Origin Story: Why We Do What We Do
Our Origin Story
It all started with a simple question: Where were the women? When Jana Marlé-Zizková and Pavel Bulowski went to work meetings or events in the tech industry, the other attendees were often men. They discovered that many women had a lot of enthusiasm and interest in data analytics and related areas. Yet, not everyone knew how to get started or access community support. This inspired the first workshop on data analytics for women in 2016. In the face of the overwhelming response, one workshop led to another, and then to many more. She Loves Data was born.
As a community, we commit to the belief that women have many talents, virtues, and values to bring to the table. This bears out in our very own logo, which is based on the Coxcomb chart. Florence Nightingale famously used the chart to explain the preventable deaths of soldiers during the Crimean war. She later led the sanitation reform of British hospitals. Just as Nightingale used data to create change, so too can more women become active contributors to a data-driven world. Pam Ooms, our volunteer who designed the logo, felt that Nightingale’s story fitted very well with She Loves Data’s purpose and wanted to borrow design elements from the Coxcomb chart.
What’s Next
Today, 200 years from Florence Nightingale’s time, she continues to inspire as a role model. We also find ourselves in the midst of a crisis, where the need for data literacy and digital skills is more urgent. We are forced to adapt to disruptive changes and in many instances, shift from the physical to the virtual. One silver lining is that the transition has led She Loves Data to create our first webinars, and we’re able to reach more people. At the same time, our community focus remains core.
It’s important that women building skills in tech don’t feel like they are on this journey alone. We understand that it can be tricky to build this feeling of community and sense of belonging online. There is no easy solution, but we can continue to support each other with friendly exchanges in our Facebook and LinkedIn groups. She Loves Data also continues to expand. We’re building local tribes and partnerships in places from Armenia to Vietnam so that more women can benefit from our work. We hope you keep safe and stay strong.
She Loves Data Announces Partnership with WORK180
Sydney, Australia – She Loves Data is proud to be partnering with WORK180 in order to bring about greater diversity, inclusion and equality at the workplace even before candidates start their job searches.
Together, they offer Australia a one-stop career search platform which builds on the strength of She Loves Data’s growing international community while offering women greater control and decision making in the process.
Headquartered in Singapore, with chapters worldwide including Sydney and Melbourne, She Loves Data is a non-profit organisation which aims to reduce the gender gap in Technology. As Diversity Initiative of the Year at the 2019 inaugural Women in IT Asia Awards, it offers women from all walks
of life and abilities its signature data literacy workshops, supported by strong partners aligned with its vision.
Eva Taase, She Loves Data’s Sydney Chapter Lead says, “We love working with WORK180 because their focus on equality and inclusion is very important for our community. The partnership between She Loves Data and WORK180 is an important milestone. Over 30% of our members are looking for
a career change. With WORK180 our community will be able to directly look for jobs in companies where diversity, equality, and inclusion is practiced.”
WORK180 provides female job applicants with a transparent directory of Endorsed Employers who must meet a minimum set of benchmarks to advertise job opportunities on their site. This means information around pay equity, flexible working hours, paid parental leave and equal opportunities are made known to job seekers to better inform their decisions on which companies can better suit need their needs.
Valeria Ignatieva, WORK180 CEO and Co-founder says, “She Loves Data is a supportive community of over 15,000 women in data and we´re excited about collaborating with the group and our community of WORK180 Endorsed Employers to open up more opportunities for women in STEM.”
For more information, please contact:
[email protected]
[email protected]
How to break into the tech industry and create a rewarding career
WORK180 asked leading women in IT about their top tips and advice for anyone interested in growing a career in technology.
So, you want to get into tech? Well, now’s the right time. With new innovations impacting just about every aspect of our lives, tech-based companies are experiencing massive growth, and that’s creating some really amazing opportunities. But there’s another reason to be thinking about a career in tech. More than ever, smart organisations are recognising that a combination of transferable skills and life experience often delivers better outcomes than qualifications alone. WORK180 asked women in the industry to share their advice on entering the tech sector and succeeding when you get there. They come from some of the most progressive organisations in the WORK180 network, so make sure you check out their workplace initiatives and job opportunities.
SO, YOU WANT TO GET INTO TECH? WELL, NOW’S THE RIGHT TIME.
With new innovations impacting just about every aspect of our lives, tech-based companies are experiencing massive growth, and that’s creating some really amazing opportunities.
But there’s another reason to be thinking about a career in tech. More than ever, smart organisations are recognising that a combination of transferable skills and life experience often delivers better outcomes than qualifications alone.
Ask yourself … Are you a great problem solver? Do you have high emotional intelligence? Maybe your strength is communication or time management.
WORK180 is a jobs board with a difference! We pre-screen employers on paid-parent leave, pay equity, flexible working arrangements and more. Find your dream job here.
Whatever it is, companies are committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, and to attract great people, they’re offering employee benefits that go above and beyond industry standards.
So where to start? First you need to identify the companies that know how to look after employees and their careers. You can find this information in our Endorsed Employer pages.
Next, it’s worth listening to what women who work in tech have to say.
To facilitate this, we asked some inspiring women to share their advice on entering the tech sector and succeeding when you get there. They come from some of the most progressive organisations in our network, so make sure you check out their workplace initiatives and job opportunities.
And lastly, just go for it. Who knows what opportunities are waiting for someone just like you!
ind a sponsor – Sponsoring is very personal. Build relationships with leaders that you respect and are influential, ideally in your direct team who know your ambition and can support your development.
Ask for feedback – It may feel awkward at first, but once you’re in the habit, you can take it for the constructive development it is.
Trust your intuition – Don’t be afraid to challenge (respectfully) things you believe in or disagree on, hold yourself accountable too and don’t dwell on outcomes. A supportive team is one that collaborates and nurtures each other. And at a more senior point in your career, make it your mission to curate great culture in your teams!
Noel Williams, Partner – Technology Risk & Cyber Security, KPMG
If you find that you have to pretend to be someone that you are not, in order to fit in at an organisation – then walk away and find a better place to work! Be your own authentic self, and don’t apologise for it. We are all different and bring different skills and experience to the table. However, there is nothing wrong with selectively adopting successful behaviours, habits or traits from people you admire – constantly adapting to a changing environment means we are growing each and every day.
Ila Lessing, Director – Technology Business Management (acting), NSW Roads & Maritime Services (RMS)
Find a number of mentors. I’m fortunate to have trusted mentors, some managers and some peers. While no two career paths are going to be the same, a great mentor will give you opportunities to learn. It’s up to you to be willing to accept these opportunities and step outside of your comfort zone. There will be others around to help you, make sure you utilise the help!
Fleur Wiley, Senior Manager in Technology Consulting, PwC
Understand your strengths and challenges, both from a technical and interpersonal skills – do I like coding more than designing? Do I like selling more than solving? Once you have identified your strengths, pursue it, as you are more likely to be successful in the area that you are already good at.
Set a 1-3-5-10 year plan, remember it’s a plan to set the goal post, not a mandate. Don’t forget to take calculated risks, take on challenges, learn new technology, and change architecture if you feel that it’s right for you and that trends have shifted.
Sora Cho, Manager Customer Success Specialist, Customer Experience, Cisco
The tech industry can offer an incredibly rewarding career, and it’s important for women to get involved and put themselves out there. A great first step is to present your work on a public platform like GitHub and show the world what you’re capable of. Technology is constantly evolving, and by remaining hungry to learn new languages and technology stacks, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
Lavanya Gowri, Software Developer, Liberty Financial
Don’t listen to the word “no”. Throughout my career, I’ve had countless people tell me I wasn’t suited to work in IT, saying things like, “Why would you want to do that? That’s not the role for you.” Don’t listen to it. Follow your passions.
You don’t need every qualification to apply for a role in IT, it’s more about having the right attitude, mindset, and willingness to learn to succeed in this industry.
Get rid of the imposter syndrome, the psychological experience of feeling like you don’t deserve your success. By overcoming these fears and doubts, you’ll be able to pursue opportunities outside your comfort zone – and that’s where the magic happens.
Don’t try to be one of the boys – be yourself.
Estelle Ivory, Client Delivery Director, Optus
You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room. I wish someone had told me that earlier in my career. At high school and university, I spent a lot of energy on competing with the crowd and being hard on myself because of challenges with dyslexia. But it didn’t take me too long to realise and play to my strengths of data and coding in SQL. I found that with these skills as my foundations, I can work through any changes faced in this scary fast technology changing world. Foundations are FUNdamental!
Tamzyn Bielecka, Information and Data Manager, BP
My advice is to grasp opportunities as they arise and be flexible in the roles you take. Technology is extremely broad and there are many roles that don’t require deep technical expertise. Key skills are stakeholder management, the ability to communicate technical solutions to non-technical people and being able to influence and negotiate well. Soft skills, such as communication, teamwork and problem solving are equally as important as technical skills. Key skills that are transferable across any technology area include business analysis, project management and change management, which covers training and communications.
Sara Braund, VP Digital Operations, South32
What can folks do to be successful in tech? The secret to success is to learn how to learn, to develop empathy, and to learn how to communicate. Mastering these skills is a lifelong pursuit; at every stage of your career, you’ll revisit these core abilities and adapt them to your new role.
Mentorship is critical to growth. No one is born ready to be a Product Manager or Designer or Engineer. We all need role models, people who trust us, give us the feedback we need, and push us, sometimes even before we feel we are ready. And then we need to remember to honor the generosity of our mentors by stepping up to coach others.
Sadie Stoumen, VP, Product, Redbubble
It was a big decision for me to move from professional services into tech, but it has been one that I’ve never regretted! Three things were key for me, firstly asking myself “why tech”? I could see the increasing role that tech was playing in driving business strategy and I wanted to get involved. Next, having the opportunity to “do the doing” on the client side, I knew this would add to my learning and experience for the future. Lastly, by being able to leverage my consulting network, I was able to find the right opportunity for me. That was 4 years ago now, I’m so pleased I had the courage then, because I’ve never looked back.
Aimee Lindfield, IT Business Delivery Partner, Lion
Be brave! In my experience, women tend to shy away from asking specifically what they want or need. Ask! Don’t expect that things will just happen – they won’t.
Tech is a fun space. At Infosys we’re doing it all — from transforming enterprises with 5G technology to reimagining the game of Tennis — who knows what’s next.
Surround yourself with inspiring people every day – mentors, role models – it helps a lot. And remember, you are only limited by your own barriers.
Semra Barutchu, Vice-President Infosys & Head, Engineering Services Asia, Infosys
My first piece of advice is to connect with someone who works in tech and watch what they do. If you can find a mentor, even better. This will give you insights into how IT roles work and what opportunities are available to you. I’d also suggest doing your homework before applying for jobs. I’m lucky to enjoy flexible working arrangements with a really supportive organisation, and that has allowed me to juggle my career and the demands of a growing family. I started out as a developer, but now lead a team of 30 developers, analysts and project managers. The opportunity to solve problems, both creatively and analytically is really rewarding.
Not so Clueless, thanks to data
Rinat Perry doesn’t smile, she beams. Beneath that head of generous brown curls is someone who knows what she wants and has been working hard at it. As a former fashion designer and stylist, the Israeli businesswoman chats enthusiastically about how attending a She Loves Data workshop has helped with her start-up StyleClueless.
A few years ago, while watching the American coming-of-age romantic comedy, Clueless, Perry had an epiphany. She realised no one was yet offering a comprehensive tool which fashion brands can use to help their customers understand their collections. For example, if they had bought an item or two, they may not necessarily know how best to maximise their purchase by creating different combinations of outfits they liked based on their styling preferences. More often than not, the case was that someone saw their favourite Instagram influencer wearing an incredible outfit and loved it but it just did not match her body type. As Perry explained, “You hear this all the time: I love the jacket, so how do I wear that?”
Rinat Perry, Founder of StyleClueless and a fan of machine learning.
While the idea is to offer consumers the possibility of visualising themselves in a complete look by creating outfit suggestions, StyleClueless also helps brands be more sustainable as many are stuck in inventories -items that are not bought simply because people do not know how to wear them or combine them with what they already own. Most ordinary folks certainly do not have personal stylists. Ecologically, StyleClueless makes sense as well. Now, each purchase can be worn much more often and even more purposefully.
At the end of the day, Perry loves it that machine learning teaches the retail business so much more about the purchased item journey when what was offered not too long ago online were just basic shopper demographics. The potential for different fashion brands to cross promote is also endless.
The big challenge for Perry was learning to communicate with the data scientists she works with. She shares her experience after the free She Loves Data workshop on data analytics, “When you haven’t learnt Computer Science and you don’t come from that world, it’s very intimidating. Most of the time the people in this industry are not so keen about explaining and they are not patient at all. So when you come to this event and instructor Quinn Pham gives the right explanations and compares it to things we can relate to, it’s easier to understand. Suddenly, it makes sense.”
Whatever your background, wherever you are on your career journey, you too can reap the benefits of data and machine learning. Join us for our next She Loves Data event in Singapore on 30 July: Machine Learning and you.
Soo Sien Tay
Soo Sien gets a high talking to strangers and enjoys being exposed to new voices.
Her jet fuel includes spin, hot yoga and stand-up paddling.
At She Loves Data, she is doing what she loves with people she loves.
She Loves Data wins big at the Women in IT Awards
Walking the Diversity Talk
Soo Sien Tay writes about insights from female corporate leaders in Singapore who shared about their journey in data and diversity, at the She Loves Data “Introduction to Data Analytics” Workshop in May 2019.
She Loves Data opens in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!
We are growing She Loves Data presence in South East Asia!
On May 2nd we launched the first workshop in Malaysia – our signature “Intro to data” session for women.
And it was quite a special day at Asia Pacific University that hosted us. You can see the whole photo gallery here.
We had the largest number of attendees on the Intro to Data –112 ladies who registered plus a few others who got in to listen to Quinn and Steve – the total number was at 115!
At the same time, we had the lowest no-show rate ever – 11%. To put this is a context, at other locations we usually see 20-40% no-shows for our workshops. In KL we had to bring in extra chairs to squeeze everyone in!
We were humbled by many words of appraisal for the workshop quality and gratitude for bringing the She Loves Data community to Malaysia: “… the session exceeded my expectations and I left feeling positive and energized, …loved the flow of the workshop and appreciate the experience sharing session”, “…thank you for a great learning experience.”
This workshop would not have happened without one of my #DataTribe sisters, Anila Fredericks from Telstra. One more sincere thank you to Anila, her Telstra team, amazing SG & MY team from JetBrains, Steve from Minerra, APU and last, but not least my colleagues at Meiro for supporting this incredible data-loving community!
A special hug to Nelya Shakirova for keeping this all under control.
We are busy to prepare for the next session in Malaysia. Stay tuned while we are setting up the local volunteering group. Contact Arpita Chopra in KL if you want to help out.
Looking back at the incredible 2018 at Shelovesdata
This post was originally intended to blend into your feed full of new year’s reflections, hashtag blessed and hashtag humbled, so please do excuse the late submission. I am usually little reluctant to write these because where we are right now I still feel like we haven’t even grown out of the diapers and we are just scratching the surface of what’s possible. But then I saw these stats that our amazing team pulled. Because you know, SHE LOVES DATA.
In 2018 we grew our presence to 5 countries, totaling 6 cities. Our email list grew to 7,000 and we have met more than half of you in person, which is so amazing. Our online social community grew to over 12,000 strong and it keeps on growing. If you haven’t yet, do follow us on Instagram, Linkedin or Facebook, but most importantly get onto to our Facebook group where the magic really happens! Our family of super committed volunteers grew to 23 so expect great things this year! Importantly last year, we doubled the number of workshops to 30 per year, with an average of 60,4 workshop attendees and unique 1851 check-ins. (I still struggle to understand how the 0.4 person made it to the the venue though). The really important marker for us here was that we really expanded the offering and tested over 11 different workshops, ranging from soft skills to programming to data and the feedback has been great on a majority of these and we can’t wait to bring to more cities. The highlight of the year was most definitely the jam-packed two-day marathon at the Big Data World in Singapore where we hosted two full days of great panel discussion talks and hands-on workshops where over 2000 unique visitors came to take part! The number of female visitors grew with 102% compare to the last year’s figures, greatly over exceeding our goals and expectations. We also got some love from media this year, like this article! Most importantly these figures above are real people, real stories and very real growth and learning, not some random marketing campaign results. And this makes us very happy.
What we are planning this year
2019 is starting with a bang! Just in Q1 alone we have 5 workshops already planned in Singapore, choose from R for beginners, work on your Public speaking skills, do our Intro to Data, recurring signature workshop with thousands of graduates, attend Data for Executives if that’s your jam or Marketing Technology and Data, the choice is yours and as always, all of these are absolutely free! Sydney is hosting Intro to data in February, Melbourne, Auckland and Jakarta in March (TBC), Hong Kong again in the week of March 17th! Also we will open up in Malaysia with our first Intro to Data workshop in Kuala Lumpur in Q2! Do check out the event listings page to learn more.
If you have been to one of these, do us a favor and share the upcoming workshops with your friends and leave us a review on our Facebook page, they really do help! Like Janice did..
“You can feel safe coming to attend She loves data. Without much IT knowledge, knowing nothing about coding, programming or data science, what you fear most when you want to sign up for such event is to be there and feel lost or ridicule. The next fear is that there may be sales talk after sales talk for expensive courses.
Well, fear not, none of the above happened. This is the FIRST workshop pertaining to Data I’ve attended after deliberating for about 2 years to venture out and learn more. I am so glad I’ve attended. The workshop has given me the confidence to want to learn more.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank Jana for being such a wonderful host, the effort of the whole team, the patience and dedication of Quinn and Steve. Thank you. ? It is a day well spent!”
“I was looking for a career in the data and tech industry. When Shelovesdata in Singapore organized a workshop in R programming, I signed up to upskill myself. In addition to benefiting from the clear and engaging lessons, I was surprised to also meet a supportive network of women, who selflessly shared knowledge, events, and jobs about data and tech.
Eventually, my instructor knew of a colleague who was hiring, and she helpfully referred me to him. I eventually landed a position as a Data Architect, despite having zero background in the industry. Thank you #shelovesdata for paving my way to a career in data and tech!”
We are looking for help
If the workshop plans are not impressive enough for a volunteer-run organization where all of us have adult jobs, Instagram accounts to attend to and otherwise, hold your breath because we are not stopping there. Through the power of the network and the diaspora of our volunteers. we are also gearing to open up in Los Angeles, Brazil and South Africa. I know right!? In all seriousness, we do have big goals and limited resources so if you’d like to help in any capacity, offer your skills, time, connections or trust fund, we would love to chat, so don’t hesitate to connect with anyone of us or drop a note to [email protected].
Pavel Bulowski
Co-Founder at Meiro.io & Shelovesdata.com| Customer data platform | Data integration
Currently based in Sydney you might most likely run into him at some airport. Pavel is in charge of Meiro’s sales and marketing and in spare time geeks out on chess, boxing and history.
Courses_overview
She Loves Data provides workshop for women from all walks of life to teach them the very basics of data analytics, no prior experience required. All our courses are taught by subject-matter experts, active in the fileds of Data Analytics, Data Science and/or Data Visualisation.
Through our workshops we aim to increase the Data Literacy amongst women and that are interested in pursuing a career in Data/Tech to get started.
Our signature workshop She Loves Data: Introduction to Data Analytics is free for all and teaches the logics and thinking behind ….
Other workshops we provide are Advanced Data Visualization, Digital Marketing Basics that build upon the knowledge gained during our introductory workshop and teach women practical skills that they can apply immediate in their current roles.
She Loves Data is also partnering with Development Beyond Learning (DBL) to offer DBL’s Future Skills Suite of programs, tools and resources.
DBL delivers unique, multi-faceted development programs for leaders, manager and young professionals that enlighten, engage and empower participants and their managers. DBL’s programs are high impact for participants, geographically scalable and responsive to changing business needs.
DBL’s Future Skills are a suite of programs, tools and resources for talents undergoing change and career reorientation –including workshops, digital content, on-the-job action learning, business projects, leader engagement , measurement and reporting.
Together we are creating unique programs bringing together Technical and Essential skills to equip participants with all the skills necessary to transform and be successful in a fast changing environment as the Data/Tech eco-system.
