My experience at BBC Digital's Women in Technology Conference 2015

I have been a woman working in technology for over 20 years – frankly, that terrifies the life out of me. However, what is arguably more terrifying is that during that time, and increasingly in recent years, there has been an overall decline of the male/female balance in the field of IT.

Across the UK, females account for 45% of the overall working population. In the IT workforce this proportion is almost halved to just 23%, and has declined from 27% in 2001. In this context, BBC Digital hosting a Women in Technology Conference made for an interesting day.

Held on Friday 25th September at Broadcasting House, just stepping through the doors of this building, bulging with broadcasting history, makes you feel incredibly special – and this day was no different. From the off, being amongst all the delegates – all women! – was a revelation after attending the IT Directors Forum earlier this year where I was only 1 of 10 women out of 147 attendees.

Attendees were encouraged to tweet throughout the day using the hashtag #bbcwit, and this is something that seemed to take off straight away, following an initial introduction by Nicola Crowther who had done an outstanding job in organising everything.

The opening keynote speech from Grace Boswood, COO BBC Digital immediately inspired me. Standing in front of me was that rare thing: a woman, a family woman, who had ‘risen through the ranks’ and had a successful career in technology, heading up what seems to be one of the most rapidly changing divisions of the BBC.  Brilliant.

Next, a panel discussion hosted by Sangita Myska, addressing many of the issues facing women in the workforce today. A great mix of opinions from Grace Boswood, Kate Russell (BBC journalist), Tunde Ogungbesan (Head of Diversity & Inclusion, BBC), Vicky Brock (CEO, Clear Returns) and Julia Whitney (General Manager, BBC UX&D). Some key themes were discussed:

• gender bias is widespread and not just with the men, women are subconsciously doing it too;
• women’s assertion viewed as “aggression”;
• how women are treated in the workplace (top tip: make sure you sit in the right place at the meeting table ladies!);
• how a diverse workforce has massive benefits in terms of innovation and inspiration;
• positive discrimination is not the answer.

The inner workings of BBC iPlayer featured in the first showcase presentation of the day, presented by Rachel Evans. I don’t identify myself as a hugely technical person now, so this didn’t immediately appeal on paper. However, this presentation was for me, striking for one other reason. Rachel Evans was a living, breathing example of the BBC leading the way in diversity. Rachel Evans is a transgender woman. While that should be completely unremarkable, I still saw it as impressive. Outstanding BBC, outstanding.

Later, the BBC Digital teams all gave snapshot introductions to their individual areas of responsibility, not only continuing the fascinating insight into the inner workings of BBC Digital, but also, a real showcase of talent and people who evidently REALLY love their jobs. Overwhelmingly, everyone taking part in the day showed a genuine and touching pride at working for the BBC.

BBC Click presenter and journalist Kate Russell (pictured at top) shared her background of attending a girls school without access to technology (not dissimilar to my own) and discussed how she thought much of her drive and interest in technology was down to her brother, an interest which was at odds with her school putting sewing and home economics on the curriculum .

Kate’s experience may have been common, but it was different from mine. London schools in the early/mid 1980s, certainly in underprivileged areas of London, tended not to have access to emerging technology such as personal computers – irrespective of whether they were a girls or boys school. The girls school I attended only got its first computer for learning in 1985, when I moved into the 6th form. And I remember distinctly how we all thought we were incredibly lucky.

Kate’s presentation also included a useful overview on unconscious bias. I definitely encourage any readers visit the understanding prejudice website  - a fascinating insight into your own mind.

After personal development workshops in the afternoon , the penultimate sessions of the conference were a number of masterclasses including some insightful workshops into topics such as “Keeping the BBC ‘On Air’” and “Personal Profile & Impact” from TV and radio presenters. All attendees were very positive in their feedback and I certainly enjoyed the sessions I attended.

Dr Sue Black provided the final keynote and for me, the most inspirational talk of the day – rising from a single mother of 3 young children, to one of our generation’s leading female computer scientists, saviour of Bletchley Park and an alumni of Lewisham Southwark College (my home turf).

I really enjoyed my visit to the BBC and appreciated the Women in Technology conference. A truly inspirational day at every level – seeing role models who can inspire a new generation of technologists, getting an insight into the new world of the BBC, and getting an introduction to a digital BBC. Overall I left reassured that an IT conference doesn’t have to be male dominated. Women in Technology are a force to be reckoned with. Thank you BBC Digital. 

Lorna Jones is a Procurement Manager at Wellcome Trust