Women Leading Tech: Outfit’s Bridie Easton On Making The Tech Sector A Safe Place For Women
While the 2021 Women Leading Tech awards have been and gone, at B&T we are always looking to celebrate the brilliant women leading the tech industry.
Bridie Easton is Outfit’s VP for Global Customer Success. She spoke to B&T about how calling out sexism is essential for making the industry safe for women, and shared some of the women who inspire her most.
B&T: How has the last year transformed your professional life?
BE: There’s absolutely no denying that the pandemic has turned our lives (personal and professional) upside down, and in start-ups, pandemic or not, things move and change quickly.
The last year has been an interesting one for Outfit. We closed our Series A funding round in January 2020, and although the world slowed down, Outfit continued to grow. So for me, professionally, leading a completely remote team was a learning curve. The methods learned over the years for coaching, giving feedback, and supporting teams were mainly face-to-face and in person.
So shifting to more Zoom calls, Hangouts, and Slack messages than you could poke a stick at – was a fun test of communication skills and working styles. We learned a lot about each other and what gives (and takes) motivation and energy, and now we’re back in the office – we’ve brought all that knowledge with us.
What steps can tech businesses take to ensure that they are supporting female leaders?
Tech has historically been a pretty male-dominated industry, but it’s (slowly) getting better. I think acknowledging or assessing your team’s gender diversity is the first step. Then having a clear and robust hiring process to make sure you’re avoiding those unconscious biases of hiring people that are like the people you already have. Actively avoiding the “gender roles” that exist in all businesses – i.e. women in admin, HR or customer-facing roles. Get your female team involved in mentorship or offering professional development programs, and be active in the tech community so other women in tech feel seen or see a path for their future.
Internally, within your business – make it a safe place for women to work. This is an obvious one – everyone should feel safe at work, but for women and other minority groups in tech, feeling safe is one thing, but feeling heard, respected, having equal pay and having a team that doesn’t tolerate sexism or underhanded “putting down” of women is pivotal. Calling out this behaviour can lead to some awkward conversations, but not having the conversations is worse, and your business will be better for it.
What are the biggest challenges facing the tech industry right now, and do you have ideas about how to overcome those obstacles?
With COVID in mind, business risk and continuity plans are a hot topic. Identifying risk and working to have solutions at the ready can be something that start-ups tend to deprioritise – focusing instead on the question of speed, scale and payback period. However, identify future risk early is key to helping businesses scale and helps reduce unavoidable tech debt.
Integrations and automation are also exciting challenges. Being able to quickly and painlessly integrate with other platforms means staying competitive. It also means your business is not taking on the burden of building something from scratch, which takes time and money and potentially strays from your core offering.
Automation has a significant impact on reducing the risk around using legacy processes. Removing the need for your team (or your customers) to spend hours on repetitive manual tasks helps reduce burn out and human error, and allows your team to focus on more.
What do you think makes the successful foundations for leadership?
At Outfit, one of our core values is: we pursue excellence, and we’re excellent to each other. This value puts our team and leadership expectations right up front, and it’s used as a measuring stick for our interactions with each other and the quality of our work. So a fantastic foundation of leadership is being aware of your core values, being clear in your communication and being diligent and generous when upholding them.
Also, understand your team, their working styles, what motivates them, and be their advocate. Bear with me here, but leadership is like knowing how to cook; you have some recipes down pat, you have some that you’re working on improving and some recipes you don’t even know exist. This means that as a leader, you’re constantly learning and improving your skills. So have an open mind and be open to feedback from your team and coaching from your peers.
Do you have a woman in tech hero?
Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code is constantly inspiring, and Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube holds a special place for me.
Susan was the 16th employee at Google and started as a Marketing Manager, which is also one of my earliest roles. Having nearly 10 years of experience in tech start-ups myself and seeing women like Susan, and how she went from strength to strength at Google, is encouraging. Susan suggested the initial acquisition of YouTube and is now their CEO, She’s also written a fantastic book – How To Break up the Silicon Valley Boys’ Club, definitely worth a read for women and men in the industry.
Thank you to our Women Leading Tech sponsors:
Latest News
Choose A Path Less Trodden This Cannes In Cairns
Don’t be basic. Think creatively and you shall reap the benefits of Cannes in Cairns. “We want brands!” “We want the CMOs!” We heard you and we acted. The content slate at this year’s Cannes in Cairns, presented by Pinterest, is packed to the rafters with some epic brands and top marketing talent. But that’s […]
Cannes In Cairns MC Keeva Stratton Shares Her Top Session Picks
Self-professed nerd and one of four top Cannes in Cairns, presented by Pinterest MCs, Keeva Stratton has a front-row seat to some fascinating minds and fierce debates. But who should you put on your must-see, must-hear list? Here, B&T grabs five with the Quip agency founder, who will be helming the lecture in the Rainforest […]
Here Are The Agencies That Made AFR’s Best Places To Work List And What The Industry Can Learn From Them
Did your office not make the list? Make sure your boss shouts at least two schooners at office drinks come Friday.
Get Ready, B&T’s Best Of The Best Is Back With The Top Holding Company Executive Leaders – Creative!
Want to know who the Grandest of the Grand Poobahs in the industry are? Look no further than this exhaustive list.
How A Glittering Campaign Helped The Australian Museum Sell 400,000 Tickets
B&T thoroughly enjoyed the Ramses exhibition at The Australian Museum, despite thinking we were going to the Archibald.
TV Ratings (30/04/2024): A “Shoey” Straight From A Fish’s Mouth Launches The Cheap Seats Into 2024
Last night's TV saw horny farmers beat Lego nerds, who beat fame-obsessed home cooks, who beat a chap with a large fish.
Spotlight Extends Partnership With Starlight Children’s Foundation
B&T always happy to promote the excellent work of the Starlight Foundation. Less so the Starfish Fanciers Foundation.
Amazon’s Advertising Quarterly Revenue Soars To $11.8bn
There are so many Amazon couriers visiting B&T headquarters at the moment our office dog doesn't know who to maul first.
VML Wellington Welcomes Jacob McGregor As Pou Ārahi Māori
McGregor set to lead cultural competency and safety at VML Wellington in important new gig.
“They Grow Up So Fast”: Simon Fowler On Five Years Of ABEL
Abel's CEO talks lessons learned from the agency's first five years. Including staff nicking all the Nespresso capsules.
Kyle & Jackie O Urge Melbourne To Pick A Side
Who can stop Kyle & Jackie O's indelible march into Melbourne radio? Is Peter 'Moony' Moon waiting by the phone?
Future & Taika Waititi Feature In Striking New Global Belvedere Campaign
Not only does drinking vodka make you cool like these dudes, it also has great weight loss properties for the bone idle.
The Fall Of Bonza: A Case Study In How To, And Not To, React In A Crisis
Does the collapse of yet another budget airline hark back to a gentler time of 17 hours spent on a Greyhound bus?
Opinion: Agencies, Be Unique – Stop Using The Word “Unique!”
Trinity P3's Ellie Angell says agencies are overusing the word unique. You could add omnichannel & holisitic to that.
Ex Marketing & Advertising Exec Releases Melanoma Memoir
Ex-adlander Anne Gately has penned a tome to skin cancer. Which is a handy reminder to check your moles, people.
Mamamia Appoint Danni Wright As New Head Of Strategy
Danni Wright takes up Mamamia's strategy reins with a feng shui expert called over positioning of office chaise lounge.
From The Bureau: Championing Competency & Cross-Industry Collaboration
The IAB's Jonas Jaanimagi calls for more specialisation in adtech. Meaning you'll understand it less than you already do.
Rumble Nabs Renee Park From Cutting Edge
Rumble has recruited Renee Park as one of its new sound designers. And it's only right to make some noise about it.
iD Collective Teams Up With City Of Parramatta To Amp Up NRL Fan Experience
Adland's often lampooned for never going further west than Surry Hills. So this Parramatta news is welcome indeed.
Slew Of New Hires At The Company We Keep
The Company We Keep announces new hires. Here's hoping it doesn't impact the RBA's interest rate decision.
UnDigital Announces Brand Refresh Helping Clients Achieve More Than 600% Sales Increase
Warning - this headline comes with some obscene bragging. Much like the B&T editor's 5/8 in the weekend footy tipping.
Microsoft Advertising: “We Make The Complicated Simple”
Microsoft ads wants to make the complicated simple. The total opposite to Korean restaurant menus & the recent Yes vote.
TV Ratings 29/4/24: Farmer Wants A Wife And Lego Masters Lock Horns In Overnight’s Battle
Who won the battle of the big guns - Lego or Farmer Wants A Wife? One thing's for sure, it wasn't Great Train Journeys.
Nielsen Data Reveals Brands Spending Big To Attract Aussie Tourists
Nielsen Ad Intel data has revealed that the travel and tourism industry spent more than $153 million on advertising in Australia in Q1, 2024 – an increase of 8 per cent from the previous quarter, with TripADeal the biggest spender, followed by Virgin Australia, then the Flight Centre-owned Ignite Travel. As many Australians return from […]
IAS Awarded New Responsible AI Certification From Trustarc
Integral Ad Science tossing up over the mahogany or teak frame after being awarded TRUSTe Responsible AI Certification.
AWARD Calls For Hall Of Fame Nominations
B&T's noms for AWARD Hall of Famer includes Louis The Fly, Chums' talking Scottie dog & Mumbrella's coke dealer.
Havas Red Wins PagerDuty PR Account
Havas Red wins PagerDuty's PR. And judging by B&T having to Google PagerDuty, it could probably do with some help.
ACA Poised To Release Results Of 2023 Create Space Census
The Advertising Council unveils date for its census results. Hey, why not coincide it with an office lamington drive?
Why Fear Is Essential To Fernando Machado’s Creativity
If there's anyone B&T loves to chat to, it's fabled marketer Fernando Machado. Although the 5am time difference sucks.
Superdry Drafts AFL’s Patrick Lipinski For New Campaign
B&T fast regretting that poncho we just bought, as it appears the puffer jacket returns as winter's hottest trend.
Elon Musk vs eSafety: Legal Experts Warn That ‘Rogue Operators’ Like X Are Unlikely To Win Federal Court Battle
If this legal stoush boils down to who can afford the better lawyers, B&T's backing Mr Musk every single time.
Amy Poehler Presents First Look At Inside Out 2 At Vivid Sydney 2024
Vivid isn't about freezing your arse off while looking at lights on a wall, as you'll learn with this Amy Poehler news.
Mutinex Launches DataOS Improving Data Warehousing & Quality For MMM Marketers
Work in marketing? Does your data warehousing resemble a teenager's bedroom? Here's a Marie Kondo-approved read.
IMAA Celebrates Three Years Of Group Trade Credit Insurance Deal
Are you a struggling indie? Thinking of firebombing the building for the insurance money? IMAA has you covered here.
Adam Sandler Seemingly ‘Slams’ Ukraine In Pro-Kremlin Campaign
Host of A-list celebs caught slamming Ukraine's president. Thankfully it does have the Milli Vanillis about it.
New Marketing & Comms Agency For Defence & Aerospace Industry Takes Flight
As painful as this is to say, judging by current world events, the bomb & tank industries must be in rude health.