To celebrate International Women’s Day, we spoke to some of the leading women in our IT team who are at the heart of digital innovation within Yodel. They talk about their passion for working in tech, how the landscape has changed for women over the years, and share advice to women looking to explore similar career paths.
Helen Marshall, Chief Information Officer, has been at Yodel for 8 years, amassing an impressive 40 years of experience in the digital world throughout her career. Reflecting on the increasing number of women in IT, she said, “it’s so encouraging to see more women coming into the industry over the years. We have some fabulous women in Yodel across all areas of IT and they are truly inspirational. It is great to see their progression, both into new technologies and fields and also through the ranks.”
There is still room for improvement, however, in terms of education & accessibility into how women can develop in digital careers according to Kate Mortimer, Data Developer. “There was no mention of computer sciences in my career days at school in 2006. I was told to study English and become a teacher! I would be a terrible teacher”, she insisted. “I have dipped my toe into Unix, SQL, Python, a tiny spot of Java (which I would love to do more of), and VBA. The avenues of learning are endless if you want to pursue them. That’s the highlight of working with such a heterogenous range of skillsets as you see in Yodel IT.”
Charlotte Audas, Software Solution Design Manager, who has a team of 13, is central to the success of our UX solutions, overseeing numerous projects. She said, “when I started working in digital, the number of women working in the industry was significantly less than what you see today. We work with some really great women who are excellent at what they do in Yodel and working for a female CIO [Helen] is inspiring.” This sentiment is further echoed by Iqra Iqbal, UX Designer, who is one of Charlotte’s team, and she commented that “working alongside other talented and motivated women has been especially inspiring and has motivated me to continually strive to improve myself.”
There is a clear passion for development, innovation and ensuring that customers and clients have the best possible experience with Yodel. Bronagh Keenan, Graduate Test Analyst, who started in the Yodel Service Desk support team and has recently been promoted within the team, says “working for Yodel for the last few years, I’ve been able to see how the company is using technology to move forward and improve. It’s important that we continue to encourage women to pursue careers in tech to keep moving forward and reach our full potential”.
“Yodel IT has won many awards in recognition of our digital offering, and it’s been great over the years hearing the fantastic feedback from very satisfied customers, clients and our Yodel colleagues”, said Davine Liggett, IT Change Manager. “There is a clear vision for Yodel, and that’s really exciting to play such a significant part in”.
Discussing how she first got into tech, Alison Stott, IT Infrastructure Engineer, said, “I actually found myself working on an IT helpdesk and really enjoyed it so began to expand my portfolio and work my way up through infrastructure. As someone who attended an all-girls’ school, Alison said, “I was always encouraged to dismiss gender stereotypes and was instilled with the belief that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Nothing was off limits”.
Jenny Harden, IT Technical Delivery Manager, described a career in digital as one with endless possibilities, “I believe it’s the future, and anyone working in tech can change the world. There is no sign of things slowing down and the opportunities for growth are fantastic”.
