Celebrating International Women’s Day
Today is International Women’s Day, and TerraQuest and Planning Portal want to take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on the many talented women we have working within our organisation.
Without the outstanding contributions of the women who work within the digital industries, neither TerraQuest nor the Planning Portal would be where we are today. The women who work with us have helped to transform the company’s vision over the years and have not only developed but pioneered many of our biggest achievements.
With Planning Portal celebrating its 20th anniversary and TerraQuest its 50th, we are in a reflective mood, looking back with pride on the key successes of our organisation over the past years.
But as much as we want to celebrate the successes of the women within our business, we acknowledge that women still face ample challenges in the digital world overall. UN Women tells us that ‘Women and girls remain underrepresented across the creation, use and regulation of technology. They are less likely to use digital services or enter tech-related careers, and significantly more likely to face online harassment and violence.’
It’s worth noting that inequity also effects women at every level of the career ladder. Business Leader recently reported that whilst ‘40% of directors at FTSE 350 companies were women in 2022’, which is a ‘record high’, ‘gender parity for CEOs is still 70 years away’ which still seems a shocking statistic.
There is much more we could all be doing to promote equity within our industries.
To mark International Women’s Day, we have spoken to some of our amazing women about their experiences and ideas on working within a traditionally male-dominated industry. We’d like to share those with you now.
Sarah is Managing Director at Planning Portal. She has been working for the Planning Portal for a total of fourteen years
“For me, technology is an enabler of change. It has the power to democratise our society, to transform how we live, work and access services. But fundamentally, change is all about people and technology used poorly also has the power to exclude, leaving groups and individuals behind. That why good digital companies and services like TerraQuest/Planning Portal, take care to understand their users’ needs, regardless of gender, ethnicity, age or other characteristics. Critical to this is an organisation with equity and diversity at its core, and a team that can understand the challenges faced by different parts of our society. I’m delighted to be part of an organisation which supports the importance of women and under-represented groups in the digital and tech sector and welcome the DigitALL focus of this year’s International Women’s Day.”
Chantelle is Head of Product Management at TerraQuest. She has worked for TerraQuest for four and half years and before that was employed at Planning Portal for eleven and a half years. Chantelle has worked within digital sector for nearly 20 years.
“If there is one thing that is a constant in technology, it is change. Over the last 20 years the sector has transformed in terms of people, processes, and technology.
I have seen significant improvement in diversity across the technology sector as it has become more open and accessible.
TerraQuest is by far the most diverse company I have worked for. We have a lot of women in leadership roles, including myself as a member of the Senior Management Team. When speaking to new recruits, we are often told that individuals chose TerraQuest over other companies because of the diversity within the interviewing panel. I am proud to work for a team where inclusion is at the forefront.
In the early 2000s when my career in technology had just started, it was harder to gain respect from some of my male colleagues. I was young, female and motivated and had a strong desire to learn and develop. I moved up very quickly, but my progression was challenged from other longstanding members of the team based on my age and sex, not ability. Thankfully, I was assessed based on my outputs and delivery.
Today, I am pleased to say the sector has changed significantly and is welcoming to all.”
Jaz is Project Management Office Lead at TerraQuest. She has worked for TerraQuest for one year and four months and has been employed within the Technology sector for a total of five years.
“To me, it’s so important to celebrate International Women’s Day because women having equal opportunities to pursue their dreams is so important. It is also an opportunity for me to appreciate and show gratitude to the women who raised me and made very big decisions for me, which led to me being in the position I am in now. International Women’s Day is to celebrate that we as women have the power to lead and influence and to highlight that we all deserve to be treated equally. In each country, women are all fighting different battles for equity, but we as a team can still fight for change together.
I am an advocate for encouraging women to strive for opportunities personally and professionally. Technology is the future and it is an ever-growing industry, meaning the opportunities are also endless. Be persistent, be confident and believe in yourself. We as women have the ability to show empathy, to be nurturing and to be passionate, so why not utilize these in the world of work?”
Laura is the Marketing Manager at Planning Portal. She joined the Portal recently but has been employed within the digital sector since 2012.
“Having worked in highly male-dominated companies in the past, including as a Marketing Manager at a Construction Recruitment company where I was one of the only women, sadly, I have had to grow a thick skin and learnt to use my elbows sometimes to be heard, appreciated, and valued just as much as my male colleagues.
In the past few years, seeing more females working in traditionally male-heavy digital sectors, as well as seeing more females in management positions, has been lovely. Sarah is my Director and it is inspiring to see a woman as one of the key decision-makers within the male-heavy Planning industry. Planning Portal is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary and it is such a privilege to be able to play a part in helping the company grow and evolve.
It’s refreshing to see more female coders, developers, and techies. These roles are all so important for the future of not just our industry but the world in general and these roles are being filled by highly talented individuals of all genders, which is a pleasure to witness.
There is room for EVERYONE in the digital revolution.”
Sapphire is Web Content Editor at the Planning Portal. She has worked for the Planning Portal for around two years in total and has worked in the digital sector for five years overall.
“Working for the Planning Portal has allowed me to develop a completely new relationship with the digital world. Learning the intricacies of systems and using these systems to create and share content with a range of users is a really rewarding process.
I’ve been involved in helping a number of services and developments get off the ground since joining Planning Portal. Not long after I first joined, I wrote large bodies of guidance content around a major service change, which was used to help users become familiar with the new service as well as to train staff. This was a hugely fulfilling opportunity to learn a challenging, technical system inside-out and then convert my knowledge into helpful, engaging content.
Having a woman as our Managing Director at Planning Portal really motivates me to believe that there isn’t a limit for women working within the digital sector. In fact, over the years of working for Planning Portal, many of the staff who have given me the most inspiration and motivation to excel with my digital skills have been the other women working around me, including my lovely manager who is the go-to voice of knowledge for so many of the technical questions our team have!
Every person will bring something unique to the digital workplace, male or female. I would encourage young women interested in the digital sector to go ahead and get involved. The digital world is constantly fluctuating as technology advances, making it one of the most interesting industries to work within. Because things change at such a pace, digital work presents great opportunities for new recruits, to make their mark on organisations really quickly. It’s an exciting place to be and I’m really looking forward to expanding my digital career over the next few years.”
TerraQuest are dedicated to striving for diversity in the workplace, helping to bring about meaningful, positive changes throughout our industries.
You can find out more about International Women’s Day here.
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