Female representation in tech has decreased in recent years. According to DDI’s 2023 Global Leadership Forecast, women make up 28% of professionals in the tech industry. But female executives in tech are changing the narrative. Some work in the C-Suite at Fortune 500 companies. Others create revolutionary inventions. Many are trailblazers. Despite the fall in women in tech, female executives are determined to break barriers. I spoke with three female executives about the importance of female representation in tech.
Advocating for Diversity
Many female executives in tech are pioneers. Maybe they left a low-income area to excel at an Ivy League or start up. Regardless of their socioeconomic background, women face gender bias across industries. Kaitlyn Albertoli, the CEO of Buzz Solutions, isn’t in tech for the money. She is dedicated to creating more female representation in tech. “I am very proud to be a woman in the energy space and especially a young woman in the energy space,” said Kaitlyn Albertoli, the co-founder and CEO of Buzz Solutions.
Brittany Masalosalo, an SVP and chief public policy officer at HP, expressed similar sentiments. “One of the reasons why I came to HP is because the CEO of HP did not shy away from publicly stating the importance of diers,ity, racial diversity and gender diversity,” she said. “I started digging a little bit further. I found that HP does more than just talk about it, but they actually walk the walk,” she said.
The Harvard alum was in foster care for several years as a child. Like many women of color, she has built her network and career entirely on her own. The Harvard alum believes gender bias goes far beyond corporate America. She believes the United States has a serious issue with sexism. “The country at large still has a sexism problem,” she said. “Sexism persists because in our country women still tend to be the fabric of their homes,” she said.
Women Supporting Women
Arielle Raycene, the CEO of Real AF, also comes from humble beginnings. She is from a small town in Kansas and has been working since she was in middle school. Prior to her success in tech, she worked as a cashier at a grocery store. She is a big believer in women in tech supporting each other. “I definitely hope to see more women in tech in the future. It’s important for women to be in these roles across the board,” Raycene said. “We only think that we can be so far up under a man and we have to really think past that.”
And Albertoli is also fighting the notion that executive leadership in tech is for men. “I’ve been on a couple of panels with women in the energy space talking about how we can make an impact and improve the current stance of bringing more women to this industry.”
Preparing Future Generations
Abertoli wants to help the future generations of female leaders. “I want other women to feel like they belong as well. We’re looking to bring people onto our team. I want them to feel empowered and excited by the fact that they are the future of the utility industry,” she said.
Masalosalo is also on a mission to support women who want to pursue careers in tech. “I want to set an example for up and coming generations. If they can see it, they can be it. It’s important to normalize people looking like me, a Black woman, as being experts in this field,” Massalalo said. There may be a lack of women in tech, but that doesn’t mean women aren’t trying to diversify the industry. Women from all walks of life are striving to support future female leaders. And they’re just getting started.
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