Amito celebrates International Women’s Day #eachforequal

This International Women’s Day we choose to celebrate our Head of Service Delivery, Emily Ham. We interviewed Emily to get her views on #eachforequal, working in a male dominated industry and being a woman in tech.

How would you describe your role at Amito?

I have been with Amito for 18 months and I am the Head of service delivery, I work alongside the technical service team assisting with implementation ; onboarding, upgrades and changes.  My team are the main point of call for our clients throughout their relationship with Amito, and act as a bridge between the sales and technical teams.

This year International Womens day has the theme #eachforequal – what does equality mean to you?

I feel strongly that we should be judged as humans and as individuals there should never be discrepancy, whether it’s equal pay, or equal opportunities.

Tech has always been, and continues to be male dominated, do you think this is off putting to women entering the industry?

If you’re put off entering a male dominated arena then you will never be part of the change.  We have to be the change we want to see, not wait for someone else to do it for us.  Our tech team here are all male, the majority of applicants we receive are male; there is a much wider issue at stake here encouraging women into tech roles.  It doesn’t concern me being in a male dominated industry – its important to be confident, to stand up for what you think is right,  and to welcome challenge from both men and women.

How do we attract more women to tech and a career within an industry that has traditionally been dominated by men?

Most important thing women in tech can do is actively encourage other women into the industry, talk more about the roles that are available – even if it’s not a heavily technical role.  As women in male dominated industries we can be more vocal about our roles, our experiences, promote that it is a fun, safe environment and has many opportunities in a range of areas/roles.

What are the current challenges for women in tech?

There’s a difference between being listened to and being heard.  I think many women face the challenge of being heard in the workplace– our opinions are listened to but having the ability to effect change and transform current cultures and mindsets is hard. We need men to be on board with this too.   I have always worked in male environments and I recognise there can be a tendency to shift your personality to match the tone of the room – being laddish, ballsy, higher energy to make sure you continue to be heard.  Fighting for equality isn’t just a job for the girls – the more men that can stand alongside and support the change we need, the better; we are all in this together.

How do you see your role in #eachforequal?

I have a great opportunity to mentor my team as a female in tech,  the sales team and tech team here are currently all male so I feel a responsibility to try to maintain a strong female lead position so that other women coming in don’t have to shift or change their personality to fit in.  I set a standard and an expectation with the guys here, setting the correct boundaries, so there is an understanding that we are equals, we matter and are of value.

What has been your experience of #eachforequal at Amito?

The leadership team here are very good at making sure they are aware of how they interact and treat team members.  As someone that had no previous IT industry experience, I was nervous joining Amito, but the support I’ve received from my manager and others has been phenomenal. My manager has taken the time to understand the best way to manage me and adapts to each person in the team and their needs.

We all have strong relationships and I feel confident in my growth here, I have found an industry that I thrive in, and I definitely feel heard.