Despite making up half of the working population just 26% of the UK tech workforce are women. Historically underrepresented in the industry particularly in technical roles and leadership positions, this disparity has far reaching consequences for businesses, limiting innovation and progress.
What are the benefits of attracting diverse freelance talent to your business? Hiring diverse perspectives can bring huge benefits to your business. Diverse teams are more innovative, more productive and more profitable and hiring diversely can enable you to access a wider range of skills and experience. But don’t just take our word for it, the stats speak for themselves:
· Diverse companies derive 45% of revenue from innovation compared to 26% from those with below average diversity
· They are also 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market
· Companies with greater gender diversity are 25% more likely to have above average profitability
· 67% of people consider an inclusive workplace to be an important factor when looking for a role
While building diversity into your long-term hiring strategy is the goal, your freelancers can be a great source of diverse perspectives. In the past decade remote working technology and changing employer attitudes to flexible working have meant that freelance work has become more attractive to talent from a wide range of backgrounds and has made many industries more accessible to freelancers from underrepresented groups.
Meaning that freelance contractors are a great way for you to access tech skills and engage with talent from a wider range of backgrounds.
6 trailblazing women leading innovation in tech On that note, let’s celebrate International Women’s Day, by exploring some of the talented and trailblazing women who are leading innovation in the tech sector:
1. Kellee Santiago
Game developer and entrepreneur Kellee Santiago has been a champion for creating innovative and meaningful games that push the boundaries of what people understand games to be. Under her leadership, thatgamecompany , created the critically acclaimed and commercially successful games ‘Journey’, ‘Sky’, and ‘Flower’, which was inducted into the Smithsonian Museum’s permanent collection. In her role as CEO of Fellow Traveller she continues to shape the future of gaming by supporting and empowering indie developers. With her passion for creativity and her commitment to diversity and inclusion in the gaming industry, Santiago has become a leading voice and an inspiration to many.
2. Andrea Loubier Mailbird is a leading email client for Windows. Under the leadership of former CEO Andrea Loubier it’s become known for its user-friendly interface, advanced features and exceptional customer support. Her focus on innovation and customer satisfaction combined with tech and business savvy has helped make Mailbird one of the most popular email clients for Windows. Loubier now acts as an Advisor for Mailbird and writes for Forbes on remote work, female entrepreneurship and technology.
3. Reshma Saujani Girls Who Code , Reshma Saujani has made a significant impact on the tech industry by providing girls and young women with the skills and opportunities they need to succeed in technology and related careers. A leader in the fields of technology education, she aims to close the gender gap in technology and through her advocacy she has helped to increase the representation of women in tech and inspire the next generation of leaders. Girls Who Code announced that 80,000 of its graduates had entered the workforce as of February 2021.
4. Anne Boden Starling Bank was an early disrupter in the financial technology industry. Founder Anne Boden is one of the most prominent women in FinTech and she was able to leverage her years of experience in the financial sector along with a passion for tech to change the face of online only banking. While women are still underrepresented in the FinTech industry, Boden is proud of the fact that 40% of the executive team at Starling itself are women and has said; “As long as we create an environment that’s welcoming, I’m certain fintech companies can change for the better.”
5. Min Lee Humin , and NHS digital transformation project manager, Min Lee is an entrepreneur and healthcare technology expert. She is passionate about bringing meaningful change to health provision with the power of tech and knows just how technology can bring impactful, positive outcomes to people struggling with their mental health. With an app in development at Humin and a place on the NHS Clinical Entrepreneur programme her career in healthcare innovation is one to watch!
6. Jennifer Cambell Jen Cambell has worked with some of the UK’s biggest museums, including the Natural History Museum and the V&A. She helps clients large and small to develop their customer relationship management strategies and systems throughout the customers entire lifecycle, from initial contact to after-sales support. We count ourselves lucky at Hubbado that Jen is a part of our community .
Our community of expert consultants can connect you with diverse talent and help you access the skills you need Hubbado is a resource management platform that gives you access to a vetted community of skilled consultants quickly and conveniently, so you always have access to the skills and expertise you need to take your business forward. Members of our exclusive community are vetted by an expert in their job sector for their industry knowledge, certifications, communication skills & more. Meaning you always know you’re accessing leaders in their field.
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