Women in IT Awards Ireland
17th December 2018
Last month, the Women in IT Awards Ireland were held in Dublin to celebrate the vital role women play in an integral sector to the Irish economy.
With just under 19% of Ireland’s tech sector being female, the Women in IT Awards programme has come to Ireland for the first time to celebrate the contribution that women are making in the Irish technology sector and to highlight issues they still face.
Since its launch in 2015, the Women in IT Awards have showcased women in technology in London and New York, with new launches planned in Asia, San Francisco and continental Europe. Organised by business technology site Information Age, a Bonhill Group plc title, the Women in IT Awards Ireland in association with AWS acts as a flagship and high profile platform to support the industry in its mission to move the dial on gender.
Technology is a traditionally male dominated field, but the Women in IT series’ mission is to change that. The first step to do so, is to draw attention to the women who work in the field and especially those who excel. The event held in Mansion House in Dublin, culminated with Dr Michelle Cullen of Accenture Ireland winning the night’s flagship award, ‘Woman of the Year’.
Group Chief Operating Officer at Bank of Ireland, Jackie Noakes, gave the headline address. Commenting on the award she said: “Dr Cullen’s talent speaks for itself, she is an amazing advocate for women in the tech industry. Not only has she campaigned for gender parity in Accenture, but also across the whole of Ireland. It is these kinds of champions that we take pleasure in celebrating. The ‘Women In’ series is much more than a stage to highlighting winners. The sheer number of candidates and nominees has been remarkable, and this has been a unique opportunity for women in tech to come together and discuss the issues that they face.” Caroline Glackin, Senior Site Leader for the Premium Support organisation of AWS also delivered a welcome address. She called on all men present to be vigilant of unconscious bias against women and to ensure that it does not enter their organisations. Roisin Ingle, columnist, editor and podcaster with The Irish Times, hosted the event.