Isabelle

Tell us about your journey into tech?
I started off as an apprentice working within the tech industry at the age of 18 and built my HR/Recruitment career from there. I have worked in banking and now the investing start-up space which is very male-dominated and has a history of being predominately white males

How do you feel you have made a difference in what you do?
Although I am not directly working in a tech role I still work in an industry that is highly underrepresented and I challenge the industry daily to help make the tech space more inclusive for underrepresented backgrounds. I recruit for roles across the business and have successfully hired more women and people of colour which is a true passion of mine and one that I am extremely proud of!

What would you say is your biggest achievement?
I started the initiative in the business to help my business open their eyes to black history month and showcase the amazing black talent (past and future) from technology, fashion and science. I then had my blog post published showcasing what black history month means to me on my companies website which was a huge step to creating more change. I have also encouraged my manager to sign up to BYP (black young professional network) to help promote and encourage more black talent to apply for our tech roles.

How do you think people can go about making a difference, in regards to spreading awareness of Black Women in tech?
We can use a variety of job boards and platforms such as this one, BYP, and girls Code. We need to stand up to business and ask them to speak up, raise awareness and create action plans on how they will improve equality among gender and race within the workplace. we can voice our own opinions and share stories of how we have overcome these social and stereotypical barriers and raise awareness so that people know what they’re doing is wrong and how to resolve it.