Leading cyber security bodies and telecoms firms join pledge to get more women into tech roles
Four more leading telecoms organisations have joined Ofcom in committing to help more women access technology roles across the telecoms industry.
The telecoms sector has been historically male-dominated – particularly in more senior technology-based positions. But companies across the sector are now looking to change that and help women build rewarding careers in telecoms.
In June, Ofcom and seven of the biggest companies in the sector – BT Group, Openreach, Sky, TalkTalk, Three, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone – signed a pledge committing to improve representation for women in technology roles.
And today, CityFibre, GCHQ, the National Cyber Security Centre - which is part of GCHQ - and Zen Internet have joined them in signing-up to the Women in Tech pledge.
Each of the organisations have pledged to increase senior representation of women in technology-based roles over the next three years, as well have more women in their workforces more generally.
The organisations will also focus on both attracting and retaining more women, while creating more inclusive working environments. They will come together to share good practice, as well as publishing information on the impact of their work to achieve better representation for women – including performance against their organisation’s own diversity and inclusion strategies.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom Chief Executive: “We’re delighted to see more companies sign the Women in Tech pledge. Whether it’s rolling out high-quality broadband and mobile services or keeping our connections safe and secure, these organisations form the digital backbone of the UK economy.
“So we welcome their commitment to helping more women into technology roles – ensuring the industry has a talented, diverse workforce ready to meet the demands of an increasingly digital world.”
Greg Mesch, CEO, CityFibre: "CityFibre is committed to fostering a more diverse and inclusive telecoms industry so we're proud to have made this pledge to promote the role of women in our sector. By actively championing gender diversity, we're driving positive change and shaping a brighter, more innovative future for our business and our industry.”
Lindy Cameron, Chief Executive, NCSC: “To keep the UK safe in cyberspace, diversity is critical to our success but sadly we know women continue to be under-represented across the technology profession.
“The NCSC is committed to driving positive change – in our own organisation and beyond – by fostering an inclusive environment and championing women to pursue rewarding careers in the field.
“We are pleased to be reaffirming this commitment by joining the Women in Tech pledge and look forward to working with partners to achieve better representation in the sector.”
Ayshea Robertson, People & Culture Director at Zen Internet: “This is an absolute critical issue and I am looking forward to working with other industry leads to shift the dial on gender equity in telecoms. This, and indeed all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) matters, are so important to us, and we will do our best to continue to improve things in Zen and the sector at large.
"The Ofcom pledge is a great start to driving cross industry collaboration, but we now need to see proactive action on the back of this as that will be key to making a difference.”
