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Sarah Shields has encouraged firms to make tech more glam, so women will be interested in working in the industry.
Shields, Dell’s UK executive director and general manager, said: “Put the girl in geek. Look at ways that you can really promote IT as an industry for girls to think about.”
According to the E-Skills survey 2014, 17 per cent of the UK tech market is made up of women.
Shields added: “That 17 per cent of women here in the UK is doubling and it’s doubled in the last 10 years.
“If you look at global organisations, 46 per cent have got women at C level – CEO CFO and more often than not CMO."
Shields also highlighted the growth of female purchasing power. She said: “Women’s buying power is 28 trillion dollars, it’s about 10 trillion dollars higher than the male equivalent.”
According to Forbes, men earn 12 trillion dollars globally, while women earn eight trillion dollars.
Shields also cited figures from CompTIA’s youth and IT survey, on how 95 per cent of girls say that they have an interest in technology, but only nine per cent want a career in IT.
However, women are starting to make their mark in what’s generally regarded as a male dominated industry, as the E-Skills survey 2014 points out that the proportion of women working as self-employed IT specialists has more than doubled over the past decade.
Shields’ talk took place at PCR’s Boot Camp North event, where other members from the industry disccused gaming and tech trends for 2015.
