The recent virus has left us feeling a little blue in the tooth. We really didn’t expect it to go viral. 

I think we’re all ready for a bit of a reboot! It doesn’t seem to matter how much we plug-in to recharge, it’s a lot to process. 

But fear not, as today is the day that we celebrate all of the incredible achievements that women have made in contribution to science and tech. We dabble in science occasionally depending on our clients, but tech is 100% our domain! And to tell you a bit more, here’s some of our brilliant women in tech across My Clever Group and DBLX.  

Nicky Hoyland – CEO of My Clever Group and DBLX 

Nicky dived straight into technology after university, working with Cisco and Microsoft, which is where her interest sky rocketed. As a self-confessed nerd (and proud!), Nicky says: ‘I had an interest in the way conversations are translated between a technical person and a non-technical person and how that information is processed when tech isn’t your world. This was where the learning side came into play and how DBLX came around!’. 

When setting up DBLX, Nicky asked herself – how can we become a tech extension of a HR and learning team?  

‘They know their business and what they do really well but they don’t always know how technology can help. It was about taking two parts of the puzzle and allowing technology to be the glue that brings those things together. Technology isn’t the answer to everything because we are human beings and we will always need that interaction. But we’re trying to put human beings at the centre of tech rather than just forcing tech and process onto people. When you put a person first and think about that experience and how they feel, within that experience that’s what makes me tick. With Huler and everything we do with DBLX, I want to do something that matters, makes a difference and puts people back at the heart of HR technology. ‘ 

Hannah Smith – Group Marketing Manager at MCG 

Hannah says that working in tech is like being in the premier league of marketing, here’s why…   

‘I’ve worked my way around my fair share of industries, from alcohol, to bathrooms, homewares and even some food marketing  in between – and one thing I can tell you from working across various industries is that the best jobs you will have are when you are learning, growing and being challenged. Tech doesn’t stand still and when you’re competing with tech giants like Microsoft and IBM, you’re forced to think creatively,  because you will never win by simply having deeper pockets – you have to look outside the box and build brave bold brands that truly disrupt. Having worked for some very risk averse companies, the freedom to be creative is a welcome one!   

Though the experience for marketers at a tech company can differ drastically, I have landed the dream role surrounded by the coolest people you will meet! While it depends on the firm, most tech start-ups and other companies tend to be product-centric, totally focused on creating new products and technology, with very little input from marketing or focus on what the customer actually needs. But as tech companies grow, the most successful are the ones that learn how to involve and empower marketing to play a more strategic role in the business. Often an uphill battle– but not here! The vast majority of marketing roles in B2B businesses and tech companies are focussed on outbound marketing and demand gen activities. But the smartest companies are shifting strategic focus to include marketing involvement in shaping future product strategy and shaping the future innovation – just as you find in consumer goods and retail firms!   

If you’re someone who’s interested in building experience in more outbound marketing functions like digital marketing, marketing communications and growth funnels, then tech is the one! Working in tech is challenging, fast-paced and provides the opportunity to work alongside many other smart people! My advice would be to find a company who sees marketing as a strategic lever for future growth as well as a tool for conversion.   

I’m always looking to meet new people and talk all things marketing with other women in tech. Lets connect! ’

Emma Stockton – Full Stack Developer at MCG

Emma works as a full-stack developer at MCG, working on Huler, the brand-new Human Experience Platform.
‘I didn’t take a traditional route into tech and spent many of the last eight years travelling, working and living in different countries around the world. Most recently, I moved back to the UK from Vancouver after living there for 2 years and felt the urge to finally find what I wanted to do as a career.

I’d always been interested in technology as both my parents work in the tech sector, so I’d always been around it. It wasn’t until I came across an advertisement for a ‘Step Into Tech’ course with an amazing company called TechReturners, that I realised it would be possible for me to get into programming without a computer science degree or something similar. It was through this course that I was able to learn the fundamentals of coding and found that it was something I absolutely loved doing, so I carried on!

Now, working on Huler, it’s been so interesting to see a project from the beginning and see it take shape. I’ve already gained so much experience since starting six months ago and know that I will continue to learn after Huler goes live and we can begin to get that all important customer feedback!’

Kianat Basheer – Trainee Product Owner at MGC

Kianat is an Account Executive at MCG, working closely with Huler!

‘I first started showing an interest in technology when I was about 10 years old. I remember getting a Nintendo DS for my birthday and I thought it was the best thing ever. I thought it was crazy that I could have this little device that I could carry around with me all day which would keep me entertained.

The thing I love most about technology now is the way it brings people together. I have family abroad and without apps like Skype and Zoom I wouldn’t have gotten to know them the way I have. I think the fact that tech is limitless is something that is super inspiring because it means that no idea is too big or small!!

What’s exciting me the most in the tech world right now is Huler! I think the combination of consumer grade technology in your professional life is going to be a game changer and I can’t wait for it to get out there.’

Daisy Maclennan – Front End Developer at MCG

Meet Daisy, one of our Front-End Developers at MCG!

‘I can remember finding an interest in tech right from when I started secondary school in year 7. We programmed these bumblebee robots to go through little obstacle courses which I thought was super fun. We also made some really basic HTML pages with a background colour, an image and some text. Later on at school when everyone chose which subjects to study, I ended up in a group with 30 boys! We started learning how to write basic Python code for our coursework and I felt like I flourished! I loved how logical everything was and I could make sense of it in my mind. It was then that I decided that was what I wanted to do for a career, so I used my coursework to help me get my first role at Si digital and it all kicked off from there.

The thing I love the most about technology is that it’s always evolving, there will always be something new to learn. If I got bored of being a front-end developer tomorrow, I know I’m not stuck at a dead end where I would have to completely relearn a career because my skills are so specific. I could learn to be a game developer, an app developer, a graphic designer, or a teacher. There are so many aspects of life where tech skills are a necessity so you could never regret dedicating your whole life/career to it.

Technology inspires me because of all the things you can create by utilising it – the way you could manipulate humans’ responses to a website through animations and produce a positive reaction. There’s no limit to what you can do!’