As more and more women are making an impact in the tech world, Women Love Tech is celebrating International Women’s Day by asking some of our favourite female tech leaders about the one trait that helped them reach the success they’re enjoying today.
Lisy Kane is the Producer at League of Geeks and co-founder of social organisation Girl Geek Academy, challenged with getting more Australian women into creating video games. Lisy was listed in this year’s Forbes 30 under 30 alongside fellow Australians, Margot Robbie & Mia Wasikowska. Kane’s one trait that helped with her success?
“Being fearless. Taking big risks like studying overseas, moving cities without a job or house, taking a job with a company just about to launch their first title. All of the decisions I made were taking the risky option, rather than the safe”
Kathy Wilson works alongside the founding team at North Queensland work-tech startup, JESI, to help drive the brand’s growth strategy and global scale. Kathy has helped JESI secure prestigious partnerships across APAC, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. within just three years of operation. Her one trait that helped with her success?
“There is no word such as ‘fail’ and giving up is not an option. Yes, there are mistakes made, but it’s about what you do from that point forward. If someone would describe me, I am sure they would say I am the most resilient and keep getting up and going again”
Louise Vorpagel is People & Culture Lead at one of Australia’s fastest growing technology scale-ups, RedEye, charged with growing a diverse team of professionals to support the growth and scale of the business. Vorpagel’s one trait that helped with her success?
“Initiative. In the tech space, people are generally given a great deal of autonomy to allow them to innovate and get things done their way. The ability to take initiative, be self-motivated and autonomous are becoming increasingly important skills in the workforce. By taking initiative, I have been able to pick up new responsibilities and take ownership, which has really helped me to develop my skills and knowledge to be successful”
Sarah Moran is co-founder and CEO of Girl Geek Academy, with a mission to teach one million women to get into tech and launch their own startups by 2025. Girl Geek Academy is behind Australia’s first all-female hackathon, #SheHacks, Australia’s first all-female makerfest, #SheMakes, the world’s first hackathon for girls aged five to eight, #MissMakesCode – and in 2016 hosted Australia’s first all-female Game Jam. Moran’s one trait that helped with her success?
“I think it’s an empathy for how a community works together. Everyone in a town, a city or a country has a yearning to be accepted and appreciated for the role they play. I just really enjoy listening to someone’s motivations and I try to lead by saying, “That’s amazing how passionate you are about this. In what ways would you like to help and in what ways can I help you be successful in doing so?”
