Women in tech

Building a balance
for better

Women in tech

Things change quickly in technology. But when it comes to gender diversity, they’re not changing as quickly as they should be. That’s our view, anyway. Which is why we’re so passionate about boosting gender diversity. About making sure technology here isn’t a male-dominated environment, but one in which everyone is welcome and empowered to be at their best.

As part of that, we have a dedicated Women in Technology programme. It’s helping us to attract more women to join our Digital, IT and Cyber Security teams. And to invest in future generations of female tech talent.

Let’s talk female-focused tech

We have apprenticeships, graduate schemes, year in industry placements and internships across our tech teams – and we’re particularly keen to promote them all to females. We’re also committed to creating inspiring role models. People who can inspire a whole new generation of female tech talent.

It’s easy to talk the talk, of course. But are we actually walking the walk? Well, yes. We are. In the UK, for example, we were the first insurance company to join the Tech Talent Charter (TTC). It aims to boost gender diversity in the UK’s tech workforce. It’s a girl power kind of thing, but with a focus on tech rather than catchy pop songs.

Internal initiatives

We support flexible working wherever we can. We also encourage secondments so people can test the water before moving into a role on a permanent basis.

Then there’s our Evelution network. It provides support to everyone working in IT, especially females, through initiatives like mentoring, sponsorship and support, training and networking opportunities. We also send inspirational people out to schools to help instil a sense of confidence in girls who might otherwise never consider a career in this field. It’s also about spreading the word that, with us, you don’t need to study tech to become a techy.

Mentoring and events

Our Technology leadership team want to create a better gender balance right across our Digital, IT and CISO teams. So we encourage our female tech talent to become mentors. And leaders. This is an opportunity not only to create pioneering solutions, but also to create your own legacy.

We celebrate diversity all year round. But there are some more specific things we do too. Every October, we celebrate Ada Lovelace Day which is all about raising the profile of women in science, technology, engineering, and maths. It’s the perfect opportunity to celebrate our female STEM champions.

Life here

Find out what different people from our team have been getting up to lately. Getting things underway is Freya Maclachlan; last year Freya took on the role of a Women in Technology Programme Manager now she’s working as a Product Owner in the digital space.

May 2019

One to One

Today, I had my regular monthly 1-1 catch up with Karen, my manager. We discussed my performance, my career path and how I can start to work towards my next goal. I really value these sessions as they allow me to reflect on how the month has been and get guidance if I need it. Our working relationship is a learning opportunity and it gives me the freedom to explore what the business has to offer me.

April 2019

School Visit

A group of women attended a school here in Norfolk and facilitated some sessions with Year 9 girls. We shared stories about how and why we got into tech and really wanted to better understand what a teenager growing up in this highly technical world thought of potentially being part of building it. Our biggest learning was that girls aren’t being exposed to enough female role models or being shown what the IT environment in a workplace is like.

January 2019

Tech Talent Charter

Back in January, Karen and I were invited to attend our first TTC event after signing in October 2018. We discussed best practice in the women in technology space and celebrated the launch of TTC’s benchmarking report and diversity toolkit. The report was overwhelmingly positive and showed that all companies dedicated to the Charter had achieved a higher level of diversity than the industry standard. We’re 28% female in IT and committing to redressing the balance.

December 2018

Evelution

December was a busy month for Women in Technology. We were not only presenting to nearly 200 members of Aviva staff, but also launching our first Evelution Network in Bristol. Presenting at the CIO forum gave us the opportunity to showcase our programme to the wider world of IT. The response from the room was overwhelmingly supportive and we ended the day with our India and Turkey markets signing on to be part of it.

December 2018

Eastern Daily Press women in tech feature

Today I met with a journalist from the EDP to discuss what Aviva is doing around women in technology. Aviva is one of Norfolk’s biggest employers so being given the opportunity to be featured in the paper and on the website is daunting but also encouraging. I’ve been working with the Communications team – who knew that so much work had to go into a conversation? However this sort of thing is why I love my role so much. I’m never bored!

Filters

Building a balance
for better

Women in tech

Let’s talk female-focused tech

Internal initiatives

Mentoring and events