“ As a woman of colour in tech, I think representation is key. Growing up, I barely saw anybody like me in tech. When I speak to young girls it’s like they are conditioned to think that they can’t go into tech.” YINKA OKUNLOLA, DIRECTOR, COGNIZANT


Another issue we have seen is that ‘bro culture’ is still


prevalent in many workspaces, which can make women feel unwelcome or out of place. There is also often an assumption that a female employee may not be able to stay out late for drinks, enjoy golf or travel. Promotion is another area that can be influenced by unconscious biases, leading to fewer women being promoted to more senior or leadership tech roles. These promotions can often take place in those more informal settings. It’s not necessarily that male colleagues want to exclude women; more that many of these sports and activities have historically been occupied by males. However, I do expect my male colleagues to realise the difference they can make consciously or unconsciously and to help change it. There is also a lack of representation. If you look at


the top 50 largest tech companies, then there are only two female CEOs – Oracle and AMD. That accounts for just 4%. That makes it quite difficult for a young woman to envision themselves in a tech career or even as a leader. There are companies making positive strides though.


At Cognizant, we have focused on conscious inclusion, implementing blind recruitment to reduce biases at hiring stage and on having more diverse interview panels. Another impactful solution for us has been mentorship, sponsorship, reverse mentoring programmes and employee resource groups (ERGs) to empower people and improve the work experiences of different minorities. At Cognizant, 35% of our workforce belongs to one


or more of our eight ERGs. But inclusion is not purely the onus of companies; it’s up to us as individuals, too.


YINKA OKUNLOLA: As a woman of colour in tech, I think representation is key. Growing up, I barely saw anybody like me in tech. As a girl, I often enjoyed playing with cars, going under the hood and doing activities that seemed reserved for boys. Even my choice to study engineering was considered unladylike, so representation


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is really important among black people. We just don’t see enough people like us doing these roles. I think that also creates a conditioning. When I speak to


young girls it’s like they are conditioned to think that they can’t go into tech. My daughters often see me chair a video call full of male colleagues. One of them said she could never do the job I’m doing because she doesn’t believe she can. I know that’s because of what she’s seeing. In terms of what companies can do, there are definitely


practical ways to improve recruitment and promotion. I think lasting change comes from the top down, though. Nordic countries for example, often start by examining gender equality at government level. It has to come right from the top and trickle down into companies. If my daughter can’t see more MPs that look like her, then how can she see herself as a woman in tech?


” HOW CAN TECH LEADERS CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AND FOSTER A MORE INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT?”


SINNI SIMPSON: It can be quite difficult to create specific opportunities for certain groups of people. The one thing I really focus on when leading my teams is creating an environment where people feel comfortable to be their authentic selves. I think that helps people’s talents to shine and that naturally gives them more confidence to go after opportunities. I recently joined the Global Leadership Council


of Embrace – Cognizant’s LGBTQ+ affinity group. Listening to and having conversations with colleagues to deepen my understanding of what’s lacking and then feeding that back to executive leaders, executive sponsors and the chief people officer to make meaningful change are all steps we can try to achieve.


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