Skip to main content
Gender Equality Directory of Good Practice and Research
  1. Gender Equality Directory of Good Practice and Research
  2. Case Studies
  3. IT Services Directorate: Women in Tech Network

IT Services Women In Tech Network

Rachel Bence (IT Services Chief Information Officer) and Panny Martin (IT Services Head of Business Management) 

Published:

Please outline the work you lead and how it relates to progressing gender equality

In 2023, the IT Services Women in Tech (WIT) Network was launched with a clear purpose - to create a space for women in IT Services to connect, share experiences, and support one another in navigating careers within a traditionally male-dominated field. The network was created to drive meaningful change.

The guest speakers at the event were Heidi Fraser-Kraus, CEO of JISC, who provided an inspirational talk on her career journey and the challenges she came across being a female in a male dominated area and how she overcame these challenges.  The other guest speaker was Liz Grand, EDI Manager (Gender Equality) at QMUL who shared her insights into the focus areas she and the EDI team were working on and Rachel Bence, who also shared her career journey and how she became the CIO of IT Services at QMUL.

A key milestone in our journey was the establishment of the WIT Committee, which has been instrumental in shaping the direction of the network. Through regular events and initiatives, we have built a platform where women’s voices are heard, and career growth is actively supported. One of our most impactful initiatives has been the Heads of Services Showcase, where senior leaders shared their career journeys, offering insights and inspiration to those looking to progress in their own careers.

What has inspired and motivated you to progress this work?

The motivation arose out of the results of the 2022 Staff Survey.  The focus for IT Services following the Staff Survey was to look at gender equality. Staff were asked to respond to the statement "Department leadership actively supports gender equality". The response from staff was not favourable. One of our objectives was to explore how we can improve female staff being employed across IT Services in technical roles.  We investigated corporate membership for Everywoman in Tech Forum, we looked in how we could improve our recruitment practices in better supporting the recruitment of ITS Female staff into technical roles; adding a statement to all of our job adverts (which is now standard in Oleeo for all ITS roles), meetings with the Apprenticeship team to explore apprenticeships for our female staff who wanted to progress in technical roles, and introduced Personal Development Plans for staff to look at the learning and development they could undertake to progress into technical roles i.e. shadowing, coaching, training. 

How do you hope that this work will make a difference to promote gender equality and have you seen any impact so far?

This work is already making a difference in promoting gender equality by creating visibility, support, and opportunities for women in IT. The WIT Network has provided a space for women to connect and creates a space to address barriers to progression.

One of the most immediate impacts has been the increased engagement and participation from women who may not have previously had a platform to share their experiences. The Heads of Services Showcase, for example, has created more visibility, highlighting peoples career journey, Additionally, the hope is that, with the recent launch of ITS’s  Shadowing Programme, we can actively bridge the gap between aspiration and opportunity, giving women opportunities for hands-on experience in technical roles.

What did you enjoy most about this piece of work and do you have any plans going forward?

The enjoyment continues, as the WIT Tech Network becomes more visible, and the aspiration is to widen the network across Professional Services.  Looking ahead, we are excited as we will be introducing a calendar of events designed to further empower and equip women within IT Services. This includes:

  • Challenge Clinics – Safe spaces to discuss and tackle career and workplace challenges.
  • Lunch and Learn Sessions – Informal knowledge-sharing sessions featuring guest speakers.
  • Presentations on Thriving in Male-Dominated Environments – Stories and strategies from women who have navigated and succeeded in these spaces.

We are also committed to driving real change through data. By aligning our initiatives with the IT Services EDI Action Plan and our Athena Swan application, we aim to address gender disparities and create career pathways, through succession planning to support and encourage women to progress into technical roles. A significant step in this direction has been 

the introduction of a shadowing programme, which originated as a WIT initiative but has since expanded across IT Services, allowing staff to gain hands-on experience in different technical roles that might interest them.

Looking ahead, I hope this work will continue to shift the culture within IT Services, making gender diversity a norm rather than an exception. Ideally, we will see more women stepping into technical and leadership roles, more male allies actively supporting gender equality, and a working environment where every woman feels valued and empowered to grow.

Please share any publications or resources from your work that would like to highlight

We have created a WIT Tech web page to provide accessible information to conference, events and progress:

ITS Women In Tech - IT Services

 

 

Back to top