Women make up 26 percent of the computing workforce, and the percentage of female IT leaders globally remains at 9 percent with very little change over the last several years. Growing the underrepresented talent in this field is more important than ever–the U.S. Department of Labor expects 3.5 million computing-related job openings by 2026. In celebration of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, the Logitech Video Collaboration team is taking a moment to recognize women in IT who make a difference in their organizations every day.
We hope their stories of following their passions and putting their own spin on the IT industry will inspire others and encourage organizations to hire, support and promote more women. For guidance on increasing diversity in your workplace, we recommend NCWIT’s resource pages.
Haena Tran, Global Collaboration Lead, ServiceNow
Tran fell into IT nearly 15 years ago after a female manager approached her about an open role.
“I started my career in sales,” says Tran. “One day, our female IT manager came to me noting she was looking for someone to fill a video operations role because a previous person was retiring. She asked if I’d be interested because she liked my personality.”
At the time, Tran wasn’t sure and didn’t have direct experience, but she noted that the fact someone was willing to take a chance on her helped encourage her to give the role a shot.
“My manager told me that technical information was something she could easily train me on, but it was my attitude and personality that ensured her I could get the job done.”
From there, Tran transitioned to working with engineers, AV equipment and so much more. She slowly realized, she truly had a passion for the role because of the opportunity to work with others and help make a global impact.
“I’m passionate about the customer experience and making users happy with the right collaboration tools. It’s exciting to see how we can bridge the human aspect with technology while making collaboration fun!”
Grace King, Virtual Meeting Experience Lead, Ernst & Young
King has been working in IT for the past 30 years, starting in the 1990s during the original computer boom.
“Getting into IT was sort of accidental,” says King. “I’d always enjoyed tinkering and learning how things work, and it was around the 1990s where the proliferation of computers really took off for employees at my company.”
King was lucky enough to work for an organization that had a female CIO and leadership in IT. This helped inspire her to do more and take up a career in IT.
“I love that more organizations like mine are starting to recognize the gap in the female presence in IT. I also love that we’re bringing more gender parity and understanding the need for diversity and inclusion.”
King sees that the future of work is shifting to more video and collaboration tools. She believes women can have a large role in helping shape the virtual meeting era, including younger generations.
“I’m really passionate about mentoring and grooming younger generations to take up roles in this field. I’m hopeful for the ways collaboration will help women grow into different global roles.”
Saudat Atta, IT Manager, Thrive Digital
Atta’s knack for IT began when she was young, always being drawn to computers and excelling in IT while she was in high school. She went on to get her formal education and a Bachelors in Management Information Systems & Business Administration. Today, she’s focused on security policy enforcement, as well as identifying and mitigating security risks at ThriveDigital, while working on her Masters part-time in cybersecurity.
“I want to solve today’s business problems by creating value through technology,” says Atta. “I always put security first, as we’re in a time where if you don’t, bad things can happen.”
Atta’s passion for her IT career is specific to security and designing more protocols as privacy challenges for organizations grow. She’s also aware of the increasing demand for IT security professionals.
“It can be difficult to find talent with the right skills to fill the gap right now–this is a huge opportunity for women interested in IT. My advice for anyone looking to get into IT is to learn more about the industry, network, and seek mentors. We’re in a diverse world so be true to yourself and embrace the unique value you bring.”
Yiwen Zheng, Head of Cloud Architecture & Productivity
Zheng studied Chemical Engineering and began her career in this role about 20 years ago. She had the opportunity to work for a small team and quickly got exposure to IT by having the opportunity to develop, optimize and automate projects. Soon a female manager took notice and hired her for a position in IT.
“There were multiple candidates competing for the position, but she gave me the opportunity even though I didn’t have official IT training at the time,” says Zheng. “She told me afterward that she picked me because she liked the way I thought through problems although I didn’t give the answers right away.”
Once hired for the IT role, Zheng worked on a two-person team, getting exposure to many areas and functions within IT. Today, she heads up the Cloud Architecture & Productivity at Logitech, working across multiple functions in the business.
“I found my passion and talent in accelerating business through technology. I grew from a technical professional to becoming an innovation partner for Logitech– working on everything from entering new markets, setting up a new supply chain distribution center, and even designing an end-to-end solution for new product launches. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s to keep your mind open, focus on what you love doing, develop some good skills such as coding and interaction design, and never stop learning!”
Happy International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month!
