‘Be proud’: BCS’ new CEO says IT should embrace professionalism

‘I was told ‘Oh, no, it's embarrassing. We don't use that’

Sharron Gunn, the new CEO of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is focused on elevating IT's professionalism – but the industry is very different from other credentialed trades.

Perception of IT has shifted dramatically in the last 20 years, but the sector still lacks the cachet of other chartered industries. In many ways, IT staff are still the people under the stairs, occasionally sated by throwing them a new server.

Professional recognition builds respect and trust – essential for IT leaders who increasingly find themselves talking to the board. Despite that, it’s still uncommon to see techies advertising their qualifications.

“I was actually told by somebody I was interviewing, ‘Oh, no, it's embarrassing. We don't use that; it would be showing off,’” says Sharron Gunn, who joined BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT as its new CEO last year.

“It was a very British way of looking at it, and I don't think that's the case internationally... It's not something to be embarrassed about, it should be something to be proud about.”

At the same time, job adverts rarely specify the need for a chartered background. Sharron, who began her career in accountancy, says, “People advertise for a chartered accountant, but you just don't see that happening in tech: nobody's out advertising that they want a chartered qualification for their CTO.”

Which came first? Did IT workers collectively decide they didn’t want to pursue professional qualifications, or did recruiters never advertise for them in the first place?

Neither, says Sharron; it’s more about how people enter the industry.

“The IT community is really broad...and there are so many different routes to what's interesting. There are very typical training routes to become an accountant or a lawyer; they're very structured and everyone has to follow that route. In tech, you often see people who've been in an organisation doing an entirely different role, then they see an opportunity and move into a tech team.

“So, there are many different diverse routes in. There isn't this standard, ‘You do a degree, or you do an apprenticeship, and this is how you get in.’”

Sharron herself is an example, having run digital programmes at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAW) for 20 years without a dedicated tech background.

“Every boardroom in the country needs to have tech experience”

The IT industry’s structure isn’t going to change overnight, and neither is Sharron pushing for more regulation or oversight. But the profession has moved from the back office to the boardroom, and change is in the air.

“Every boardroom in the country needs to have that tech experience. They're making multimillion-pound decisions on tech without necessarily having the right experience in the room. With AI, with cyber, these are huge issues for boards to be talking about and tackling.”

BCS is launching a tech training scheme for board members this year and is also looking at board training for tech professionals as well, as well as ethics training around AI.

“If you look at what's happened with the Horizon issue, we've got to push that [knowledge that] tech isn't always right; you need that human intervention.”

Sharron has big plans for her time at BCS, starting with growth. The organisation currently has 70,000 members across 150 countries, and plans to reach 100,000 within “the next few years.”

“There are an awful lot of people working in tech, so I want us to be much more inclusive.”

That starts with turning entry-level tech workers into new members, which will include “awarding our RITTech qualification to people doing digital apprenticeships” and building more defined pathways for new starters to become chartered professionals.

Perhaps these potential new members will be more open to not only embrace their qualifications, but advertise them.

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