WeAreTechWomen, the technology arm of WeAreTheCity, hosted its fourth full-day conference for female technologists at etc. venues, Bishopsgate, London.
The conference, proudly sponsored and supported by Dell Technologies, saw over 500 attendees from across the technology sector and range of companies including Sky, Amazon, HSBC, Visa, Spotify, ASOS, Tesco, Goldman Sachs, DWP, BT and many more.
The conference was aimed at women in the tech sector who were looking to broaden their technology horizons, learn new skills and build their technology networks.
Facilitator Kate Russell, Journalist, Tech Reporter & Author, BBC Click, kicked off the day and welcomed all the delegates. The morning began with a number of keynotes from speakers such as Dr Pippa Malmgren, Founder, H Robotics; Sheridan Ash, Technology and Investments Director and Women in Technology Leader, PwC; Emma Kendrew, Intelligent Engineering Services Lead, Accenture Technology UKI; and Rob McCargow, Director of AI, PwC.
Across the day, delegates enjoyed listening to a number of high-profile speakers including Deborah O’Neill, Head of UK Digital, Partner, Oliver Wyman; Lopa Ghosh, Associate Partner, UKI Cyber Leader, People and Culture Lead, EY; and Caroline Criado Perez OBE, Writer, Broadcaster and award-winning feminist campaigner, author of Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men.
During her talk, Caroline highlighted the issue that gender inequality is more prevalent throughout technology than most realise, with data collection being designed around men.
Caroline went on to discuss that having a female body has led to women often being involved much less frequently than men in medical studies, resulting in a data gap that is impacting our understanding of health care in relation to women. The consequences of data bias is substantial with women often being incorrectly diagnosed because the symptoms for females often look different from those of males.
During the lunch break, delegates were treated to refreshment and had the chance to network with sponsors, browse tables and stands of tech-related products, as well as connect with a number of not-for-profit organisations including Autistica, Raspberry Pi, TechSheCan and Apps for Goods.
Throughout the day, attendees heard about artificial intelligence, big data, cyber security, tech innovation, payments, disruption, cloud technology, transformation, software engineering, and health tech.
Attendees were also invited to put their questions to speakers during a number of Q&A sessions. Topics ranged from increasing diversity in tech, career advice and flexible working.
The afternoon consisted of delegates attending their own chosen elective sessions to partake in hands-on activities and interactive workshops. Alexa, coding, payments, health tech, and data science were just some of the topics covered within the sessions.
Hosted by Ortis Deley, Host and Presenter, The Gadget Show, the Hall of Fame panel concluded the event and featured Professor Sue Black OBE; Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon MBE; Dorothee Schobert-Sargent; and Jacqueline de Rojas CBE.
Check out more of the conference buzz here.
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