Did you enjoy school?
Kind of, is the honest answer.
I always enjoyed learning so that part was cool (I could be a little smarty pants – sorry everyone that had to put up with me at school!)
I had friends, but I never felt like I completely fit in. I later realised this was probably down to being Dyspraxic.
What qualifications do you have?
A bunch of GCSEs from the second year they did them (yes that does date me) and some poor A-level results because I was having too much fun at that age. To make up for it, I had to work twice as hard to get my BA in Maths and Computing—definitely would’ve been easier to put in the effort when I was supposed to!
Later I completed an MA in Management Practice because I thought the MBA wasn’t practical enough. I also have a RSA typing qualification that my school wanted me to take because they thought I would be a secretary. I would’ve made an awful secretary, but being able to touch type has been useful.
Has your career path been a smooth transition, a rocky road or a combination of both?
I don’t think any woman in tech will claim her whole career path has been completely smooth, there’s always going to be some surprises or changes in direction along the way.
After doing Maths and Computing at University, I did a graduate programme for TSB, working in the IT department. I’ve always been interested in tech, ever since I was much younger and learning to code on my Commodore 64!
I realised throughout my early professional career that what I really enjoyed was problem solving. So, I basically followed the chances to solve bigger and more complicated problems, and I was a consultant for IBM and Atos.
Through the years I spent working in the tech industry, data quickly became my passion. I was one of the first women to take on the role of chief data officer at Network Rail, where I spent five years. Then, I left the safety of full-time employment in order to start my global data consultancy firm, Carruthers and Jackson, where I help organisations going through data transformation.
I’ve also surprised myself by thoroughly enjoying becoming an author, a job I never thought I’d have. It turns out writing about data is just as fun as working with it every day.
What specific challenges do you see women facing in the industry?
Since I first joined an IT department 30 years ago, we’ve seen some major progress in advancing women’s roles, and that’s something we should definitely appreciate.
But, there’s still plenty of room for improvement. One big challenge is that many organisations tend to hire people who look and think like the current team, which limits diversity.
Real diversity isn’t just about gender or background, it’s about having different perspectives and ways of thinking on a team. It’s so important to create a culture where everyone feels confident speaking up, challenging microaggressions, and contributing to a more inclusive workplace.
What is the best career advice you can give to others?
Be yourself! Early in my career, I tried to fit in and be like everyone else, and I think a lot of young girls do the same. My career really took off when I stopped pretending to be something I’m not. I used to worry that being 6ft tall made me stand out, but now I love it because standing out is a good thing. If I walk into a room full of men, it puts me on an even playing field.
If you had to pick one mentor that had the biggest influence on you, who would it be?
I’m going to have to cheat for this one as I can pick one, single influence!
For women working in tech, it’s so important to be part of a community where you can network, learn and flourish. In male dominated industries like tech, data and IT, this really makes a world of difference.
For me, being a part of the Women in Data community has had a huge influence on my career. I have gained knowledge from other women in similar positions and learnt more about the enormous advantages generated by diversity. The icing on the cake was speaking at their annual event this year about Halo and quantum data where I got to listen to the most amazing people, have fun and learn loads.
From where do you draw inspiration?
Generally, I’m inspired by people who stand up for what they believe in and use their voice to make the world a better place.
In my professional life, I’m genuinely inspired by how data and technology is advancing and changing the world around us. Every day, I get to see new, innovative ways that organisations are using data for significant business and societal impact. This is taking place across a wide variety of sectors, from policing to renewable energy, and it’s fascinating to see!
What is the biggest challenge you have faced to date?
The biggest obstacles as a female entrepreneur often stem from worrying about how we’re perceived or how badly we might fit in within the sector. Most of these are mental obstacles I’ve created for myself, but I am sure that almost every woman in a STEM career has experienced them. The biggest lesson in my career so far has got to be to learn to ignore critical comments early on and be confident in what you’re doing. You have to have thick skin to be successful in tech, and to view every failure as being another lesson learnt. In fact, I think we should celebrate failure more as it’s a clear demonstration that we are pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones.
What qualities do you feel makes a good leader?
I would say passion and curiosity! What makes a good leader is the natural inclination to understand, interrogate and push the limits of whatever industry they are working in.
From a work viewpoint, what has the last 12 months been like?
It’s been another jam packed year at Carruthers and Jackson, I can’t believe we’re nearing the end!
We just wrapped up our 7th Summer School for data leaders, an annual, online 10 week programme, where industry leading speakers impart knowledge and experience to help those early on in their career better understand their role and become more effective data leaders.
Recently I’ve also been commencing on some new really exciting data projects with customers to transform their operations, and had some brilliant speaking opportunities at global events.
What would you say are the biggest tech-based challenges we face today?
Recently, AI has dominated the news and technology agenda, and going forward, this technology will be integrated into most aspects of life and will produce new efficiencies and powerful, dynamic tools. For these reasons, we have to consider how humanity and technology can interact effectively.
No matter how sophisticated AI becomes, I’m a big advocate for ALWAYS having a human in the loop somewhere. So even if it’s just checking the consequences and the outcome of the actions that we’re taking and having the ability to go back if we need to, I think that the moment we’ve given that up, we’ve lost.
To ensure the roll out of AI is successful and benefits society as a whole, clear and concise global regulations need to be in place which establishes ethical guidelines, and spur innovation while limiting potentially negative consequences.
What can be done to encourage more women into the industry?
Simply put, more role models. Women need to see people who look like them in STEM roles from an early age and throughout their lives. This can be done through industry events, school visits, accessible online content etc. The main thing is that messages around diversity in technology reaches the intended audience to normalise women working in tech… and smashing it!
I’ve been lucky enough to meet my childhood role model, Maggie Philbin. As a kid growing up with a fascination in tech, it was amazing to see other women doing the things that interested me. Seeing Maggie as a host on the technology show, Tomorrow’s World alongside all the geeky, techy stuff really had a massive impact on my life and inspired me to pursue my career.
Give us a fact about you that most other people wouldn’t know.
Believe it or not… I’ve been bitten by a lion in South Africa!
