The tech industry needs more women!

Our deepest appreciation to past parent Janet Menzies, Director, Asia Pacific Stores, Amazon Australia who champions women in leadership as not simply an aspiration but a reality!  This year the baton was passed to ex-students Lara Bartolotta (’18) and Grace Moore (’20) to host this event – two ex-students who were introduced to roles within Amazon because of networking with LK Connect!

The panel also included Verity Dolan (’05), Principal Customer Success Manager at Zendesk, and Sophie Troy (’02), CTO at Vamp, with Louise Stigwood, Managing Director, ANZ Public Sector, Amazon Web Services.

The message of the evening was very much about the opportunities in the tech sector, with a projected workforce gap of 85,000 digital workers expected in NSW by 2030. The roles in tech are varied, constantly evolving, with many new jobs that did not exist two years ago. When our facilitator Lara asked the panel, “What does a career in tech look like?”, Sophie replied, “It’s not just about stereotypical software engineering – there is tech in every business, every industry. We need people who show resilience and critical thinking.”

As Louise observed, “We need more females at the table. There are decisions being made, and we need more women influencing those decisions.”

Key take-outs of the evening:

• Use and build your network
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Align your values
• Constantly upskill
• Develop your AI skills

LK Connect continues to provide that ‘something more’ of a Loreto education, with networking evenings and mentoring opportunities that continue to inspire and motivate our current students, ex-students and wider community.

Debbie Henry
Development Manager