Next week I’m attending the WIICTA Awards, and it got me reflecting on what it means to be a woman in tech leadership today.

I’ve recently said to a friend, “Wouldn’t it be great if we had a ‘Men in Tech’ award as well?” The silence that followed reminded me that these awards exist for a reason.

So I looked into the numbers. Why are initiatives like WIICTA needed? Simply put: because women are still vastly underrepresented in tech. And when it comes to leadership roles, the gap widens further. If you look at women in the childbearing age bracket in say, 25 to 40 they all but disappear from senior tech leadership. There’s little to no data on this specific group, but you only need to attend a few meetings or industry events to see the pattern.

Is it needed? Absolutely.

The numbers don’t lie. Women hold less than 30% of tech leadership roles overall. Representation among CEOs, CIOs, and CTOs remains particularly low:

Women in Tech Leadership:

• NASDAQ-100: Only 14% of tech leaders are women. (HRreview)
• ASX Tech Companies:
  • C-suite Executives: ~29%
  • CEOs: ~9.5%
  • CIOs: 17%
  • CFOs (ASX100): 24%

In New Zealand and Australia, we’re inching forward, but progress is painfully slow. Much of the visible representation comes from finance leadership roles like CFOs. Women in CEO, CTO, or CIO positions are still exceptions, not the norm.

The business case is clear.

A Deloitte report found that achieving gender parity in leadership could add $881 million to the New Zealand economy. Research by BCG and the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) in Australia showed that companies with more women in senior leadership roles delivered 34% greater ROI from innovation. These companies were also more agile and better at leading change.

That tracks with what I’ve seen and experienced firsthand. So how do we make it happen?

While there is lots of information on this topic online, I wanted to look under the hood and offer my personal perspective of what has, and hasn’t worked for me.

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What’s Worked for Me — And What Can Companies Do?

1. Offer real flexibility.

For me, flexibility has been THE game-changer. I work four days a week, often remotely. I have the option to pick up the kids from their after school program, attend school assemblies, eat breakfast and dinner with them, share stories from our day, and still meet my work goals…often just by logging back in after bedtime for an hour of so.

Remote working isn’t just a benefit. It’s a way to attract and retain women in tech. Add a travel budget that allows you to stay connected with colleagues on a regular basis, offer hybrid options, and make it part of the culture. There is an immense benefit this carries for both parties, in improved mental health, energy levels and attitude. When you have a full cup to pour from, you feel that you can move mountains.

2. Align the scope of roles with real opportunity.

Pulling women out of BAU and into strategic, transformative roles builds leadership capability and can accelerate growth. It’s not about “lightening the load”. It’s about meaningful, high-value work that enables focus.

3. Help build confidence.

Programs like Women Rising (backed by Microsoft) have been hugely beneficial for me. One of my early supporters, an incredible male ally, nominated me for that program and also connected me with a mentor who was a senior Microsoft exec. That changed a lot for me.

It doesn’t take much. Sometimes, it’s as simple as saying, “Yes, I support that,” or backing a woman’s idea in a leadership meeting. These moments compound into real momentum.

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My Journey

I’ve worn a lot of different hats: I started in media, moved through audit at PwC, then brand management in primary industries and eventually found my way into tech sales and leadership.

Ironically, it’s been tech that has felt the most inclusive of all those industries. The global nature of the work helps. There’s more flexibility, asynchronous hours, and diverse teams. I can work evenings for UK hours, but 80% of my work can flex around my life as a parent.

And yes, I’ve had the “too commercial / not commercial enough” feedback, been called “too young” and “too customer-focused”. What got me through was learning to acknowledge the feedback, not take it personally, and stay grounded in my values. There is a great exercise for this called The “Passengers on the Bus” which was developed by psychologist Steven C. Hayes, the founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I use this often.

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So, What Now?

Representation matters. Whether it’s the commercial success of the company we’re looking for, or whether we’re innately driven to help women just because it’s the right thing to do. We need more men, as well as senior female leaders actively encouraging it.

I’m doing my bit by volunteering as a mentor, leading a local group of tech leaders, supporting my amazing women colleagues – and doing my best to show my two daughters that you can achieve anything if you persevere.