On Tuesday 8 October, the second Women 4.0 event took place at Rollits LLP as two guest speakers shared their career stories and experiences to a room full of over fifty people.
Claire Clark, Director of Development at C4DI-based IoT App Development Consultancy Sauce, founded Women 4.0 as a platform to highlight successful women in industry, inspiring all people and leading a positive path for the next generation.
Photo: Shannon Capon
“Each event has a particular emphasis on encouraging women to enter the technology and STEM sectors, which are traditionally seen as male-dominated industries,” Claire explains.
The afternoon kicked off with a short introduction from our Community Manager Louise Cooke who has, over the past year, immersed herself in the region’s tech community, connecting businesses, startups and individuals and creating new opportunities for collaboration.
Claire then reflected on her impressive career and professional achievements, from starting her career as a Software Engineer and progressing to managing teams of Enginers, to being asked to judge regional technology awards and working with multi-national organisations.
Claire Clark, Director of Development at Sauce (Photo: Shannon Capon)
Our first guest speaker was Rachael Winter, who has spent the last twelve and a half years working in the Advanced Wound Management clinical research team at Smith + Nephew. She explained her incredible career path, as she progressed from her BSc and PgD in Biomedical Science to Director Global Clinical Operations, alongside becoming a mother of two.
Her thought-provoking talk explored the concept of unconscious bias, which was sparked by her child’s school play.
“After the play, I was reeling. All the girls were dressed up as dancers and cheerleaders, waiting to be saved and whisked away by their male counterparts, who were all mayors, mathematicians and scientists,” Rachael revealed.
Rachael also showed a screenshot from a Google search for the term “scientist” and the gender-bias shone through.
While there’s no way to solve these issues overnight, Rachael’s talk certainly gave everyone in the room some real food for thought.
Rachel Winter, Director Global Clinical Operations at Smith + Nephew (Photo: Shannon Capon)
Next up, Annalieza Landa bounced up to the lectern, radiating energy and enthusiasm.
Her career story was equally inspiring, as she took us on a journey through her experience in acting, radio, TV, mobile phone apps and finally public speaking and coaching.
Annalieza’s two brands Make Your Marque and The Love Life Coach guide people through life and their businesses to help them become their best selves and leave a lasting impact on the world.
“My coaching spa HEALED is designed to rescue those who have lost their mojo or are at risk of burning out. At the darkest hour of my life, I discovered the profoundly positive power of public speaking,” says Annalieza.
Annalieza Landa, founder of Make Your Marque and The Love Life Coach (Photo: Shannon Capon)
To wrap up the event, Louise and Claire organised a prize draw with items donated by the speakers and sponsors. Each prize reflected Women 4.0’s mission to encourage people to inspire, achieve and take action.
Prizes included three copies of Royal Society-Recommended Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed For Men by Caroline Criado Perez, a free consultation and month of coaching with The Love Life Coach, an Amazon Kindle and £1,000 worth of Occupational Health training.
“I’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along, our guest speakers and our sponsors,” Claire tells us.
The next Women 4.0 event will take place in March 2020 to coincide with International Women’s Day.
To find out more about Women 4.0 or get involved, please contact David Summerbell on ds@c4di.net.