Sharon Moore

Part of the IT Leaders 100 - a list of the most influential IT leaders in the UK

As the Global Technical Lead for Government at IBM, Sharon's self-described mission is transforming public service with technology: helping government do better for citizens, and driving change for good in the tech industry.

Sharon's career spans more than 20 years in outsourcing, consulting, and sales, across many sectors and technologies. She has worked for several industry bodies, including TechUK; BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT; and BCSWomen; and sees herself as a catalyst for change in terms of inclusion.

How do you ensure diversity is taken into account in your IT recruitment?

I use the book I co-authored: Women in Tech: A practical guide to increase gender diversity and inclusion.

Which technology are you currently most excited by?

Too hard to chose, but AI is up there as an enabler to empower humans, and make us more effective and efficient.

What do you to unwind?

Sing in a choir, creating something (hopefully) wonderful, rewarding and captivating.

If you were an animal (other than human), which animal would you be and why?

This is too hard to choose, so I may have to be some sort of hybrid. But then, rules were made to be broken! Perhaps an elephant - they are well known to care for their family, and I see myself as a protector of that which I care about. I have the empathy of a chimp - which is better in reality than it sounds!

What makes you laugh?

Twitter. Gosh, There's some great content in there, great insight, fantastic networking opportunities, and a lot of people that react brilliantly when someone says something stupid.

How did you get into IT?

I wanted to be an architect when I was at school. I did work experience when I was about 14 or 15, in an architect's office, and realised, for the first time, how computers can actually be valuable and useful (my BBC Micro experience at school up until then had been rather trivial). Now I've had a profession based on technical architecture and haven't let anyone tell me I cannot. I still have the drawings I did in that experience, and my architect pal tells me they are of a higher standard than some work he sees in the industry. Just goes to show you that I was definitely meant to create pictures that break down a problem into a solution, that tell a story.