identifying people out there trying to break into the industry. “The key to existing in the tech industry as a woman, is having a strong sense of self and a solid belief in your talents and abilities. No one can deter the determined woman from the room she knows she should be in.”

One of our newer recruits, Erin O'Donnell

Erin, Junior QA Analyst, wanted to share her story and impart some important advice. “My story started when I was placed by default into an IT class for one of my A-Level subjects, due to my original subject choice being full capacity. From that point on my entire career was shaped around the passion I found for Tech and the vast opportunities which come with the Tech industry. Fast forward to completing a degree in Software Engineering and beginning my professional career as a Junior QA Analyst, all stemming from my original A-Level choice being full! My advice to anyone looking to get into this industry is: Be open to any opportunities, even if they were not in your original plan and be willing to try new things. Be confident in yourself and your abilities. When one door closes another one opens – Who knows where that door could lead. And last, you won’t know unless you try!”

If this has given you the motivation you need to persevere in tech, take a little look at our job openings! Across the tech sector, there are a variety of creative, challenging and fun roles fit for a wide set of skills. We are always looking to expand our team and find great minds. Could it be you? If not, read this to your daughter, your sister, your niece, whoever it is that needs to hear it. Pass it along. Let it find the next woman in tech to change the world.

Resources for Women in Tech

Girl Knows Tech (Blog)
Built By Girls (Blog)
The MADWomen (Podcast)
Elpha (Social Community Site)
Women Making Waves (Social Community Site)
Ada (Social Community Site)
Women in Tech Summit (Event)
Brotopia: Breaking Up the Boys' Club of Silicon Valley by Emily Chang (Book)
Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao (Book)
Female Innovators at Work: Women on Top of Tech by Danielle Newnham (Book)
Pivot: The Only Move That Matters Is Your Next One by Jenny Blake (Book)
Other Resources

Close Menu
Note: This page may contain frames. If you are reading this message then we recommend you update your browser to get the full experience.