Gender and Racial Diversity in Australia's Senior Technology Leadership
Subha Chari, Head of Digital Product Delivery, LendLease
Subha Chari, Head of Digital Product Delivery, LendLease
I recently attended a meetup for senior digital technology leaders in Sydney, Australia. One particular talk by a senior c-suite female leader Sara (name changed for anonymity) captured my attention. She talked about navigating her career journey from a junior analyst to c-suite executive in 25 years. She was of Anglo-Celtic descent having moved to Australia from England and talked about her very interesting career moves between industries, roles for which she did not have prior experience, and how she created huge networks and thereby visibility. She constantly used the phrase ‘tapped on the shoulder’ to describe how she was asked to take up a completely new role with no prior experience. There was no doubt that she proved her skills and capabilities, thus allowing her sponsors to back her and help her identify roles via networks outside of traditional recruitment methods.
As someone who has not had the luxury of networks or sponsors in Australia, it struck me then that it would have been an incredible opportunity to have had a customized career development plan through sponsors and network.
I am a first generation migrant with no prior network or support system in Australia. Many in my shoes will agree that we did not have time or adequate resources to establish our careers as we tried to balance full time work, maintaining our culture, and tending to our young families. Our traditional upbringing was based on respect and modesty. We were told that we will be recognized for our good work and so in my early career years, I did just that. By the time I realized that is not how it works and I would have to network and make myself ‘known’ to other people, 10+ years of my career had already gone by.
Since realizing this, I have taken many risks by putting up my hand for assignments beyond my comfort zone and areas of expertise which allowed me to be challenged and through that, be successful. It also helped that I am curious and a risk-taker by nature, and like challenging tasks that will take me into unknown areas. This is how I learnt to navigate and shift between roles and across industries, helping me gain a fuller, richer work life and experience. Most women of color, like me, are ambitious and would like to hold positions that provide them with power, influence, and a ‘seat at the table,’ where critical decisions are made. However, it is clear that this is easier said than done.
Statistics show that 95 percent of the senior leadership roles in Australia are held by people of Anglo-Celtic and European descent.
Although those who have non-European and indigenous backgrounds make up an estimated 24 percent of the Australian population, such backgrounds account for only 5 percent of senior leaders, which leaves the remaining women of color in technology and digital leadership roles negligible. If COVID has taught us anything, it is that technology and digital transformation is accelerating and lines of demarcation between countries are diminishing, meaning we are more global now than ever. Organizations need to make more of an effort to increase gender and racial diversity in their leadership.
Research shows firms with the most ethnically diverse executive teams were 33 percent more likely to outperform their peers on profitability and those with executive-level gender diversity worldwide had a 21 percent likelihood of outperforming their industry competitors. Those in c-suite positions should acknowledge this and actively build company goals to track women of color in senior leadership positions rather than including them as part of a statistic or 'tick in a box'. We need to have more senior leaders who are at the decision making table to influence the technical and digital roadmap of an organization, bringing in diverse thought leadership.
Additionally, company goals around diversity should be built out on ‘Acquisition, Retention, Promotion’ (ARP). These goals should be tracked like sales goals and be part of the leadership OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
Women of color in technology roles who are aspiring to be in the leadership team, typically look for roles that will have a broad scope of managing people, influence, strategy, product development, business operations, and leadership. Creating and promoting these roles within organizations and cultivating these skills in women of color will have a huge positive effect in years to come.
Research shows firms with the most ethnically diverse executive teams were 33 percent more likely to outperform their peers on profitability and those with executive-level gender diversity worldwide had a 21 percent likelihood of outperforming their industry competitors.
Role models are another element that play a central role in instigating change. Having role models who not only are visible, but support other women of color in technology leadership is not something I have seen in my career. We need more influential senior leaders including men and women who will serve as mentors, sponsors, role models, and advisers providing emerging leaders with the knowledge to navigate their company structure. A strong support system is important in helping boost resilience, understanding the differences in culture and work, and assisting emerging women of color leaders get to more senior leadership roles.
Many women of color leaders in technology including me have had a very different career journey than Sara. It took me a long time to get to start promoting myself and creating a brand to get visibility. I am now a champion of women in technology leadership. I actively mentor others and advocates for the same in my workplaces via sharing my journey in the community. Most workplaces that I have worked have made good progress in ‘Acquiring’ via blind recruitment changes. We still have a long way to go to ‘Retention and Promotion’. We need more allies who recognize the importance of diversity and thought leadership to shift the balance toward more gender and diverse technology leadership in Australia.
