“You’re A Unique Commodity – Valuing Yourself Is The Key To Everything”, Anna-Grace Millward, founder and director of Orbispace told a room packed with women (and a few men!) at yesterday’s B&T Breakfast Club, presented by Snapchat.
B&T wanted to run a special ‘Women in Tech’ breakfast club because our recent research revealed that 74 per cent of senior leaders in Australian tech businesses are male, and just 23 per cent female. And frankly, we just don’t think that’s good enough.
The four panelists included: Anna-Grace Millward, founder & director of Orbispace; Lisa Miller, head of product & growth at Canva; Fabiola Gomez, founder & director at LUXit; and Georgina Fox publisher partnerships and supply director at GroupM.
For over an hour, our panelists engaged in a lively and insightful discussion about what it means to be a woman in tech, overcoming imposter syndrome, and what to expect from the future of tech.
On what really excites her about working in the industry, Millward, founder & director of Orbispace, said: “We are the forefront of innovation. There’s no right or wrong way to do something. The whole idea is that we are doing things differently.”
On the future of tech, Lisa Miller from Canva said: “Tech companies have the opportunity to work and change the world”, adding that “tech founders have the opportunity to create the kind of web we were promised was never quite delivered in the early days.”
The topic of what it means to be a woman in tech and the challenges women in tech face was heavily discussed, with Georgie Fox from GroupM saying it’s important to “be OK with not knowing.”
She said: “There’s only going to be more and more information and things you have to know. Be honest about what you do and do not know and use your support network around you.”
Fabiola Gomez from LUXit agreed, saying: “I’ve never known all the answers, but I know there is one person who might know the answer. Don’t be afraid to ask.”
Miller said: “When I was younger, I didn’t seek support as much. Then I realised how much I could learn from others. She also added that sometimes, “you may have to forge the path.”
The idea of imposter syndrome was also widely discussed, with our panelists offering some great insights into how they overcome the feeling.
Gomez said: “You have to be true to yourself and what you know. Always be your authentic self and surround yourselves with great people. Play on what you’re really great with and the rest will follow.”
Miller added: “It’s really about disrupting your way of thinking. I just think: if not you, then who?”
When asked what advice our panelists would you give to women who want to move up in their company or move into adtech, Miller said it’s about pushing outside your comfort zone.
She said: “One of my failures was that I kept myself tight into the zone that I felt I should be operating in. I contained myself. You have to break outside of that and push to that next uncomfortable area.”
Fox added: “Don’t think about justifying why you should get the role. Remember your skills and abilities and don’t downplay your experience.”
Stay tuned for the next B&T Breakfast Club, it’s sure to be another cracker!
