Women in Tech at MSP GLOBAL: Inspiring Leaders Who Are Driving Diversity

• Men heavily outnumber women in tech
• Gender imbalance limits innovation and growth
• Attracting female candidates is key to gender diversity
• A strong mentorship and support community exists
• MSP GLOBAL is working to strengthen female representation

Tech has a gender problem. Men outnumber women by around three to one, and that limits innovation, insight and growth. Things are changing, but too slowly. In fact, some predict it will take 130 years to close the economic gender gap at the current rate.

At MSP GLOBAL, we are determined to be a part of the solution, but know we have a long way to go. Identifying and incentivizing a line-up of brilliant female speakers is one way we can help.

For example, at this year’s event, there is Carme Artigas, who led the EU in creating the AI Act. There are female CEOs, CISOs and Chief Data Officers speaking, and a dedicated panel discussion on Empowering Women in Tech.

Among the keynote line-up is Demi Clinch, Head of Sales for CyberSentry. We asked Demi to share her experience and advice for everyone interested in creating a better, more equal sector.

A different mindset

“I never went to school and university thinking I’m going to be a woman in tech,” says Demi. “It naturally happened for me. The whole technology space excited me because it’s forever changing, ever growing.”

“I started my first role in telecoms, and there weren’t very many women within that industry at all. It’s getting better, but it’s still very much male-dominated.”

Even in her early career, Demi understood that there was strength in diversity. “I was able to step in with a slightly different mindset to some of my peers, where I would look at tasks in a different way and analyse things slightly differently,” she recalls. “People would come to me and ask for my opinion because maybe I had a perspective that others in the room didn’t see.”

There were plenty of obstacles to overcome along the way. “Some of the challenges I faced were being sat in a meeting with a guy that’s been in the industry for many more years than I have and maybe didn’t want to listen,” she says. This ties in with research from the Women In Tech organisation that found that 64% of women experienced being spoken over in meetings.

Her advice to other women entering the field is to have faith in themselves: “Sometimes you need to go into these situations quite boldly and be sure of yourself. Be confident in what you know and your abilities.”

Building confidence and community

For Demi, progress is not about pretending that the industry isn’t unbalanced, but about building strength within that reality. “People naturally see tech as a male-dominated industry, and it is,” she says. “But there are so many powerful women working their way through and becoming great leaders and role models in this space. It’s getting better—we just need to keep encouraging and accelerating that change.”

Recruitment is a key part of progress. “For businesses looking to recruit more women, firstly there needs to be enough candidates coming through,” she explains. “I’ve been involved in outreach to schools, colleges, and universities to empower young women to come into tech because it’s huge, it’s ever-growing, and we really need that diversity.”

Demi has also invested her time in mentoring women new to tech, offering both encouragement and practical support. “I’ve been involved in schemes for women who are new to the industry, where we can really hold their hand and openly talk about our experiences and how we can keep pushing forward together,” she says.

That spirit of solidarity, she believes, is one of the most powerful resources available. “There’s so much support with women supporting other women in the tech space. We know what challenges we’ve come through to get to where we are. Everyone is there as a part of a community to make sure we all succeed—because that’s not just good for the individuals, it builds better, more successful businesses.”

A message to women considering MSP GLOBAL

For Demi, events like MSP GLOBAL are an opportunity to experience that community and hear voices that inspire.

“To any woman thinking about going to MSP GLOBAL—absolutely do it,” she says. “It’s going to be a great event, and there are going to be so many female speakers there that will inspire us all.”

At MSP GLOBAL, we hope that encouraging gender diversity on stage will help, in some way, to shift the balance and create visible role models. We know we have a long way to go and are always open to suggestions.