Krome stands united with Women globally to recognise and celebrate International Women’s Day.

Despite advancements and progress in achieving gender equality over recent decades, there is still a noticeable absence of women when it comes to the tech industry.

Whilst this is gradually improving, tech is still a male-dominated sector.  A report from Tech Nation shows that only 19% of people working in technology are women, demonstrating there is still a long way to go, to achieve equal representation.

This is not just a tech industry issue however, according to statistics from the World Economic Forum, at the rate of progress recorded in 2019, it was set to take another 108 years to reach gender equality globally; there is still a long path ahead before we can declare true parity between the sexes.

As an organisation that is committed to diversity, Krome is proud to state that a quarter (25%) of our workforce are women. Whilst we would like this number to be higher, it is 6% above average for our industry. 26% of our female colleagues are also in managerial roles, with 28.6% of the board of directors being represented by women. According to statistics from Tech Nation, the average percentage of women directors in non-tech industries is 28.6%, and in the tech industry, it stands even lower at 22.2%. The percentage of females appointed directors of tech companies in the UK has frustratingly remained almost static for the past two decades.

Danielle Hammond, Krome’s Operations Director, explains why International Women’s Day (IWD) is so important to help raise awareness of gender inequality and encourage continued growth:

“I support International Women’s Day as we all have a responsibility to continue to challenge the gender bias within our societies. We’ve come a long way over the past century, thanks to the many strong women who dared to stand up to inequality for us all, however, we’re not quite there yet so we must keep advancing to achieve equality and diversity on a global level.

I started my career as sales support in the tech industry 18 years ago, where it was evidently clear that I was predominantly in a ‘man’s world’ as the majority of the female workforce were in admin roles.  It is so encouraging to see the advancements women have made in the tech industry since then and  I am so proud to work alongside such incredibly talented and strong women at Krome as we continue to grow. It has empowered me every day and I hope that women all over the world, whatever race & whatever age, feel empowered to take the opportunities they so rightfully deserve.”

Charlotte Leishman, Head of Krome’s Large Managed Accounts Team, has also pledged her support: “I support International Women’s Day because I find it so inspiring that we have two women on the board of directors in a very male-dominated industry, the tech industry! This is so powerful for Krome as a company and I am proud to be part of a business that recognises and develops female talent!”

Krome firmly believes in the importance of recognising and celebrating women in our industry and is committed to upholding an inclusive culture for all colleagues. Krome remain dedicated to nurturing talent, across all departments and roles within the business, and it is our aim to ensure that the gender and diversity divide continues to diminish as Krome’s operation grows, and opportunities within the business develop.

Our Talent Acquisition Specialist Rebecca Rigby explains why this is so important, especially in a technology company: “On International Women’s Day, I am very proud to work for an organisation that encourages and nurtures outstanding female talent in the IT industry. Challenging and breaking stereotypes is vital for future diversity and equality in the tech industry and in developing great female role models to inspire the next generation. I am encouraged by how hard we strive to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, free from gender bias, as part of our recruitment process.”

In December 2020, we welcomed Anjali Asok to the team, Anjali is the first female developer to work within the business, Anjali shared her views on why it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) and to celebrate women in tech.

“International Women’s Day is probably one of the best opportunities to recognise and acknowledge all of the amazing women out there. As someone from the tech team, I feel proud to be part of an equally inclusive and diverse workforce at Krome, one that identifies and celebrates female talents in an otherwise male-dominated industry. I believe that women are strong in their own ways, and it is all about changing the way the world perceives that strength!”

Our Receptionist and Office Administrator, Zoe Anderson, also celebrates the achievements of women over the world:

“International Women’s Day is a day to recognise women’s achievements to make the world more equal; tech industries are known to be heavily male-orientated but Krome has really expanded over the past 11 years to try and make the company as equal and as diverse as possible, having two female directors and also females in the tech team, which is just amazing to break that stigma that all techies are male.  Each and every woman that works for Krome is amazing in their own way and brings a great mix to what could be an all-male team, I feel proud to be a part of this.”

Krome’s Warehouse Supervisor Kat Mogyorosova, is another fantastic example of an inspirational female, working in a typically male-orientated role, Kat is also giving her support for IWD:

“I am proud to support International Women’s day because I work in a role that is extremely male orientated and being the only woman supervisor is very empowering and brings diversity to our team, especially being in a warehouse role where a lot of jobs can involve heavy lifting and grafting. I feel I can show that this is not only a male role, by getting involved with all the tasks and I feel proud to work for a team where I am the only member of staff in my department that is female.”

Business Manager, Kate Lee, shares her views on why International Women’s Day is important:

“Did you know there are more CEO’s named John than there are female CEO’s altogether? Quite a shocking statistic, right? Today and every day, let us celebrate the achievements of women, past and present and raise awareness to help drive towards gender parity in the future. I am proud to be part of an organisation with an increasing female workforce, especially in such a typically male-dominated industry.”

We believe that on International Women’s Day, and every day, it is important to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of all our female colleagues, whilst also taking the time to appreciate the achievements of women throughout history who have fought for equality, along with the ongoing gender bias and oppression that many women are still enduring across the globe.

Project Manager, Claudia Smith, acknowledges the importance of International Women’s Day for all women globally:

“International Women’s Day is a day for everyone to celebrate the advancements that have been made in establishing equality between the sexes, and to reflect on work still to be done to ensure we achieve equity between all people globally. Having worked in the tech industry over a period of 20 years, it’s encouraging to see evidence of the advancements that have been made, particularly the increase of women working in technical roles. Over the coming years, I hope that change continues rapidly at a grassroots level and that girls the world over are encouraged to explore all subjects, interests, hobbies and pursuits, not just those dictated by conscious or unconscious bias, because of long-established and outdated stereotypes, based on gender presentation.  I hope that within my lifetime we can achieve true parity between the sexes globally; within technology, and all industries, particularly those that right now are dominated by men, with limited opportunities for women. I stand in support of all women globally, who are currently denied equality, simply because of their sex.”

April Hodges, our Head of Internal Business Managers explains why she also feels so strongly about celebrating IWD and why more needs to be done to reach gender parity:

“International Women’s Day gives us all an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women throughout history, to appreciate the changes to women’s rights over the years, reflect on the profound female influences we have in our lives, but most importantly to highlight the continuing disparity between the genders in the workplace and society in general, worldwide, irrelevant of economic status. The idea that inequality still exists in 2021 is astounding, and due to the positive impact of women’s rights movements, there is a real sense that either enough has been achieved, or there is no longer a problem, that gender bias is no longer prevalent, therefore there is no issue and there is no need to celebrate this day. This is simply not true, and unfortunately, gender discrimination is still seen everywhere, from the seemingly innocuous comments made to women on how they dress in the workplace, to the suppression of what women can achieve academically, or are allowed to do with their own bodies by law. I am very proud to have worked in a variety of industries where gender has been an irrelevant factor in hiring or performance, however, this is a minority, and today gives us all a fantastic opportunity to remind the world that there is not only a problem, but that we should all be aware of it, and work together to wipe out inequality. There is beauty in our differences, there is no space for inequality.”

And with 40 years of experience, Head of HR, Marion Dubery gives her reasons why she recognises the importance of celebrating IWD:

“I am supporting International Women’s Day to recognise women’s achievements both old and young, for yesterday, today and for tomorrow, achieving remarkable things for the greater good for everyone. I am proud to be working for a tech company (that are generally male-dominated) that have some amazing women working for them. I count myself lucky to work alongside these women and to call them my friends.”

Edna Lopez, Krome’s Senior Managed Accounts Administrator, is also giving her support:

“International Women’s Day acknowledges the role each one of us plays to make our workplace and communities more inclusive and equal. It challenges stereotypes, identifies bias and recognises the achievements and successes within our diverse workforce. It’s a time to celebrate the accomplishments of women throughout history and today.”

Megan Dearsley, Digital Marketing Assistant joins her colleagues to support IWD and recognises the strength that a diverse team brings:

“I support International Women’s Day because it recognises all women’s achievements and successes to make the world more of an equal place. It is truly inspiring to see the women in management roles at Krome in such a male-dominated industry – it’s amazing having so much diversity and that’s what makes it such a powerful team and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”

And as Marketing Director, I am proud to support International Women’s Day, having spent 22 years working in the tech industry I have experienced first-hand the gender bias of this male orientated industry. What it has taught me, however, is to have faith in your abilities, not only as a woman but as a professional and to never let anyone imply, either passively or directly, that you are not an equal due to your sex. I understand that not all women have had the opportunities that I have been graced with and that my success has been enabled by the women that pathed the way, fighting against oppression in the past, for which I am grateful. Today I stand united with my colleagues and fellow females across the globe to encourage a world free from gender bias and one where diversity is celebrated.

As an organisation we are incredibly proud of every female that we have working in our company; the incredible women featured in this post are just a small number of women that we are proud to call our colleagues, these women feel that it is important to stand united, to declare their support for International Women’s Day, to help raise awareness and make advancements, in order to finally put an end to gender discrimination, both in our industry and globally.