As we celebrate International Women’s Day, it’s important to recognise the significant contributions that women have made to the tech industry. Despite facing many obstacles, women continue to break barriers and drive innovation in this rapidly evolving field. In this article, we have interviewed a group of inspiring women in our business to share their experiences and insights. They discuss how they got started, the exciting developments they’ve seen, and their advice for other women looking to break into the industry.

Through their stories, we hope to highlight the importance of gender diversity and encourage more women to pursue careers in tech. Let’s introduce the team:

Gabrielle Brosas – Customer Success Manager

Taylor Raffoul – PowerApps Consultant

Anuja Marathe – Principal Solutions Manager

Alisa Smirnova – Functional Consultant

Audrey Vania – Graduate Consultant

What inspired you to pursue a career in tech?

Gabrielle: I originally started out in tech by accident. I was the subject matter expert from the business in a large Microsoft Dynamics project and after working in tech for a few months on the project, I really enjoyed the work and how tech made hard tasks much simpler.

Taylor: I was interested in how IT and businesses interacted. I liked seeing how things worked and made an impact.

Anuja: I have always been interested in technology and love to keep up with any changes. Working in tech was a natural choice for me.

Alisa: My biggest inspiration was the industry itself. The constant change and improvement of tech industry always piqued my interest.

Audrey: I can’t imagine a world without technology – technology can help you in so many ways and I want to be part of it.

 

What are some of the most exciting developments you’ve seen in tech over the past few years, and how do you see them impacting society as a whole?

Gabrielle: Personally, I love the technology in my car and the fact that I can do everything without touching my phone! Professionally though I’m amazed every day at the changes Microsoft are putting into the power platform and Dynamics environments. It used to take so long for simple changes where you needed additional applications to support the core system, but now there is so much that can be done directly in the platform without third part tools. Its great seeing this evolution and knowing what an impact this has for our clients.

Taylor: I think seeing how automation and AI has developed is really interesting – AI especially has become a really powerful tool that gets incorporated in ways that are very subtle like search engines.

Anuja: Right now, I think the automation space is really exciting. The way technology is growing and making changes to our everyday life is awesome and I can’t wait to see the improvements they make in the future.

Alisa: I would say AI and chatbots (honourable mention to Chat GTP) have been one of the most exciting dev-ops recently. It has been helping me and my team to deliver better results to our customers.

Audrey: Definitely AI, machine learning – Chat GPT has really impressed me with its ability to reduce the time people spend googling.

 

How do you stay current and continue learning in a rapidly evolving field like tech?

Gabrielle: I like reading articles about tech news and subscribing to product updates with Microsoft.

Taylor: Being proactive and taking time to have a go with new technology is a way I like to continue learning. I also like reading up on changes and updates.

Anuja: Tech is my passion, so I like to read about any news in the industry. Tech is a fast-moving business, so you have to keep learning and keeping track of what’s new.

Alisa: It is crucial to stay in the loop. I think apart from reading daily news and talking to my peers, Microsoft and their learning paths has helped me a lot.

Audrey: Being passionate & trusting the process. Also, be open to making mistakes instead of trying to be perfect and understanding everything all at once.

 

What advice would you give to other women who are just starting out in the tech industry?

Gabrielle: Don’t be afraid to ask question from people who already know. If you are really keen and have an inquisitive attitude, you’ll succeed.

Taylor: Advice I’d give is to try everything with every given opportunity. You can’t really know if you enjoy something until you give it a try.

Anuja: I would say always be open to learning as much as you can. Knowledge is the key, and you can never have too much of it.

Alisa: Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. There are always ways to learn new things and grow in your career.

Audrey: Don’t get easily frustrated! Because tech is not something you can instantly master in a short time. A simple task can take up a lot of your time when you first get started.

 

How have you seen the tech industry change since you first started, and what changes would you like to see in the future?

Gabrielle: The tech space has gone from engineers sitting behind walls ‘in the dark room’ coding and holding all the keys, to being open to anyone being able to jump in and build some amazing tech. I see innovation continuing to increase and more people being able to solve every day problems using the tech tools available to us all today.

Taylor: There’s been a lot of changes in terms of updating and improving existing technology. I think AI is becoming a really big change. I’d love to see how AI becomes more incorporated into day-to-day life.

Anuja: So much has changed. I’m glad to see people from all walks of life joining the industry as technology becomes more accessible to everyone. I’d like to see that continue in the future.

Alisa: In the last few years the tech industry has changed a lot in making life easier for both developers and users. In the future I would really love to see more use of AI tech and Robotics. These are very exciting times to live in.

Audrey: I’ve only joined the tech industry less than a year, so not much has changed but I’d like to see tech as something that all people are comfortable doing. Hoping to have more low-code/no-code development in the near future.

 

What do you think the future of tech will look like, and what role do you see women playing in it?

Gabrielle: Tech leadership is still quite male dominated. As more women move into the field, I think there will be greater women in tech leadership positions, from start-ups to large companies.

Taylor: I think tech will continue to change rapidly, some things might stick around (security, AI, automation, apps) but otherwise it’s always adapting to changes. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for women to take part in such a changing industry within teams or as leaders.

Anuja: I think the future is bright for the tech industry. As we continue to innovate, we will see more complex problems being solved. I think more women will continue to join the tech industry and take up more leadership roles.

Alisa: The tech industry will continue changing but I am sure people will still be a huge part of that process.

Audrey: I think in the future, tech will be much more affordable and accessible than it is today. And everything tech-related will be incorporated into our daily lives. I see women joining the industry in a wide variety of career paths. Some will handle technicalities, and some women are more passionate to join on the business side.

 

Moving Forward

We must remember that our work towards a more inclusive and diverse technology industry is ongoing. We must continue to elevate the voices of women in tech and create an environment that welcomes and supports all genders. By doing so, we can unlock the full potential of the industry, drive innovation, and create a better future for all. Let us take the lessons and insights we’ve gained from these incredible women and work together towards a more equitable and inclusive future.