When walking into PwC’s London offices on an excruciatingly hot day, I expected to be bombarded with jargon and terminology I couldn’t even hope to relate to. Instead, I was welcomed with cool air conditioning and warm smiles from a group of women who are taking this otherwise male-dominated tech industry by storm.
“A tech career isn’t very interesting. We’re not told about them, so why would we bother going into one?” These are things Nina Rush hears all too often. She works with young women and girls as part of PwC’s women in technology programme and believes the time has come for this to change.
If progress could be measured by the amount of talk about the lack of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), then it is quick and steady; 33.8m Google hits and counting. However, when measured by the number of women actually entering these careers, it’s appallingly slow.
Why does it matter? In a world where women make between 20-40% less than men, a role in the STEM sector tops the list for salary potential. Meanwhile, research (pdf) by the Peterson Institute for International Economics reveals a “positive correlation between the proportion of women in corporate leadership and firm profitability.” In short, it’s a win win.
Three women at PwC, Nina Rush, Jane Wainwright and Jo Salter – coming from their diverse work backgrounds in accountancy, military intelligence and the RAF – are sources of inspiration.
Nina Rush, technology transformation in PwC’s internal IT team
With the support of her employer, Rush has made it her mission to encourage young women to consider a career in technology – partly because it’s a world full of excitement, partly because it’s where the future lies. In her role, Rush looks at how the firm can use emerging technologies internally. “These young girls need to see that this industry is actually fun, and so diverse,” she says. “I couldn’t deal with a dull job, it would drive me mad. That’s the picture I want to get across.”
Rush never expected to end up working in tech. She started at PwC straight after secondary school, then trained as an accountant. “I thought it was a fantastic way to get out into the workplace and learn a new skill.” Rush completed her qualifications then worked for other companies. She has since returned to PwC in an internal IT transformation leadership role where she leverages some of the world’s hottest technologies.
Jane Wainwright, privacy and data protection director
Rising to success while working in military intelligence, border control and as head of corporate security for the 2012 Olympics, Jane Wainwright had previously associated tech careers with the dull colours of “grey, blue and black”. After 12 years of service with British military intelligence, it would be fair to say that professional services didn’t have the same exciting ring to it. Her role in PwC’s privacy and data protection legal practice happily proved her wrong.
“For mothers who have taken time off, there is a fear of skill fade. But you don’t have to know everything, it’s part of the excitement to learn as you go,” says Wainwright, whose career decisions have been influenced by her desire to balance her career ambition with hands-on motherhood. “If you want to design a new laptop then some up-skilling will be involved. But other skills, such as leadership, are highly transferrable. I don’t necessarily need to understand how that laptop switches on; I do need to understand how to lead a team.”
Jo Salter, director in people and organisation
As Britain’s first female fighter pilot in the RAF, Jo Salter is a true role model. In control of £25m of flying metal at an age when most of us are still living with our parents, she flew from both Turkey and Saudi Arabia in protection of the “no-fly zone” over Iraq. She’s hardly a stranger to excitement. And yet, she’s finding herself equally passionate and ambitious about her role at PwC, leading those who love tech to take their skills further.
While Salter has always been technical in the sense that she’s flown a plane which is “more complicated to operate than a Formula One race car”, her versatile skills have taken her from book writing, to academic lecturing and motivational speaking. Now she leads digital analytics to improve health, happiness, performance and diversity in organisations. “I want to immerse myself in the world of analytics and through that help people to be the best version of themselves.”
While these women come from completely different backgrounds, they share two things in common: a new-found love for technology and an early career that did not include tech in its traditional sense. The key thing to understand, says Wainwright, is that “a career in tech” is an umbrella term for a lot of different jobs. Roles can include governance, compliance and innovation; and for all three of these women, demand leadership and constant change.
Finding opportunities to learn and grow is the common thread. They focus on the breadth of possibilities and the pleasures of the unexpected they’ve found working in tech.
To find out more about PwC’s Women in Tech initiative, head here.
To find out more about experienced hire opportunities within technology at PwC, head here.
Content on this page is paid for and produced to a brief agreed with PwC, sponsor of the women in technology hub
