women in dataā®
As a recruiter with over 20 years of experience in the field of data science and
analytics, Roisin McCarthy observed a worrying decline in female candidates
applying to roles across every level. The gap in female applicants led her to
examine the underlying causes and barriers to women in the data and analytics
industries. What she found led her to collaborate with Britain’s foremost
analytics expert, Payal Jain and together, Women in Data was formed to confront
this startling problem and to agitate for change. Women in Data® aims to bring
awareness through media appearances and events; in particular, the landmark
annual Women in Data® conference. This began as an understated symposium,
attended by 100 people in 2015 and it erupted into the most highly anticipated
annual data science event in the UK. At the 2019 conference at the Arora O2
Women in Data welcomed more than 1500 attendees, and in 2020 thousands of data
professionals attended a week of online Women in Data events and workshops. The
message of diversity and equality is permeating into the data zeitgeist with
each Women in Data® event we run. From the classrooms of Milton Keynes to the
House of Lords, we have been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the issues
and emphasise the value of female participation at every level. We collaborate
with our corporate partners to stage regular Women in Data networking events
throughout the year, providing opportunities for leaders in the field (mostly
women) to share their knowledge and experiences via informative presentations
and discussions. We intend to emphasise and celebrate the accomplishments of
women because ‘you can’t be what you can’t see’. All Women in Data events are
for women at every stage of their careers to connect with one another in a safe
and stimulating environment. The demand for data science to become more
inclusive and representative is growing, as evident in the generous support of
our corporate partners, whose contributions enable us to run these events for
free. We would like to thank them for their enthusiastic embrace of Women in
Data and all that we stand for.
