The tech sector doesn’t have a great track record of inclusivity when it comes to employing women. Overall, women (who make up just under 50% of the global population) hold only around 26.7% of tech-related jobs globally. This figure has actually decreased slightly over the past few years.
The root cause of this is the lack of encouragement given to female students to study STEM subjects at school and consider a career in tech. Only 25% of graduates in STEM subjects are women and, currently, women only receive about 18% of new computer science degrees.
Inclusivity in the Workplace
While STEM education maybe the root cause, it’s not entirely to blame. While there are some positive developments to increase diversity in some companies, many struggle to offer an inclusive workplace environment. When we look at our own industry, we find women underrepresented in tech roles. Instead, many women working at tech companies fill roles in HR, finance, marketing and office admin.
Here at MCP, like other companies in the mobile payments sector, we can’t boost to be ahead of this curve. However, we are proud of the women who work in our company and especially those who occupy tech roles.
Inclusion and diversity are important to us at MCP. We believe it’s a commercial imperative to have a workforce that’s representative of the global population and particularly the customers we serve. It increases our creativity, innovation and ability to understand the needs of our customers. One way we’re able to support an inclusive workforce is by offering flexible work arrangements. We’re predominantly a remote-first company which means all our team members have the flexibility to work from anywhere, allowing them to balance their professional responsibilities with personal commitments and preferences.
International Women’s Day 2024
As it’s International Women’s Day, we’re celebrating the women that make up our team. With a relatively small cohort, we’re proud to have women in tech roles within our business. They include:
Jessica Pinas – Performance Manager
Jess works in our Operations team and is on a mission to improve the performance of all MCP’s platforms and tools. She’s also been studying for a diploma in Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning from Universidad de Málaga. Her final project, created with four other women on the course, is called PlastiScan AI. It’s a model for analysing images of water samples for the detection and classification of microplastic particles in them. Jess says, “Our purpose is to create a tool for research into such an important and current environmental issue, with the aim of helping to control pollution sources, understanding how and to what extent it affects, or understanding its degradation.”
You can find out more here: https://www.plastiscan.org/
Adriana Martins De Silva – Head of Product
Addie is currently on maternity leave which has highlighted what a valuable member of the tech team she is. She has a much better understanding of the back end of some of our platforms than other members of the team! Fortunately, Addie is extremely meticulous and documents everything she does, so we’ve been able to seamlessly continue her work in her absence. Alongside this attention to detail, her innovative mindset and problem-solving skills ensure our products give our clients access to the most meaningful insights and difference making tools.
Hizra Omer – Senior Software Developer
Hizra is not only championing diversity and inclusion in tech, but also in her home country. Working from our office in Islamabad, she’s breaking down barriers to create an inclusive space for everyone. As an expert in Android fraud detection and automation, Hizra is a valuable member of our tech team and an inspiration to her colleagues and the wider community.
Kirsten Calland – Senior Compliance Manager
While not a tech role, as a Senior Compliance Manager a large part of Kirsten’s role is to analyse compliance data and help our clients get the most from our platforms and reports. Kirsten also has other professional interests providing regulatory and compliance support to other companies and running her own business. Multitasking is clearly one of her skills!
Ksenia Prepyalova – Regional Manager (Europe)
Commercial roles in tech companies require individuals who understand both the challenges clients face as well as the tech that powers the solutions. Ksenia looks after some of our most valued clients in the mVAS industry, ensuring they get the full benefits of our services and platform.
Lisa Chalkley – Finance Manager
Lisa may not have a tech role, but she knows how to use the accounting and bookkeeping technology that keep our finance team on the straight and narrow!
Jane Woodyer – Marketing Manager
Marketing technology solutions to tech savvy clients requires a good understanding of functions and features, and how our solutions integrate within our clients’ tech stacks. Fortunately, Jane has a technical mindset and aligns our comms with our clients’ interests and requirements.
This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is #InspireInclusion. We hope this article, in a small way, has ignited conversations, sparked reflection and inspired action towards a more inclusive and equitable world for all.
