Women Shaping Diversity the Telecommunications Sector
Women may be underrepresented in the telecommunications sector, but they have always been a part of it: from wartime Hollywood movie star Hedy Lamarr co-inventing frequency-hopping spread spectrum technology, which laid the groundwork for Wi-Fi, to ‘Mother of the Internet’ Radia Perlman’s work on data transmission. Yet at present, women make up about 28% of the global technology workforce. Efforts are being made to increase female representation, especially in leadership positions. Here, three women tell us about their career journeys across the mobile sector and suggest what needs to be done to make the industry more diverse - and therefore successful…
Driving diversity in mobile technology
Lisa Simpson is the Senior Vice President of the Americas at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise, where she leads sales, services and marketing for the region. The company was founded in 2014, but Lisa has been working in the technology sector for three decades.
“While I was at UC Urvine, studying for my Masters in Business, I worked on a graduate programme that invited people in business to talk to students about careers in diverse industries,” Lisa says. “I was immediately drawn to technology, specifically because of the opportunities it offered in improving the way we live and work.”
After graduating, Lisa received consulting job offers, but she chose to take a role at Rockwell International, provider of semiconductors. From there, she went on to work as a product line manager at Compaq/HP, before landing in her current role at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise.
Telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise provides secure networking, communications and cloud solutions, enabling organisations and industries to accelerate their operational efficiencies and competitiveness.
“Over my 30 years in technology, I’ve held a range of diverse roles across product development, program management, business development, sales and marketing and leadership,” Lisa explains. “It's been a varied and incredibly fulfilling career so far and I still have the same intrigue and excitement for the opportunities that the tech sector offers that I did when I first embarked on my career 30 years ago.”
Over that time, Lisa has developed a set of leadership skills, especially for driving diversity in telecommunications. She believes that her background in competitive sports supported her career as a woman in technology.
“Having that experience of competing in a challenging environment gave me the confidence to speak up and express my opinions - even when perhaps I wasn’t welcome to,” she says.
The drive to succeed and win – both personally and for the team – helped Lisa achieve what she set out to do and with that, surpass the barriers that she faced in being a woman and a minority in a male-oriented sector.
“Having experienced challenges myself in getting into senior management positions I think I have a greater level of awareness and empathy for people of diverse backgrounds and the obstacles they face in their careers,” she explains. “As such, I seek to encourage them to believe in themselves and to speak up and to push themselves to their full potential.”
When Lisa first entered the C-suite, women were very much the minority in the technology sector. At the time, the sector knew it needed more women, but there were simply very few in the sector.
“Women who graduated in STEM subjects tended to opt for careers in science, over careers in technology,” she continues.
While Lisa thinks that this is still the case to some degree, she recognises that things have changed drastically since the 1990s.
Lisa adds: “My personal experience is that the sector now promotes equality and encourages diversity, but I appreciate that that is not the view of everyone in the sector, so there is still work to do.”
These are sentiments echoed by Liz Parry, CEO of Lifecycle Software, a software development company which supports ‘fearless innovation’ in the telecoms sector.
Liz has worked at Lifecycle Software for nine years and was recently promoted to CEO. She joined the company first as a part-time Revenue Assurance Manager, returning to her career after a break to care for family, but never imagined she’d one day take on the top role.
“Lifecycle is proud to implement inclusive policies that support diversity, such as flexible and remote working, parental leave and accommodations for employees with disabilities and neurodiversity,” she says.
The company has always had an active graduate scheme to foster young talent and recently joined the City, University of London Micro-Placements Programme, to allow students from underrepresented backgrounds to gain professional experience.
“Diversity in the workplace has undoubtedly evolved to reflect broader societal changes supporting more inclusive and equitable environments. More women are working in the mobile space than when I joined Lifecycle, for instance, and neurodiversity is better recognised - but challenges remain.”
Tecnotree leads with diversity and innovation in telecoms
One part of the world where diversity and inclusion has thrived is Scandinavia – a haven of anti-discrimination laws, gender equality policies and LGBTQ+ rights. The Nordic Diversity Index recognised Finnish software company, Tecnotree, as a top performing Mid-Cap company, for its inclusive workplace drives.
Tecnotree has had 40 years of presence in building world-class telecom software, implemented in over 100 CSP/DSPs and serving over a billion subscribers worldwide. Padma Ravichander has been with Tecnotree for 14 years now, eight of them as CEO.
“At Tecnotree, change and transformation are the very essence of our DNA, driving continuous innovation, delivering world-class experiences and monetisation capabilities for telecom operators and their customers,” Padma explains. “We enable essential services beyond voice and data connectivity to other digital experiences in health, education, financial inclusion, IoT and connectivity on the edge.”
Thanks to the leadership and ‘One-Tecnotree’ team, the company was transformed from a small-cap to mid-cap company in the Finnish Stock exchange in terms of shareholder value and ROI.
Hailing from Canada, Padma has lived and travelled abroad extensively but always worked in technology, holding global CXO-level positions in the IT industry, at companies such as HP, Oracle and Dell-Perot.
“These experiences have exposed me to many international customers and cultures, across various continents,” she says. “I have integrated into large teams to deliver technology across businesses and industries. It’s been an exhilarating journey and I have enjoyed the opportunity and the challenges along the way.”
Now, she wants the next generation to reach higher. Padma is supporting them with her well-honed leadership skills, especially for driving diversity.
“As a woman in the technology field, I have met many challenges but never shied away from any of them. In the early days of my career I was often the only woman in the room. I have always had to work harder and longer to prove my capabilities and sometimes, in senior positions, I found it hard to break into ‘The Old Boys’ Club’.”
But Padma’s critical strength has always been her passion for her work, her competence and her enduring spirit to see a job done, which inspired her to overcome some challenging and negative situations.
“It’s not always essential to win every argument, but it is important to participate, put your ideas across effectively and learn the ability to negotiate and influence others in the process,” she says.
To advance inclusivity at Tecnotree, the goal has always been to empower women in technology and ensure gender parity across the organisation.
“We have endeavoured to invest in talented young women and guide them in their career path towards leadership,” she says. “The fact that 37% of Tecnotree’s leadership today consists of women is a testament to our strong commitment to this.”
At Tecnotree, diversity, empowerment and inclusivity are nurtured in several ways. As technology is a rapidly growing dynamic field, employees are provided with opportunities to learn, as staying relevant non-stop is key.
“We believe in being agile, in the ability to adapt and change, to learn in and from the work environment and to be perceptive to the greater purpose and vision of the organisation you are serving,” Padma says.
Championing diversity, inclusion and equity in the mobile sector give a competitive edge
So what work needs to be done in the mobile sector, to ensure diversity, inclusion and equity can grow?
Liz argues that in a world where diversity is increasingly important to competitiveness, particularly within the software space, organisations must be more cognisant of inclusivity.
“With flexible working now easy to facilitate and representing a particularly important differentiator for those with disabilities or neurodiversity, this is entirely possible,” she explains.
The size of the talent pool that an organisation draws from represents another crucial element of diversity, but one that is frequently overlooked. Employers must, Liz feels, seek to widen the net by actively engaging in community engagement programmes and partnerships that promote diversity, rather than recruiting from the same old gene pools.
“Coding boot camps for underrepresented groups, college visits and workshops, and internships or apprenticeship schemes that offer hands-on experience for young people who don’t necessarily have formal qualifications are all great examples,” Liz suggests. “These types of activities not only help to encourage recruitment from a wider range of backgrounds but also inspire younger generations and make the mobile space stand out as a prospective career path.”
Diversity, regardless of industry, is a necessity. It strengthens an organisation’s capacity in terms of how it reacts to change, its leadership and how it delivers on results. Most successful companies with a strong outlook and good balance sheet have been proven to be driven by diverse teams that are equanimous. The telecom industry is no different, adds Padma.
“Being Digital is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity for all lines of business. Digitally connected communities and ecosystems will define the new age. Hence, the technology field poses huge opportunities for men and women alike to learn, adapt and excel,” she says.
The 21st century, the digital age, is where physical attributes of gender converge and are no longer relevant. What truly matters is intelligence and the ability to create.
“In this new age, where high-speed internet, intense automation and ubiquitous access to information propel instant gratification, success is no longer measured by physical ability or social status. What counts is one’s capability to innovate and create unique experiences that can touch and empower the lives of others,” Padma continues. “For women who want to be true benefactors of the new digital age, I have two pieces of advice.
“First, there is nothing wrong with wanting to “have it all” and you can. But it’s important to realise that we cannot be successful alone. We need to anchor ourselves in our support systems-with our partners, colleagues, bosses and teams, children, parents and extended families. We have to trust, care for and nurture them along the way, making them believe in our success as much as we do. Most importantly, we have to share that success with them.”
Second, Padma continues, for great success, through planning, impeccable execution and self discipline are all required.
“We are truly blessed in this time of change, because with every change comes the opportunity to evolve, learn, grow and experience new forms of inclusion and diversity. So we can look forward to other new beginnings.”
Lisa also believes that diversity is key and is a clear path to success.
“There are many studies which show that diverse teams can solve problems faster and more efficiently than non-diverse teams and can improve creativity and productivity,” she says.
As a woman working in the technology industry herself, Liz has seen firsthand how important it is to hear the voices of many.
“A diverse team of several different skill sets and experiences provides more variety and levels of insight that can be utilised when selling to customers and for internal communications. For me, I can’t see any negatives to diversifying all sectors.”
To read the full story in the magazine click HERE
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