 Hi ladies, one, two, three, goodies! Welcome to the very first She Says Event for 2017, so who here is new? Just put your hand up. Yes, welcome to She Says. I'm Mira, this is Lizzie. Hello. Before we even get started, can we just do a quick roll call as to which countries everyone's from? I'm from Singapore. Anyone from Singapore? Hopefully. Yes! Where are you from, Lizzie? Global Citizen. Australia? Oh come on guys, you can be a little bit louder than that. That's very English of you. You and me both. What other countries do we have here tonight? New Zealand. New Zealand? Okay. Latvia. Latvia. Yeah, that's awesome. The US? Oh, I'm so sorry. I really am. Whatever you do, don't mention the Trump. Just hang out here, you'll be fine. Don't read the knock times. India? Yeah! Wow. Denmark, okay. England, all right. Global Citizen. Okay, so tonight we've got a little bit of an interactive one. We're just going to strut around the stage. We're actually going to get everybody to look at the yellow thing. First of all, so Mira and I are just going to say a couple of things. Just to introduce what she says is. Watch out behind you. And then we're going to get the lovely panel to come sit here. They have water and wine, so it's going to be fine. Amanda, I'm going to need you to click, click. Got it. Before we start, she says Singapore is an awesome thing. We have all laughed so much tonight because this began with about 15 people. A very no music, a very awkward thing where both Mira and I would try to tweet. At the same time as asking the panel a question. So to make it feel like there were more people. And now there's all of you and we're all a bit like... And we used to do it in a shophouse on Kyeongsik Road. And still remember there was noise coming from the bar downstairs so you couldn't hear anything. And it literally was 20 chairs. And since then we've gotten, thanks so far, just calls. Come on board. We're going to have drinks and we'll walk through all of that after this. But it's not about us. It's actually about you guys and that's the whole point of she says. So it's about getting more women into the creative digital marketing arenas. We do this because actually you guys ask the best questions. We'll have a panel tonight. We'll have four, five incredible people that will come and answer anything that you want. And that's the bit that I don't know about you pride myself on because we're a community that are relaxed and everybody dares to ask the question. So when it comes to she says the way that most of our sessions run it's going to be really interactive and as you can tell and you would have seen from the Facebook post over the past couple of weeks we were oversubscribed for this session multiple times. We actually have a wait list of about 180 people as well. So congratulations on getting a ticket and thank you for turning up and keeping to it. You beat the rain. Go Singapore. So if you want to tweet or if you have any questions that I know sometimes you may not want to ask outright feel free to put it up on Twitter and we've got a team at the back who are actually going to be tweeting taking photos and things like that. We also have the hashtag which is she says SG. Okay so tonight we're going to do a quick hello. I think we may have just done that. So my name is Izzy Hamer. I'm a creative director for a sports marketing agency called Octagon. I've actually been with she says for five years. LinkedIn now tells me three years here in Singapore and two years in Singapore. No Australia. So it's been a really awesome journey and I've met so many amazing women through it but mainly because they're cool and they come up and tell me cool stuff. So that's the way that this thing works. It's super chilled. Don't intimidate the speakers please. They'll never come back. Mira. Hi I'm Mira. I am with Ascension Digital. Oh actually Ascension now. I am with the digital team. It's just really confusing. Never mind. So yeah I'm with Ascension. I actually if you are in comms or you're in PR and marketing and you're wanting to make that move into technology. I did that about two years ago. I've been with she says now for about three years like Lizzie and I kind of kicked off the Singapore thing together. And this is something that we love doing as a side project because I think that one of the things that we both pride ourselves on is how can we enable the community around us and how can we bring more women to the top. So tonight's speakers are very much in line with what we're trying to do as well. Vicky. Where is Vicky? Vicky. Hi guys I'm Vicky. So I actually helped Lizzie and Mira organize. She says we've been doing it for like well for me like two years now. So I work in Zaxis and product development in a programmatic company. So if you're interested in that come and speak to me on the side. I've been running Singapore's first and largest independent animation festival called cartoons underground for the past five years. And so if you guys are interested in the animation or comics or art feel free to reach out to me because we're always looking at you know expanding the art scene in Singapore and promoting local talents overseas also. Just so you guys know the two most connected people in the world are Vicky and Mira. So they're the people to go and ask if you're looking for something new if a little bit of advice or just to be connected to the right people. We've also got a few people wearing lanyards tonight. Those little lanyards are yellow and they say I'm part of the she says Singapore team. It's been awesome to bring more people into this kind of little rangas I'm going to call them. People that put this show together. So all volunteer and are willing to help you however you would like. So to kick things off we're going to introduce Farah from just close and just close and sponsoring our venue for about two years now. Thank you Mira. Hi guys, ladies and gentlemen. The very few gentlemen I see. Welcome to Jessica. We are one of the best co-working spaces in Singapore. I'm biased. I know. But if this is your first time I saw a couple of hands coming up just now if this is your first time welcome. We've been collaborating with she says for like what Mira says two years and we are very proud to continue and support them for the whole year and many more years to come. Other than that welcome and enjoy the show. Event rather. We've got a couple more people to say thank you to. Thank you. Hello everyone. Thank you very kindly for downloading our app. If you don't already know we have a range of boutique European wines and craft beers. Basically thank you. The next time you need wine or craft beer just order on the line and we deliver to you within one hour. So guaranteed one hour delivery. Average delivery time is 29 minutes. No minimum order. No delivery fee. The bottles come chilled ready to drink and we deliver to wherever you are. So home, office, restaurant, park, sitting by the pool wherever you are. So yes thanks for downloading. Hope you've enjoyed your first glass free. You can purchase further glasses for $10. And we also have some little coupon cards that give you $10 off your first order after tonight. Thank you to Shea Says and Josco for having us. We love being here and have a great night. First of all thanks for having us here. We're from Dosir. We've been here since we were young. We're from the Saranba. We also have a Korean cuisine. This is a lunch box in Korean. And traditionally those are actually a flat metal tin which always contains rice, veggie and meat. And then you pour in the gochujang and then you shake it to mix it. So what we did was we basically took that concept and we made it current. And we still retain the traditional recipes but the methods of cooking are much cleaner. So it's a healthier way of presenting Korean cuisine to everyone. Price it very affordably, you know amazingly around this place You can still get a rice bowl for actually less than $10 if you want to but it scales up And we have a variety of our mid options that you can choose We are available We have a store over at China Square Central or if you would like to you can actually order us from Uber Eats And if you actually come to a little booth over there, we still got like a bit more left You can actually pick up like some sort of like a special code that can give you give you some sort of offer on this Yeah, thank you. Yeah. Thank you very much. All right. So what we're all and I've got one last thank you Oh, just to surprise you. We've got an awesome guy behind the camera We don't normally film these things but there was such a demand that we thought we would so a big round of applause for engineers Sg That note so moving Jesus Sonia What's the clicker thing? All right, so just very quickly. So this is something that we just pulled off off the web, right? When it comes to STEM, we're seeing a lot of women expressing an interest into going to computer science I was talking to Lena who's going to be who is one of our speakers coming up here tonight I think it was something like 20 to 30 percent of seats in university are female and then when you go into your career that drops to 20 and then when it comes to middle management, that's under 10 So there's a problem and what we want to do today is not to talk about Just the problem alone, but how do we address the situation? What are the solutions that we could build together as a community and probably also based on what you guys have? You girls have asked what are some of the solutions that we could build within our businesses to enable communities to better support women in Technology, so first up. I'm going to start have our panel panelists come to the front if you could give them a warm round of applause I think they're blockaded in the back. I like it. It's like a revolution trying to get to the front Okay, so if anybody's looking forward to who's speaking tonight, their beautiful pictures are over here There's obviously a lot of tweeting going on feel free to grab their handles and get them involved I'm sure they'll reply afterwards. It's after it's tech after all Right, so I think just very quickly. We're going to just do a round of introductions on who they are and what they do Sure. So hi. I'm Annika I'm Currently working at Uber. I'm the APAC and LATAM HR director actually I've been a Uber not quite six months It's lovely to see so many women in this room tonight because one of the things that I found in the last six months Is that I'm usually the only woman in the room So this is wonderful actually I Really My husband says I'm very quiet Unless I'm angry So I lead our digital analytics alliances for APAC So we focus on technologies and our partners for big data Visualization and most recently artificial intelligence, which we see as I think the next wave of the biggest disruption in technology So prior to Singapore I've been here for five and a half years I started my career in the US in Chicago and I was in FS sales focused on insurance and banking at Accenture Was moved here about five and a half years ago Where I had played a role in mobility product and offer development and most recently for the past two years and then this current role so I Live here with my husband and three boys And I don't know if there's a more convenient place than Singapore to have a career and three young boys So thank you for having me I'm John Neil I run a recruitment business called McGregor boil came here four years ago. It was a startup then Prior to that I had a business in Australia and prior to that I had a business in England, which is where I'm from I Left England in 2007 when the recession kicked in as I was only 27 and I had no idea how to fix things once the recession Did kick in and that was nine years ago. I was only supposed to be away for six months So my mother and father aren't too happy But it's been very very positive in Singapore so far. We're working across Asia Pacific and Yeah, hopefully I can add some value today Okay, so maybe to just kick things off Lizzie found a really cool quote online I wouldn't say it's cool actually but it's just interesting I want to know what your perspective is here Kevin Roberts Said that he doesn't see the lack of women in leadership roles in organizations being a problem What do you think and also looking at the path that you've taken in your careers? Have you faced that issue or that conversation on that statement? I think Annika? Maybe we'll want to start with you So Yes, I think that's an issue You know the the boss that I used to work for Had this this wonderful thing that she used to say to our leaders all the time which was 36 does not equal 64 And that was a comment on the fact that in general society is let's just say about 50 50 percent women and men Yet only 36 percent of our company was women this was the company I used to work for not the one right now those numbers would be about half that I think And therefore how could we say that we were a meritocracy? How could we say that we were in touch with the clients that we worked for Because we didn't have people in our organization and particularly not at leadership level that could actually connect with Understand and bring that perspective so I actually think absolutely feel it's an issue to not have enough women in leadership I think through my career one of the things that I've noticed more than anything else is it starts at the top So if you can get a diverse group of people and and by the way I don't just think that's women I also think that's you know other dimensions of diversity Whether it's geographic Whether it's you know experience But if you don't get a diverse group of people that are sitting around the table making decisions Then one you don't get innovation right because everyone just nods their head when someone says something because they all came from the same place Right they all speak the same language They all have the same perspective So you don't get new you don't get creative you don't get thinking out of the box you don't get kind of driving to the next level And more than that you don't get diversity below Because the people that they make decisions about whether it's promotions or who's going to get this role or who are they going to hire Are the people that look like them They're the people that they recognize they're the people that are that have similar experience that they did There are people that operate in the same way that they do There are people that talk the same way they do So I think the best way to actually one drive business performance at the end of the day through innovation Is to make sure that you have a diverse group of people that are sitting around the table at the top You said one way already Do you want me to add on? Well actually I have a slightly different perspective Well I think we do have pretty quite a few CEOs and in tech that are females But I think it's the middle layer that's challenging The kind of like leadership layer Beyond the corporate services bit which is your HR Your finance your comms When you go to the actual marketing at the product development tech roles They tend to be more male leaders that's in the pipeline And since with the succession planning And to me that's a real issue because to Dearest point I think it's really about advocating for each other and the homogeneous bit that People tend to hire whom they think look like themselves or think like themselves And that's been challenging And like what Mira said earlier that in terms of the statistics that we have coming out from school Average of four out of ten that attend a local polytechnic or university Are actually girls in terms of STEM, tech curriculum But it filters off to three out of ten when they come out of school And by the time they finish their first or second year of tech career It drops to like one to two out of ten So women tend to kind of like filter off once they realize they want to have a family And they realize that maybe tech has a long hours And they have more book life balance family needs And that seems to be that perception that's kind of instilled in women And I think that's not true It's something which we could challenge Simply because I think it's just being brave enough to ask for what you deem as your rights And what you think you should do in order to succeed at your career And it goes down to the empathetic bit which at a recent WEF The World Economic Forum I can't remember which analysts actually put out this report that Companies which hire or have more women leaders Actually are able to deliver higher financial profits Simply because women are more empathetic And because they are more empathetic they tend to be more empathetic towards the customer user experience And that actually translates into real financial results And I think that's a great, great proof point that women leadership It's really critical to the success of the companies I think I probably agree a bit with both of you But I think something interesting that John and I were talking about earlier was It kind of goes both ways So on one side it's definitely that senior leadership needs to set an example And be a bit more open to how they hire But I think there also exists a bit of a fear for When you talk about things like technology and big data Those are topics that historically you think Okay, I will work in IT, I will be a coder, I'll be an engineer But data and technology exists everywhere we are now We use multiple devices, Southeast Asia is first in mobile Even beyond first year markets like the US and UK So we need to start thinking about data and technology as an environment That we all really belong in Rather than having this perception with a lot of fresh graduates That think they need to learn coding or engineering It's a concept that we all need to understand So we were talking about if you say something like big data People might think that they have to actually pursue a degree that states big data They have a lot of master's degrees that focus on data But actually if we change that conversation and actually talk about behavioral trends That opens a lot of doors to people who work in marketing, communications, psychology Because actually what we work in is the art of audience targeting It's the art of people into data So I think that starts opening doors from a lot of people just from a perception point of view So I guess just to add to what Anika, Lina and Deirdre said I think the point that Lina made around adding diversity Especially in the room So given that in technology there's a majority of men who hold the leadership positions And of course when you throw out ideas they get validated It's kind of the same synonymous thinking So my dad for example, he always thinks he's right And he says because my friends, they like my comments on Facebook Even though they're very insightful And my comment back to him is Well you hang out with the same friends, you surround yourself with the same friends Who think similar to you So you think that everything you say is validated So I think having more women in leadership positions in the workforce Gives some sort of quality assurance I guess we'll go a little technical here So I think it adds to the QA a bit And I'm not technical actually One of the reasons why I think my career counselor He keeps inspiring me to continue in these technology roles Is because Accenture really prides itself on innovation And with innovation you need a lot of diverse thinking And I think not only women but good women So I want to make sure that we stress We're not just putting women in the workforce But good quality women who actually have the content and knowledge I think that's what I really want to make sure that we focus on I think diversity like Annika was talking about Is extremely important for new ideas But there is a definite lack of strategy around most businesses And I'm obviously working within recruitment I work with a lot of different companies And a lot of different industry sectors One of the scarier things that I found this week Doing a lot of research and calling some of my customers And my clients that I work with Both here in Singapore and across Asia Pacific was There's not a lot of structure or strategy Around how to promote the female workforce within technology There's a lot of gestures We need to hire more women But there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of strategy That the businesses have created That they're then going to implement and carry out to do this I think a lot of this is going to have to go back down Almost to that high school area Where by perhaps the marketing of what it is To have a career in technology Is taken to kids basically So the degrees that they choose to take Will perhaps have a technology lean But that doesn't necessarily mean that they're going to be a coder Or a programmer There's a lot of sexy jobs out there for technologists You don't have to be like I say A hands on somebody who fixes a laptop Or somebody who writes Java code So I just think it's an educational process From school all the way through to MNC businesses And the small to medium businesses And it's a process we're all going to have to champion So just really quickly looking at the placements For John and Annika Looking at the placements that you've done within your business In say the past few months Can you give us kind of like a number on how many of them were female In comparison to men? I can I checked today He's a diverse figure We're getting ready by this I don't think I'm allowed to answer that question So I would say So I've been at my company now for Not quite six months And one of the first things I noticed when I came in Was again at the senior level There just were no women I think there was one other director That was a woman and there were I think one general manager of our countries That was a woman So in six months I'm very happy to say That we have added two female directors We've promoted one And we have one Two additional GMs that are women And I don't think that's just Obviously because of me I haven't been there that long But what I do know is There's some Even just very subtle changes in terms of the conversation And the process that can be made In order to help drive the right outcomes So I was chatting a little bit to John beforehand And again back to the point That if you only have a group of men Who are making decisions And you only have a group of men That are interviewing a senior woman You don't particularly want to come and work for you No matter how much you're going to pay her Because she doesn't really think That maybe that's a culture That's going to be inclusive or recognize So by making sure that We have someone in the interview process That maybe we're a little bit more high touch That we work with agencies To make sure we have a diverse pipeline That we have someone who goes back And does a second check Just little changes like this That make a big difference In terms of the outcome Yeah, so I looked at the statistics For 2016, so it wasn't a couple of months It was the whole year And again, working across a lot of different Industry sectors and working across A number of different disciplines within IT We placed 34 Females into technology roles last year Which is 22% of the placements we made I was given this evening's event I was quite relieved of that figure Because it's actually quite respectable And we are mandated by a lot of our clients Again, say can you provide us with Female candidates But sometimes it does feel like Like I mentioned in my previous comments It's a gesture, you know Can we provide us with some female candidates To make up the numbers Because who are you appeasing? We have to be reactionary To what our customers want Within the external recruitment industry But there are some exceptional candidates Out there, there's some exceptional Technology professionals Who are female in this market And whenever I meet those individuals I know that they're going to be Highly desirable to the businesses I work with So the statistics weren't too bad From my business point of view So I'm going to throw this to Deidre now When it came to you Interviewing with Google How did you address The topic of diversity in your interview And when it comes to actually Now working in the business How do you think that The women who are in leadership positions And yourself have worked Towards growing up the corporate ladder With your skillset So I think when I actually interviewed For the role I've always worked in tech So it was really a no-brainer I don't think it was a consideration When I actually went through the Interview process And I think it wasn't until after I started in the role that I started Recognizing areas where as an organization We could be better At gender diversity And that also applies Across cultural diversity I think one of the big challenges That corporations have in Singapore Is the split between Expat hires versus local hires So we're not just talking about gender anymore It also applies to cultural Diversity I think it took me a while to recognize That that was a challenge But it was also a perception That a lot of my colleagues Also shared So we actually did an internal Evaluation against just In technology How much senior leadership was there For women across Asia Pacific People For an organization of 250 people So it's actually been something That's been recognized by our senior leadership So what they've done is Internally created A network for women At ad tech And this is not a group That specifically open only to women It's actually open to anyone Who really stands for diversity And then building that network out And understanding what is the Start building Whether it means things like Cross country networking Whether it's mentorship Which I think is really important To hear the experience of other people And understand what their challenges Have been in climbing a corporate ladder I think the fact that it's been Recognized is the first step A lot of times there's unconscious Bias with senior leadership It's not that people are actively trying To discriminate against women But the challenges Sometimes senior leadership might go Let's go play a game of golf If the women don't know how to play golf They automatically get excluded from that activity So even just bringing that Awareness to senior leadership I think has been a big step for us I don't think we've resolved it necessarily But I think we're kind of on a Better pathway than we have been In the last three years I've been there But obviously it's taken three years for us To really get there To see where we really take that across the region If it's been At the senior levels it's been recognized Then there's obviously going to be action Taken against it all through The organization So I'm going to ask Ria Ria how have you managed I mean so I kind of look out I look out to Ria a lot because She's got three boys under the age of Is it six? Four, two and one She's got an amazing job And she's really well recognized within the business For the work that she does So how have you That's quite a lot already Three boys at home is quite a lot to deal with And then how do you manage The work-life balance And how have you built a network within your business To be successful Thank you that's a lot of praise I think I may not deserve So I think it's for me I've been very fortunate to align myself With very strong and very Open-minded leadership And at least with Accenture It's a very highly matrixed organization We're Large, we have five different Businesses I guess with Accenture Which is Basically like five different businesses Within an organization And you need to unfortunately Be very political but also Deliver high results So being a working mom I think it's There's two things one the leadership that I mentioned Aligning yourself to the right leadership And getting that support And two setting the right expectations So my current role I manage our partners for APAC And prior to that I was in a sales role where It could potentially mean The same day I would have to fly out And be on a Client site outside of Singapore So for me I had to sit back Speak to my family Speak to my leads And really reflect on Whether or not at that point in my life That was something that I could actually Succeed at So luckily for me I think that's why networking And attending events like this is very important Because You need to expose yourself And be aware of the opportunities That are out there because Any day your current situation Will be very different I moved to Singapore Five and a half years ago through Accenture And three months later I found out that I was pregnant With my first son So you can only imagine how excited My team was in receiving that news But I think we managed it We found Some We were able to Divide I guess Some of my work load And also create a transition plan But again it was Early expectations much sooner than later I think some of the reactions on my team Unfortunately I didn't anticipate Not all of them were positive But you can't make everyone happy So I think one of the big things for me Is You really can't get down if Someone may not like you on the team Someone has different expectations of you Then you may have set forth But leadership Expectations And really understanding what you can manage On your own and be successful at it Because You're asked before this session What one of the philosophies Or tenets were that have really guided me Throughout my career And one has been It's not necessarily a quote But the negativity bias So I was pre-med I was a psychology major So if I can do it anyone can But The negativity bias States that it takes Five positive instances To make up for one negative Instance So your brain is trained To Really focus on negativity In terms of remembering it And I think a lot of our experiences Are based on how you remember it How you reflect on it So The biggest thing to focus on is What can you do and do well And be recognized for it To defend I guess whether it's your career moves Or other changes or flexibility So in Accenture they offer Work-life balance which is great You can either work from home Or you can work at the client site Or at the Accenture office But the big thing that we focus on Is results In a positive manner And adding value to the client Then I think You're You're pretty clear Okay it's interesting you bring up the negativity thing I like it Mainly because I'm about to throw a massive question About gender bias And should we be pro-female While you're thinking about your answer I want to know your best day Like why do you work in tech I know of you guys you have amazing roles But like what is it Like why do I want to be a woman in tech right now Throwing to that end I was pausing to think Well I'd say two things to that First of all I love the fact that This industry is one that just Is growing at an amazing pace And I think the innovation At a company like Accenture Or a company like Uber Where we are creating and Disrupting and you know Breaking down barriers And doing different things Not just in terms of the product But also in terms of the way we Organize or the way we approach Something like HR I'd say secondly though At my heart I think I'm a people person And so what's even I guess my more important For me is actually that I'm an HR professional I love the fact that I do that in tech But first and foremost I really love working with people And helping people Reach their potential Every day Okay instead of going down the line Because I like to break patterns I'm going to throw to you Why do you like to be a woman in tech You start on my line It's actually quite similar to Annika I mean from my point of view It's about working with people If you don't like working with people Then I'd advise you not to work in recruitment Why would any one of these women want to work in tech In tech Well it depends But they're going to define tech for me What does that mean to you 2017 it's everywhere That's right digitalization amazing Yeah because From my point of view I was never necessarily that interested in technology When I started 15 years ago But technology was For me it was like I kind of articulated earlier That I felt the technology meant I felt technology meant Programming and it meant IT support It meant things like that For me the online businesses are very Very exciting they're very interesting The analytics side of things is very Very interesting to me in terms of The psychology of what people use Technology for If it's from a retail or e-commerce Point of view what are the trends What are the real patterns And then obviously the terrifying Emerging technologies Like IOT Which I try not to think about too much Because obviously that means that everybody's inside Your head effectively But yeah it's about For me it's about working with people And it's about effectively helping people progress Within their careers regardless of gender Or nationality or ethnic background That's pretty much it for me It's about impact for me I remember well 20 years ago When I was that young fresh grad In a product role Trying to get people to SMS if you guys even remember what that is And it was really challenging from a user behaviour To John's point around like You SMS your friends trying to get them to start SMSing and they'll call you back Like what do you want And I'm like no no we got to start a text conversation It's not about calling It's about text conversation And how technology has evolved And with that our connections With each other And how scalable And how impactful That has been on all our lives I think that's powerful I mean being a mum myself In my old roles Old jobs where I was Trumbling quite a bit And being able to Skype with my son Due to technology and with every Kind of like milestone With every transition you make And all these are made possible Through the seamless technology People especially in the technology role I realised that people Don't tend to complain Until something breaks down So you don't really feel like you're recognised Until there's a problem that happens And suddenly like oh it's the tech guys So to me it's like people don't realise How important technology is Until you actually suffer a breakdown Unfortunately but That also shows the amount of impact we have On the rest of everyone else So to add a kind of Technical point of view on that I think it's about artificial intelligence Which I know excites you But I don't know if Many of you are reading the latest News or have kept up with I guess like Facebook Live And I'm from Chicago And Chicago unfortunately Has had its bad string of violent Events And Facebook Live where There were a group of teenagers Who were streaming this very violent act To a mentally challenged Teenager Was very disturbing But Facebook is now Using artificial intelligence To try and predict violent I guess feeds And predict that from being liked And actually shut it down immediately Because we definitely don't want to condone This type of behaviour And one of the things that Excites me about technology Is really using technology to solve Everyday problems And one of those things Is also in medicine So tumors for example I think Philips Philips and Google Are working on Some very innovative technologies That can help predict And cite Tumors before even doctors Can and way earlier So that means saving lives So I think it's very important Because when lives are saved It promotes less violence And it really impacts And disrupts I think our everyday lives I think I kind of agree with that On kind of two fold So the first bit around Being able to understand human behaviour better We've basically put A number against every form Of behaviour that we have in the world So being able to understand how people Work together, how people work against Each other, it's basically the economics Of behaviour That's one side of it But then the second piece is Kind of the availability of information I think as a generation We're able to Elevate our knowledge And our understanding of the world By having access to information So you think about people In countries that historically Didn't have access to books But now have access to the internet Obviously depending on how you use Information or ensure that The quality of information is there Obviously you know a lot of the Conversation now is around fake news And how social sites are kind of Promoting things like fake news So obviously there needs to be taken Steps that need to be taken to improve that But just the pure availability Of information to anyone Anyone can access it You don't have to be going to university You don't have to go to grad school But you can readily access information So it's almost like Technologies have the ability To democratize Society that makes education More accessible For, I mean also On the topic of accessibility I think that there are a lot of women Who are here today who have expressed Either they're already in technology And they're looking at how can I Move out of my career Or if they're coming from Non-technical To see a market on comps How are they going to make that Shift into a technology business And How would they be able to kind of What would be the skill sets That you would identify with As we speak And I could learn first I'll go first. My point of view Is learning agility is the most important skill That you can have. My nine year old daughter Is teaching herself to code at the moment I don't even know what she's coding in But she's coding in something My 11 year old Is definitely programming things That I don't think I was even doing As a graduate Anyone can learn technology Online Teach themselves how to do that The best skill that you can bring To any job is learning agility The second thing, and this is where I think women actually have A big advantage. We've talked a lot About how women don't have the advantage But there's a place where women really do Have the advantage and that's in EQ And I really do think That women in general, big generalization Are more attuned to What is going on around them They are more attuned to the impact That they have on a room When they say something And they are more attuned to how people Are looking to what's going on I have seen so many men in my career Have no idea that they are Putting everybody around the table Completely offside as they continue Onwards and onwards And all the women are sitting there cringing Because they understand what's going on And no one else is So I think bringing that again In any industry, but particularly In the industry that happens to be Rather male dominated Is a huge advantage that you bring to the table How do you move up the hierarchical Letter? One of the things that most people don't do Which sounds really obvious You ask your manager to create A career progression Program for them There shouldn't just be one way Upwards, there should be multiple Unfortunately what you then have to do Is you have to rely on the creativity The hard work, the effort The thoughtfulness of your manager And that's not necessarily a common trait That people have in general Not just technology, not just business But you've got to ask You've got to push yourself sometimes And say that I would like Opportunities to diversify My skill set to learn more As you mentioned obviously Learning agility It sounds really, really simple But you've got to get the guts to do it And just say that I'd like to know How this business will support me In progressing So how do you have that conversation Because I mean for me I thought I had a conversation I know that That was a side conversation So how do you have that conversation At the end of the day Sometimes it's difficult to ask for support No matter what kind of forum that is in You've got to be A little bit humble And just ask for help Because it's It sounds really, really straightforward But most people don't do it Because of Maybe there's a psychological Lack of willingness to reach out But if you are ambitious And if you do have a good attitude Then that will be recognized By the people that work around you And who you work for And it's Those are the qualities that are required For somebody to progress One thing, sorry This will sound really like Motherhood and Apple Pie But who has a sponsor And who has a mentor Really, really simple things Doesn't have to be someone Even in the company that you work with But find a mentor That you can go and have these conversations with And can help you figure out How you can get it on the table And who you should be having it with And find someone in the organization Very, very easy Absolutely So a sponsor is someone Who is senior in the organization Who thinks really highly of you And has your back And again, when those meetings are happening Whether they're hiring decisions Promotion decisions Or rating decisions Is going to be the person that Speaks up for you Typically they're not someone That you may report into But someone who Has their eye on you Maybe recognizes a little bit about themselves But when they were younger Thinks you have great potential And will go into bat for you So a mentor is more like Someone that you would go to for advice And do that And do that And do that You would go to for advice And coaching Have confidential discussions about How do I put this Topic on the table? How do I have This discussion with my boss? How do I manage coming Back from maternity leave? Or how do I talk about the fact That I need to go and do this other thing In my life? Do we have any questions from the floor? This is, I hope I'll take it Quickly and I'm sorry I think I'm loud enough about it But um I need to, sorry I was just trying to work out how to articulate this And it takes us somewhat out of Text specifically but it was Something that you said earlier And then something that John just said now as well You said that if you Look at graduates who are working And who are in tech that the number keeps dropping And when they get into The workplace you said the number drops By about 50% And the Sorry to single you out But the comment that went alongside with that was That happens, you know, at that time Maybe many of them are having Considerations about having Families and You used the term working mother Earlier and I think we never say working father And the number of men working In the industry doesn't drop by half Because they're thinking about having children So to John's point about actually What's to go for it, how much of it is Our Individual responsibility to say This parenting gig is 50-50 And you have just as much parenting Responsibilities as I do, why It just feels like We overlook, you know, and whether that's In the financial services industry or in tech Or in any industry it's still This underlying assumption that men Definitely, sorry Have I think And so many women have that Ourselves, well I'm going to have to take it Into consideration that when I have kids I'm going to have to slash my hours So how much of it is us just saying No, this is a two-way street And if you want to have kids You have to commit just as much time So can I respond to that quickly? Ever notice that Dad's always babysit kids So I was hoping that I might be able To squeeze this into the conversation today So I think when we talk about Women in leadership roles within technology Or in fact in the industry I think there is a Large Number of women who don't Return to work when they start families But women who have progressed really Really well in their careers And with Modern industry, you know, even the banks With all their paranoia and they'll still Let you work from mobile devices They'll let you work from home You don't have to be at the office Five days a week In an area where, you know, every market Not just Singapore could tap into It's about encouraging women to come back To work even if only in a part-time Basis, you know, women who are in Senior positions Because again, going back to an earlier Common that Annika made, you know People do hire what is familiar To them, whether or not you're You know, a white guy from England You maybe hire white English guys Or whether or not, you know, you're female Or whatever it is In leadership positions, hopefully It'll be much more natural To encourage progression For the female workforce So if we can bring back people You know, and maybe like you say Share some of the parenting responsibilities Or, you know, men going back To work, men staying in work Regardless, there's an untapped Resource there, I think that perhaps We could utilize and come up with Some plans about how to Effectively make a big Difference One of the critical success factors Of a women's career is the man That she chooses to marry And I do think that that plays A fairly significant role And I remember when I had My first child And I went back to work And there was a lot of discussion With my husband about who was going to do what And at the time we were living in France We'd sit down on a Sunday evening And figure out who would have to stay In the morning before the nanny came And who would leave work early To come home before the... So the nanny could leave And I remember saying to him at the time Because we both had, you know, fairly big jobs And fairly big teams It makes such a bigger impact For you and your work When you leave to come home Then it does when I leave my job To come home I was the manager of, you know, a group of 20, 25 people in France And so when he left At 5 o'clock to come home from the nanny That was a huge statement So I do think like having these conversations And like really figuring out What you need to do together Yeah, absolutely That's where I got to put in the plug for Singapore It's about the only place in the world Where you could have a family Have a great ecosystem And yet have a great job I mean, that's how I chose to Kind of like relocate back here because Yeah, you could get help It's like real help You could go to work, you don't need to worry about the food You don't need to worry about the education It's like It's all about outsourcing model And that worked perfectly fine for me and my husband So I have a quick question actually Is the problem that actually might be Quite difficult for all of you I think one of the questions that actually came out From one of the women here Who's kind of similar to you is about It was a consulting question When you look at consulting as a whole And even if you're a written-in technology company And the same with agency So one of the big things that we get Is local hours Every single minute that you're spending On an account, why you've been chosen to work On an account is because you're going to be able To meet it To apply it, meet all their needs And all of that If you're a working mom Especially at the beginning There have been women in this room Who were not recommended for A team that they wanted to work on Purely because this has helped me out To the mom And helped me manage that conversation That does come up I would just say after I had my kids I think I became 10 times more effective You just stop having coffee And chatting with people Around and doing email You just do the shit that you need to do And you get out of there as soon as possible I think Anika nails it on the head It's really efficiency In maximizing your time But also I think The big thing Is just Doing something that you can do At this point, maybe in this stage That you know you're good at One of the hesitations that I had When I was going into AI Like as a sub role So Accenture is a great I think We're pretty lucrative Because we always have sub roles That we don't get paid for extra For the role that I took on But again, there's risks to that Because I knew I'm not in tech But I was mostly scared Because I was afraid that I wasn't going to do an excellent job It brings me back To the original question Where I think it's We set such high expectations For ourselves I know men do as well But it doesn't always have to be perfect So today for example I flew in from Tokyo Last week My husband and I had to We had a high level of coordination Because he flew out to Seoul right when I landed From Tokyo last week And I think Anika really I very much agree with It's who you marry Who has a very big impact on your career But again at the same time If Your expectations were not met When you have kids A bit better But again it makes it a bit more challenging I'm really lucky to have a husband Who's very supportive He's actually here right now And I can't believe I'm speaking in front of him But It's really having that support system But also communicating So even in work and in relationships It's communicating And making sure you guys understand each other Because I can say something He can say something and we just don't get each other And adding to Lena's point Singapore it makes it Pretty efficient Because you can outsource some of those mundane tasks To your helper for example So I think we're seeing more women Here in leadership positions than when I speak To my colleagues in Chicago Where they have to be very strict On 8 to 5 I think there's some flexibility here That we could leverage and take advantage of To take some steps forward But some of it Is in my head I was really afraid that the house would burn down And the kids would starve last week And this week but it didn't happen So thank you but I don't know Why I had that in my head I think it's because I always assume those roles With planning the meals With activities and I never let my husband Really do it unless it was necessary And he did a great job So Don't wear the high-five of class We're going to start with the question of the back You stole my mic I think it was, it's mainly been covered But I was just going to echo I think it's all about decisions And the fact that you get to do leadership roles Because you've got the support And it isn't always down to a feminist thing It might be down to practicality That sometimes You do have to take a back seat And to have a family Or sometimes your partner will But it depends on your circumstances at the time But also the support that you get at the time And it does take A great relationship To enable you to do that leadership role I've been fortunate Back in the UK and here That my colleagues have been really supportive as well I've not had to Worry about being a mother Or not pulling my weight because I've had the flexibility Different countries have different mindsets As well But I've been fortunate as well here To find a role where they have been Tolerant of me being a mother As well as being a wife And it's worked out But I think it takes compromise And it takes work on both parties Completely agree I'm going to throw to the top of the stairs From the chains All of the gods for a reason I'd like to add to that We need to have a boss Or a leadership role Or a mentor Or leader That is equally equal So I have two Small children and two boys As I left The work on a permanent For the social For quite some time The thing that brought me back Was knowing that I have a boss Who has a family, who values family Or a happy family Wherever I am today And whatever time I have a job Is being done, being done So I would say don't just choose your husband Choose your boss I'm going to build on that And actually throw a question Being that Should we actually be Gender bias? So it's nice enough to have somebody That looks after you and your company And it's quite nice to come to a free event But should there actually be legislation? Like should these big companies Say, no, it should be A 50-50 split in all creative departments Sorry, I only know creativity Like should there actually be Hard-core legislation put in place? Should we put a line in the sand and go No, you have to hit this quota Still thinking about it I don't know I think I have to think about that a bit I'm not sure I guess the concern would be The first thing I think of Is affirmative action in the US So when schools Actually place people into The organization, they look At racial diversity Whether I agree or not I'm still on the fence My concern with putting that in a limelight Is do we set ourselves back By saying We get a handicap because we're women But at the same time I think There are challenges that are Hard to overcome individually And we need support from People like senior management to actually Put their foot down back to the example Around our organization Building a Group for women in ad tech That had to happen before anyone Really recognized the issue Whether it means there's a law In place I think I still have to think about Whether I agree or not But I think there definitely has to be Recognition at the senior level Otherwise it's always going to come back To the fact that If you're an individual and you don't drive Your own career, no one's going to help you Drive it But I think even looking around the room Right now, there's so many women here Who believe in the same thing And who support each other This is a great start in itself Mentorship on things like industry On things like passions And then if In your organization You have senior leadership backing that Then I think a combination Of those two things are Necessary for us to be able to grow In this area So I guess I would say Two things on this topic One at When I was at my previous company We actually did have A very clear And a very Vocal strategy around diversity And had for many years I think it was one of the more Progressive companies in the tech space Yet we made practically No progress What so ever, right? It was baby steps We'd go from like 22.1% To 22.4% At the end of the year And then pat ourselves on the back So that was the first thing The second thing at that same company There was a point in my career Back in France where I was on two Different leadership teams Within the geography that I was in One, relatively diverse There was I think two or three Other women And a bunch of different nationalities And probably range of ages That were sitting around the table The other one was me and a bunch Of white middle age European men And the difference in the discussion That would happen in those two groups On sometimes exactly the same Topic was unbelievable To me. The fact that in one Group I could open my mouth And be like No one had heard a thing that I Had said Or even no one would even want me To put the topic On the table. I remember one of My first meetings I said to them So we're going to talk about diversity And my boss said to me, we don't Know And I was like, are you kidding me? I don't know how you define diversity But it's not what we have around this table So I think Although it is complicated Although it is very politically charged And although it can lead To some very negative Unintentional consequences If you want to drive change You need to disrupt And you need to make some kind Of intervention sometimes To a point where the change is Sustainable and it will just Profit and create And enable itself But if you are so far behind On getting there Then I think yes, you should put A quota in and you should just Drive some intervention in order to Get a group of people that sit Around the table so that then The change can actually be enabled Do we have any other questions? I think there are a couple of questions So I'll talk about what's going on Do you have a quota? Do you need a quota? Go ahead Thank you I kind of fixated On the quota Question that you asked And that's because Obviously coming from the UK market They have rolled out that model In terms of this percentage Of your workforce must be female This percentage of your workforce Must be of this background etc Again the problem comes back To the individual hiring manager Or manager A lot of people are lazy So they will fill their quota Without necessarily Trying to achieve progress So I don't necessarily I don't have the solution Yet I'm still thinking about it But I don't think the quota System is necessarily The right answer General Mills put out A pitch in the USA And they said that the advertising company That had to work for Had to have a 50-50 gender split In the credit department And it had to have a 20% diverse I think across the entire agency So we're starting to see My pay to come through I actually stand by them I think it's fascinating I'd like to say that The piece around our bias is Would you hire A FISA who scored a 5 out of 10 Or is it a dive who scored a 10 out of 10 A FISA who scored a 10 out of 10 Those two are scoring So interestingly close But one knows how to stop them And the other doesn't I'll have to check Hiring is objective anyways Again it's very very difficult If you're looking at workforce optimization Are you A diverse workforce It'd be very difficult to Look at the analytics The statistics around If I'd have hired that person Would my business be Would it have benefited more Than if I'd hired this person Because these are all hypothetical scenarios That cannot be answered I think at the end of the day There's just a responsibility to educate And technology in particular The school level like I said Is about maybe more education About bringing more people Into the industry So the photo question Hello everyone My name is Laura I work in people development And I had a question for Annika You spoke about sponsorship and mentorship And I was just wondering Since you're an HR director What are some of the initiatives That you have put in place Diversity and Create equal changes For the few women that you have in the organization One thing is hiring The other thing is As other people mentioned like retention And how do you promote Or help women grow in the organization And aside from that Do you also have any advice For all the women in the room As to what kind of initiatives We can suggest within our companies Or try to initiate in order to Put in place this kind of Structure That was a very long question Sorry So I think There does need to be Some programmatic things That a company has in order to support Women and particularly we spoke earlier About wanting to start a family And maybe coming back From maternity leave Having proper maternity leave Is a starting point Is really important I don't think you can come back to work With having a three month old baby I don't think that's enough time So I'm a huge proponent Of giving women just Physically a little bit more time To get themselves together and their shit together Before they have to come into the office And talk to adults again I think providing Some Nurturing when women come back From maternity leave With a company like Accenture They're not put on a plane And set off to Japan And trying to figure out How they can pump while they're traveling And going to different client sites Or whatever it is Simple programmatic things That we can put in place to be more mindful Of the way people are in their careers That's really not that difficult Secondly I'm a huge believer In having networking programs Things like this that are outside Where women can come together And talk and share and realize It's not just me There's other people who think that way Or don't know how to ask that question Or have been struggling With how to approach this problem Men have had these for years Someone mentioned playing golf earlier Coming from The UK where there's All these special boys clubs And boys schools I think we've all seen different types Or different incarnations of that Across different cultures Or different companies And so I think we should create our own In whatever format they are And then thirdly putting in place Some informal or formal mentoring programs So it is something that We're trying to put in place At the moment in Uber Didn't exist before I know it was something we had at Accenture It's something we've done With some external organizations as well Giving women access To senior women Or men for that matter Who can be role models And who can guide them and coach them Is always a great thing It just reminded me of an example Of in my old job In Microsoft where I had a really senior mentor And I don't know Whether there are people from Microsoft here But anyway, so Okay, so I shouldn't name names But basically, so she's offered This really big job And Basically The Competitor that was going for the same job Said that yeah, he's already He's 300% ready for the job And The mentor That offered her the job said She told the mentor that I don't think I'm ready To tell her that you're way ahead of the guy She took a week to think about it And she went back to the boss and said I think I'm like 150% Ready for the job And He took a leap of faith and he gave her the job Even though The other guy that was going for the job Said he was 300% ready for the job And sorry, not to Stereotype any male in the room here But men tend to have That confidence to like Really Like Package and brand and kind of like Overstate like they are All ready to like Deliver on it When they might actually not know how to And girls, we just Tend to need that over Assurance that we We over We kind of like need to know three times More than we need to in order to Deliver on the job and That bravery and just having That confidence in ourselves Beyond policies They did the same study at Google With engineers so The engineering program at Google You basically have to self nominate If you want a promotion So they found that women Who were eligible for promotion Were 10 to 20% less likely To put themselves up And men who maybe scored against Two out of five of the characteristics They were looking for automatically Put themselves up for promotion So it goes back to that EQ you don't want to take on a job You're not going to be able to fulfill Whereas men have the confidence to Say I will eventually be able To fulfill that and I'm going to put My name into the hat The specific question on that topic And so Based on the comparison Of how men achieve things And how women achieve things What are your personal opinions on How much women should Because that's a comparison in itself How much women should compare themselves Like a behavior versus maybe Being themselves as women Which is more of a kind of helping others And empathizing kind of nature Versus you know helping myself Type behavior So for me I live by a personal Model so one thing I was actually telling John this earlier One thing that I live by Is I'll look through my emails That I'm about to send out I'll check them before I send them out And I'll find all the points So again buffer words Like just or like Or say I have to move a meeting And I say oh I'm really sorry Can I move this Actually I can take that out and say I have another commitment Can we move this to another time So rather than apologizing for something I've not made a mistake on and saving that For a moment where I've actually made An error I think that's a really Really simple change that I've kind of Taken on as my personal model In terms of like how you Evaluate how much you should You know be yourself versus You know take on Like take the same attitude That a man would have I think that's All really subjective it's all really Up to you how you want to Figure that out and what I really Have lived by in my career Is looking to women in my organization Or outside of my organization That I really respect That I want to emulate and I see how I live in meetings and I try to Really live by that model As well just to have Someone that I want to look up to And I don't understand how they Would handle the same situation So I was thinking in my head what would They do in this situation and then I Try to push myself to do that as well Hi my name is Larry and Very very insightful Comments from all of you My question is basically I'm just Going to come out and see it How do you land a job at your company So allow me to Explain You know as a woman in early 20's It's a very frustrating age Because you're in between You have got some experience But not that much experience So you know when I look at LinkedIn like jobs they're like Oh you need this is this Perfect I can do this is this And then they're like oh you need Seven years of experience And I'm like what So yeah I just wanted to Understand how you would Put yourself out there and kind Of market yourself even when You think you're falling short Yeah So I think I would start with What your personal brand is So your name was Larry Yeah so Larry like How is Larry different from All the other 20 year olds out there That might have the same degree that you do Like what have you done that puts you apart Like what is it that you're Passionate about what is it that you're Really good at what is it That really sets you on fire What have you done maybe outside Your studies or in the few years Of experience you have that sets you I mean that when someone's looking through A series of CV's or application They'll remember yours I think there was one event we Had where Yeah and Andrew was talking about Personal brand No Andrea she did her thing Yes it was actually the Accenture Event Yeah so sorry it was something At our old company anyway A woman who I know is part Of this network she's not here this evening And she just gave a great and really Insightful presentation about how to Build your own personal brand And it went beyond just your CV But thinking about Your picture on LinkedIn The words that you use to describe yourself In your profile like what you respond To the kind of posts that you do The kind of conversations that you have Online in order to build And really develop this authentic Because starting with the things that you Are really passionate about To find you but then using those Through all of these wonderful technology Vehicles that we have available To get that brand out there To people Thank you I'm just going to go back to That was another bit Yeah And then we'll come back to you Hi thanks for all your sharing I have a question for Adriana I was interested in Exploring how you export Your goals within the tech space Because you mentioned you started out as a Software engineer and you're now in HR Could you tell us more about that journey Sure So I had a lot of lateral transitions I would say in my career So I went from In a consulting company In the technology space To in that same consulting company In the talent and organization Space To then consulting To clients to doing that same work Internally for the company So moving into HR And then from an internal talent Strategy role into a more traditional HR Role So at each of these moves It was definitely lateral Sometimes even a step backwards Because I was stepping out Of an area that I had had And built expertise and Had sponsors and Mentors into a new space But at each time I also knew What it was that I was bringing To this role back to the previous comment That would kind of set me apart Or be part of my personal brand So moving for example From a client facing role Into an internal HR role I knew that I was bringing this Experience in change management And stakeholder management And project management That maybe some of my HR colleagues To set myself apart And even though I was coming in In a lateral move or even taking a bit Of a step back in my career In order to take that role I felt comfortable that I had this career capital Based on what I'd done before That would then help me move to the next step We're going to do the last couple of questions So Sorry Very, very good comments That came There were many things I agree And there are many things I disagree So no, it's just Different experiences Number one for me Given the choice I would always Always choose a man A male boss of a female Always Second And second Why? Because I have about Let's say five to six years Of experience and I work in consulting And All the bosses that I had Who were male They opened doors for me They were mentoring me They were always encouraging What do you want to do? How can I make it happen? Maybe it's just my good karma I don't know Female bosses were always A pain Very It's just maybe the woman That I met But just to share with you An example, something really amazing Happened to me today So my boss came to me and he said Forget about billable hours I just want to harness your creativity You tell me what you want to do Next week we're going to meet You can do whatever you want I know you're interested In different things, you're creative How can we build on it? You tell me, for this whole year You're going to be doing this How did I do this? How did I get to this offer? I work in consulting As I said, so billable hours Long hours, what not When they give me a spreadsheet And I look at it, okay This is going to take me five hours to do it I hate Excel, so how can I do it better? I'll just go on Google And do it in 20 minutes On the next day I'll run to my boss And tell him, look, I found this amazing tool I'll show it to them Can we use it at work? When I show it to my female colleagues Yeah, yeah, whatever I don't care, they will just continue Working on the Excel My male bosses, my male colleagues They would be super duper interested They would immediately want to download it Start playing around with it And I get the credit To them, so for those who asked What can you start doing now If you want to become more visible Maybe that's something that you can start doing Is making your bosses' lives easier It's either they work on an Excel for five hours Or you show them something better I would read books And I would immediately run to my boss Have you read this book? You really got to get it Sign up for National Library, get it My boss just came to me today He said, I'm listening now to audio books This isn't as you recommended For instance, if I tell it to my female colleagues My bosses, they're not interested Time after time There is not even one female colleague Had to try to pay attention Was interested in getting it on their computers Was interested in trying to do it They would rather sit there until 8pm And do it I live work at five I go home I have a quick question for you So I think Facebook also points I think that's brilliant What would you say to things you've taken away From your female bosses That would make you a better boss I have an intern who just today Got a job offer I made it happen for him He's inviting me for a super duper fancy dinner Anyways, he's a guy How did I Make it happen for him He's a young grad Singaporean I know that we were interested In his opinion He would just get dumped on his desk And you would do it Four months passed And the last two months I started Taking interest in him And started coaching him And he is very, very happy And very glad And what he told me today was You took interest in me You gave me some valuable advice Nobody would ever care If you want me to do it I make mistakes that don't teach me When he makes mistakes I immediately take him aside I teach him I show him I coach him I coach him on how to get high salary I coach him on how to do interviews I coach him on how to work with tools That we have How to stop thinking like a consultant Can I interject just quickly Sorry Sorry It doesn't have to be people Who are less experienced, less senior than you Part of the education process And part of the maturity of being a good manager It's actually managed up as well So if you've had a bad experience With a female manager, with any manager Regardless of gender You are able to affect change In that way as well I don't think I think it's a bold statement And perhaps too sweeping a statement That male managers are better than female Female better than male doesn't matter But you have the ability to actually change Your environment, your situation And your working situation I'm just going to just jump in With that So No, I think when Honestly It's a shitty situation It doesn't sound to you It's not the best situation But I think one of the big things That I've learned from Many of the women on this panel As well as the second work ground For a while is It sometimes isn't really just about Man and woman It's just sometimes about the character Of the individual For me When I work And Shria knows this I don't like I don't like to handle it I just want to tell what the problem is When I live like there are others You need a little bit of help along the way And then in the side there are some Who When I know that when it comes to a manager I like it when I get creates That makes me feel better That makes me want to pop up into my job I've got a girl that I work with Who's just like I don't still help Just tell me what to do And that's it, I don't need any emotional support Because I don't need that shit That's what you've been doing since the case I know what you probably need to do at the center I know that we mentioned the center cut a little bit They're sponsoring They're sponsoring the careers on that So I think Without business Which is also consulting We have a career counselor Every single person that comes into the business Will have One person who has a sub role Which is your career counselor They are responsible for figuring out What needs you to take What you love What drives you And making sure that you're happy in your role You need to find someone Who's going to help you Hey Mira, how many women work at Accenture? 36% Oh, carry on Well, so I just want to add to this So there's points that I agree with You know, similar to you in points that I disagree with Coming from Someone who's had only Male career counselors From a different firm I have to say that it is down to the individual level Like I'm the type of person though Who needs to know your background Needs to know how many kids you have What you do on the weekend And there are some men and women Who like to know that Or in some who just like the facts And like the orders So I think it's really How do you align yourself with what you I think What really drives you How you can both help each other With women, I think it's because There's such a lower percentage that You may not find women in leadership positions To give you that opportunity To leverage and Some of the women that There have been instances where There's women that I've approached Who I've wanted to have a coffee with And have lunch with They may have been too busy And I've reflected on that And what I've realized is one Is to just ask them After meeting them in Discussions or panels And then two I got a sense that They were hesitant To maybe mentor or meet with me Because they didn't want to be seen as Another woman helping another woman So Well, I mean, yes But like one of those where We're just women helping women Yes I agree with women helping women But again, I think it's really We need to focus on the individual Individual results, uniqueness I think we want to help each other But going back to that There's so few of us How do we make more of us But we can't discredit the men I agree, you can't It's true I love the fact that hands are still going up Really sorry I just had to counter that And In the government technology side Of the world We actually have 40% who are female So we consciously And for the record And for the record My boss, my CEO Is a female And we get really excited When we get female talents joining us And we consciously look out for them Because it's hard to find But attracting them And making sure they fit into the whole Culture and ecosystem is another And being in public sector is triple Because of the bureaucracy And the paperwork But it's been conscious About it and it's really working hard At building the culture that makes sure That they feel comfortable And part of the culture So awesome We're really tight for time And I see a lot of hands helping out So sorry My head is biting me Sorry So we can also be able to fall off with them Now I think that a lot of people This was a great panel So seriously Also on the topic of technology So you see up here there are a couple of books That we've actually pulled together And I wanted to We will actually fall off with the speakers Just ask about some of the books that they recommend to me We will have a shopping list up On our Facebook page Over there Now the second thing from those people Who are looking for a role in technology Or need it for people So Who is here Who goes over there Tracks Tracks last day She's looking for What are you looking for? We're looking for factory managers More home managers Or staffing within the region That's awesome to work with Amazon's here somewhere as well The hiring manager That's Lily And if anyone's heard of Amazon Web Services You can talk about a male dominant business Like Hey don't throw stones 36% Not in Asia Some of the books from Visa Are here So just make yourself known And if you are looking for a role Those are the guys who talk to This is what we call recruit her I just made that up Moving swiftly on We have something else to introduce Every other, so we do this every couple of months Very good fun We're going to introduce something called a night with This is where you get to come and just hang out With us in a bar It's a lot less formal Less panel stuff We could just be friends You don't have to drink We're not going to go boys club The other lovely thing is You mentioned about being a mentor We get a lot of requests for being a mentor So all I say is Can you just go and be mentors for people You might not feel like you're willing to be Or able to be a mentor, just go and do it Please, like there's so many people out there That need your advice, your chat Your gift of the gab if you will Plus these lovely people Are in the room right now They're the ones with the lanyards So feel free to go and ask them any questions All the lovely panel It's been an awesome night Can I ask for one final round of applause Hopefully you look better You're also an end job That's a bit of a long walk But I think one of the things that we've kind of seen Come today is We're trying to come out and do another session Where it could be a little personally I've got one less request I need the selfie with the panel behind me And the whole audience Plus he's having that grossest moment Just a little bit Say hi to the selfie stick I'm sure someone else I could do a 360 I could do a 360 if you want Okay no Could I do a 360 as well? What kind of request? Do a 360? Yeah I'm sorry Give me a moment Almost there It's a 360 camera So it's a 360 Just look at the black thing Look at the black thing ready One, two, go And we're done