Companies can't afford to ignore diversity, warns Women in Tech finalist Sarah Lucas

Increasing diversity brings new ways of thinking and unlocks a competitive advantage

Diversity and inclusion have been important and growing topics in technology for years. Most of the market now acknowledges that the industry has a ‘stale, male and pale' problem - even though companies with more diverse workforces tend to deliver better returns.

"High-gender-diversity companies…have outperformed, on average, less diverse companies over the past five years," says Sarah Lucas, Head of Platforms and Infrastructure at William Hill Plc. "Companies that not only hire but also manage to retain more women put themselves in a position to automatically gain a competitive advantage - a benefit that extends to all stakeholders.

"When you consider this, ensuring diversity in teams is simply ensuring you give your team and your company the best advantage.

"At William Hill, we appreciate that men and women see things differently and bring unique ideas to the table. Creating a workplace with diverse teams allows for better problem solving, which can boost performance and ultimately benefit our colleagues and customers.

But the issue of bringing more women into IT remains. ‘Manels' dominate technology conferences, and the lack of female role models is a turn-off for women considering a career in the industry.

"As leaders, we need to look across our businesses and identify those areas or teams that are less diverse today. [We need to] develop not only recruitment strategies and retention targets, but set inclusivity goals; all managers should feel accountable for diversity and inclusion," says Lucas.

"By celebrating female tech leaders in our respective businesses and industries, it will hopefully encourage more girls to pursue their interests and careers in tech, increasing hiring pool diversity.

"As women in senior roles, we are demonstrating that others have an opportunity to succeed too and we should take our role modelling seriously."

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The lack of diversity is present at all levels of tech, but especially in senior positions. Finding a female CIO, although easier than it used to be, is still disappointingly rare. Lucas says that the biggest obstacle women face in taking on senior roles is in one of the very first steps on the corporate ladder: the initial promotion to management.

"Particular focus needs to be given to this group, providing opportunities, identifying and nurturing talent early. If we can't get more women in on the bottom of the ladder, it will naturally lead to fewer women being in with a shot at promotion to the more senior levels of management; we will never catch up.

"We need to ensure women of all ages and backgrounds have strong role models of other successful women and that women have a seat at the table, or feel empowered to bring their own seat."

Lucas advises young women looking for an IT career to "be brave" and "take risks."

"If you want to find out what it's like to work in a particular role, ask someone at the company - in my experience, people are willing to help.

"Find a mentor or join a mentoring scheme - develop and then use your network to get the help you need.

"And finally, be confident. Businesses need your skills and your point of view…. Even if they don't know it yet."

Sarah Lucas is an IT leader at William Hill, and has reached the shortlist for five different categories in the upcoming Women in Tech Excellence Awards - including Role Model of the Year and Woman of the Year. Tune in for the live broadcast of the Awards at 4pm on the 1^st December when we reveal the winners.