Gigabit January 2019

NORTH AMERICA
career, with support from both
genders. I wouldn’t be where I am
today without that support. There are
still a number of challenges that need
to be worked on in every industry, not
just in technology, when it comes to
gender diversity and equality,” she
adds. “But I think the conversation is
changing – it’s becoming less taboo
and men are getting involved in the
discussion as well, which is critical.”
One of the biggest hurdles, Sandhu
believes, lies in the lack of female role
models in male-dominated fields.
“Women don’t have those same role
models or examples as men to look up
to or emulate,” she observes. “But I do
think that's changing. For example, we
can see that two leaders of General
Motors – the CEO and the CFO – are
both women. The automotive industry
is one which is notoriously male-dominated
so we are seeing change right
there. Betty Liu is another example.
She began her career in journalism,
went on to start her own business and
now she is the Executive Vice Chairman
of the New York Stock Exchange.”
Another hurdle, Sandhu believes, lies
in education. Surveying over 2,000
A-Level and university students in the
UK, PwC found that only 3% of women
say a career in technology would be
their first choice. “We need to increase
the pipeline of women in STEM and
that starts with education,” notes Sandhu.
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