1. Empowering Tech Women to
lead in ICT
Development Conference

2. 2
When [what you are deeply passionate about, what you can be best
in the world at and what drives your economic engine] come
together, not only does your work move toward greatness, but so
does your life. For, in the end, it is impossible to have a great life
unless it is a meaningful life. And it is very difficult to have a
meaningful life without meaningful work. Perhaps, then, you might
gain that rare tranquility that comes from knowing that you’ve had
a hand in creating something of intrinsic excellence that makes a
contribution. Indeed, you might even gain that deepest of all
satisfactions: knowing that your short time here on this earth has
been well spent, and that it mattered.”
― Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't

3. 3
 Empowering Tech Women to LEAD
 Scenario
 Moral obligation to open more doors
 A certain level of consciousness
 Raising people’s hope to higher heights
Anyone can be a leader Sitting at the table
 Authentic power within you
 Delivering outrageous value
 Leaving the crowd
 Relentless dedication to
impact, not image
(leadership 2.0 – a philosophy)
 Running your own race
 Against shrinking of character
 Against giving away power

4. 4
 Challenges & Impediments
 Industry, academics, Government, Society at large
 Most – external
 What about Internal barriers?
 Within our sphere of control
 ICT needs us
 Impact of ICT
 Women still bear the brunt of operating in
unmordenized circumstances
 Products and services that reflect consumer base
Driver of economic
performance
Competitive advantageProductivityHigh rate of innovation
across countries
Quality life
improvement & social
progress

5. 5
“The lack of women represents a loss to society of the types of ICT that might
come from non-male perspectives. I do not hesitate to say that an ICT work
force that was more representative of humanity would result in technology
which was more humane. All too often technology is imposed upon us
aggressively and before it is fit for purpose. And yes, I am in ICT thinking of
automatic tills at supermarkets when I say that. It is common sense, because
we know that innovation comes from the creative exchange of ideas between
individuals. If all the individuals in a company or sector come from the same
background, there is necessarily a limit to the ideas and innovation”
- Labour MP Chi Onwurah, a former telecommunications engineer and fellow of the
Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)
“Technology will never have the position it merits at the heart of our society and
economy if it remains the preserve of such a narrow section of society. To drive
our economy forward sustainably, ICT needs to be a part of our society and our
culture. Given the challenges we face as a nation, we cannot allow ICT to
remain such a male occupation”

6. 6
“The lack of women in the technology sector may be
more a problem of retention than attraction“
-Kay Furman-
Founder of Graduate Women at MIT and a PhD candidate at the
university, thinks
 2003 - only one-third of women with a computer science bachelor’s
degree were still employed in SET job two years after graduation
 74 % of women in tech report “loving their work,” yet leave their
careers at a staggering rate:
 56 percent of technical women leave at the “mid-level” point
- when the loss of their talent is most costly to companies.
 More than double the quit rate for men.
 Also higher than the quit rate for women in science & engineering

7. 7
 Lack of co-ordination of efforts/initiatives
Education
& Training
Strategic
Non-
Core
Core
Non-
Core
Who’s replenishing the centre?
What is the strategy?

8. 8
Mary Kies - first woman to
earn a patent in her own
name - 1809
Sybilla Masters
cornmeal Idea
- To patent the idea
Went to England to
obtain a patent
Ownership
 Father
 Husband
1715 – patent
issued, with the name
Thomas
developed a way of
weaving straw into hats
(an economic boom for
NE)
what’s the significance of
this?
acknowledgement of her
ability to create; invent
led the way for other
female inventors to take
credit for their ideas
• Advancements in computers
Admiral Grace Murray Hopper
- role in the computer industry
3rd person to program - IBM’s
Mark I computer (1st large
scale computer in the US)
1950s – invented the
compiler –translated English
commands into computer
code
Co-invented COBOL (Common
business-oriented language)
At the end of the 20th century, only 10% of all patents were awarded to
female inventors (Bedi J.E).

9. 9
 So, what does this tells us?
 Hurdles in receiving credit for our ideas (Sybilla
Masters)
 No lack of ingeniousness/creativity/innovation as
available data may suggest
 Have the magical light bulb moment of
inspiration
 Patenting an invention by a woman “is just not
the standard template”

10. 10
 Fortunately – we’ve progressed as the world
 Patenting is encouraged and legal
Impact of decades of marginalization:
 Self doubt, self-ridicule ….self-prejudice
 We consume and not create
 Shift from consumption to creation

11. 11
2012 – Old mutual signed a R2.5 billion ICT infrastructure-
management contract with T-Systems South Africa.
2012 – Std Bank partnered with software company Pastel
whereby its accounting package will be made available
online
ITWeb also reported that ABSA bank is to spend R8-billion
on ICT in the years to 2014

12. 12
Some questions:
1.Who is innovating in ICT?
2.How do we know this?
3.What can we do with this
information?
4.What do we need to change the
picture?

13. 13
Some questions:
1.Where are the women in ICT?
2.Are they really not innovative?
3.Is their skill and knowledge not
adequate to innovate?
4.What do we need to inculcate the
culture of innovation amongst ourselves?
5.What do we need to unlock that power
within us to achieve great things?

14. 14
In our success, we carry the dreams of many and in our failure we
bury their dreams. Never undermine the obligation imposed by
your disposition