ACS event celebrates women in ICT

ACS is celebrating International Women’s Day on 8 May with a breakfast event in Barangaroo, Sydney.

Four women will speak at the forum, sharing their experiences and insights on working in start-up organisations.

City of Sydney Deputy Lord Mayor Linda Scott will officially open the event and introduce the panel of speakers:

• Monica Wulff — Co-founder, Startup Muster
• Siobhan Hayden — COO, HashChing
• Allison Reid — VR Solutions Architect, Equal Reality
• Iris Chan — CMO, FusionGrove
   

According to the ACS Australia’s Digital Pulse report, the country’s ICT workforce still has diversity issues: only 28% of ICT workers are women and only 12% are aged over 55, compared with 45% and 15% respectively in all professional industries.

The gender difference is even more pronounced in the start-up sector, with Startup Muster’s 2018 survey revealing that just 22.3% of founders are female.

The Digital Pulse report found that the low share of female ICT workers could be holding Australian businesses back, particularly where this gender gap exists at senior levels. It’s been estimated that having equal representation of women in leadership roles could lift labour force participation and add up to $10.8 billion to the Australian economy every year.

ACS President Yohan Ramasundara welcomed International Women’s Day as an opportunity to focus on gender diversity and help drive change through visibility and awareness of women’s issues.

“It’s no secret that our industry still has a long way to go when it comes to the participation of women in ICT roles; the findings from our Digital Pulse report are a stark reminder of that. However, at ACS we’re committed to continue raising awareness, promoting discussion and increasing support for women working in ICT,” he said.

“The International Women’s Day breakfast event features a rockstar line-up of ICT talent. It’s a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of not only the panellists, but also our female colleagues around the world.”

Linda Scott said she was pleased the issue of equal gender representation was being raised at the International Women’s Day event.

“Gender inequality in the workplace is a serious issue facing those in our City and beyond. I encourage ACS to continue its push for supporting women and encouraging diversity,” she said.

For more information around the event click here.

Image credit: ©micromonkey/Dollar Photo Club

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