Closing the diversity and inclusion gap at Trustmarque

International Women’s Day (08 March) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality.

The 2023 mission set by the International Women’s Day movement strives to forge equal and inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive, and their achievements are celebrated. But if you are a woman working in a typically man-heavy sector such as IT and technology, progress may appear slow.

So, what are we celebrating on a day like today? Read on to find out.

The gender pay gap and C-Suite roles

According to a 2022 report by Tech Nation, only 9% of C-Suite leaders in tech companies were women and 91% men. Only 3% of Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) or Technical Director roles are held by women. Finally, 0.6% of Chief Operating and 0.4% of Chief Financial Officer roles are held by women.
Within Trustmarque, we acknowledge there is a long way to go until we can level the playing field for women and close our diversity and inclusion gap. We have set ambitious change targets, and things are already evolving as Trustmarque CEO, Simon Williams explains:

“Our intention is to invest in the empowerment and advancement of women within Trustmarque, and to facilitate their paths into management and leadership roles. I am pleased to say that in 2022, 40% of our new hires were women vs approx. 22% in 2021. That is a great achievement and reflects progress I am keen to continue. Already we are aiming to reduce bias via a more inclusive recruitment process, and hosting listening sessions for women across Trustmarque. Next year we will launch women’s coaching initiatives to nurture the talent we have.”

A new era for Trustmarque

Earlier this month we welcomed Donavan Hutchinson to Trustmarque as our Chief Revenue Officer. Donavan is a passionate leader with a key focus on diversity, equity and inclusion which has allowed organisations to flourish and grow through investment in people. We are buoyed by the prospect of his arrival, bringing his experience of nurturing diverse cultures, resulting in a stronger workforce and increased business growth. As Donavan explains:

“One small step towards a more equal future is our pledge to embrace equity this year. We are doing this by acknowledging and celebrating the achievements of women who work within Trustmarque, raising awareness against bias and paving the way to becoming champions of equity. We have a lot of exciting things in the pipeline to make Trustmarque a great place to work for everyone.”

Celebrating our women in technology

Across the organisation, women are making a huge difference. Microsoft Power Platform Consultant, Heather Perriam shared her experience of working at Trustmarque and how she built a career in technology after being made redundant from a retail position. Heather now creates high-quality solutions using Microsoft Power Platform, including developing Power Apps applications and custom Power Automate flows.

Heather explains: “when I chose to work for Trustmarque, it was largely because I felt like the leaders who interviewed me were evaluating the skills and attributes I could bring to the team in a fair and unbiased manner. I knew they understood my technical abilities and gaps because it was demonstrated through a coding submission during the pre-interview process. I was confident that the decisions they were making were because of my talent and I also believe that my gender was not a consideration in the decision-making process.

Now that I am here, I can feel that culture throughout our team. I feel so fortunate to be in a great environment where I feel supported, comfortable, and have an unlimited opportunity to grow my skills and knowledge.”

(You can watch Heather over on our YouTube channel showcasing how to develop accessible PowerApps.)

The future

We will be sharing our initiatives and progress over the coming months to continue to make Trustmarque a great place to work for everyone.

Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist, nor to any one organisation, but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.” So we are encouraging our readers to make International Women’s Day your day and do what you can to truly make a positive difference for women.

Written by Julia Bluckert, Content and Communications Manager