On International Womens’ Day, we spoke to Head of Technology EMEA, Nives Bidin about why this year’s theme of ‘Cracking the Code’ and creating a truly digitALL culture is important for women and the companies they work for.

What attracted you to a career in IT?

Working in the technology field means being part of continuous change that is shaping our world and daily lives. Because this field changes rapidly, I get to put my curiosity to good use and am constantly learning. It’s a career than involves ongoing problem solving and courage to face them.

I love being part of process improvements within the industry and which impact the everyday life of people. Being able to make things better, faster and improve quality through continuous research is inspiring.

For me, being creative within the technology field is key and it’s a great aspect of an IT career. Creativity is needed to solve problems and find the connections between systems, data and processes in order to deliver outcomes and generate meaningful and value-added insights.

Lastly, achieving results through technology also requires cross functional understanding and being able to understand the business from different perspectives is important. Probably the most important aspect of technology is having respect for people and their needs, behind any technology there are always people.

The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is ‘cracking the code’, the importance of technology and STEM and the barriers women face in accessing education or careers in these spaces. What do you think could be done to support women in pursuing a career in the technology industryies?

Schools, university and industry have to work together to address this.

Exposure to STEM and technology starting at the earliest of school years is important, as is creating real-life, hands-on opportunities for coding or science applications that are interesting and child friendly. Making STEM and technology fun and practical is important to inspire a love for learning these fields. Consistent encouragement and opportunities to learn and engage all throughout formal learning years is also key.

Exposure to female role models, of all ages, who can share their professional path, share connections and act as mentors are also important to help inspire tomorrow’s female tech leaders.

Within companies, creating mentoring and actively supporting women to create a strong network are great ways to support women. Companies could also work to ensure representation from both women and men in teams, this creates diversity in the way we approach problems and solutions, diversity adds great value for the people we serve.

Is there a particular part of IT that you find fascinating?

I am fascinated by the use of technology especially in the medical field to improve the quality of healthcare and treatment of patients. Benefits of information technology in healthcare are plenty: artificial Intelligence, for example, for better diagnostics and treatment, 3D printing for artificial organs, robotic surgery, telehealth for accessibility, and it’s also important to have patients data stored and easy to retrieve.

What advice would you give to girls or young women considering a career in IT?

Become confident in your own ability, use your voice, raise your hands and don’t be scared, enjoy your work and follow your curiosity and passion!