L to R, Rachel Keane, Payal Jain, Roisin McCarthy (Women in Data) and Edwina Dunn (The Female Lead)
Women in Data™ and The Female Lead: two organisations on a mission
November 2017 sees the launch of the inaugural ‘20 in Data’: a project designed to shine a light on 20 amazing stories of female achievement and inspire data practitioners across the UK.
Women in Data™ and The Female Lead have collaborated to highlight the breadth of female achievement within the UK data industry and showcase success stories that will encourage women working in Data Science to aspire and progress throughout their careers. The ‘20 in Data’ will be launched and showcased at the Women in Data 2017 event on Thursday 30th November 2017 and features portraits and in-depth interviews with each of the 20 data luminaries.
This ’20 in Data’ collaboration has been spearheaded by Payal Jain, Chair of Women in Data, and Edwina Dunn, Chair of The Female Lead whose shared experience of a career in Data Science inspired them to tackle the gender-talent gap inherent to the industry. Trends indicate that Data Science is lagging behind other sectors in this respect, including similar fields such as technology. ’20 in Data’ aims to showcase the wealth and diversity of data-led career paths that women are successfully pursuing in the UK today and inspire the next generation of Data Science leaders.
Women in Data focused intently on helping female data professionals in their careers and Women in Data-facilitated mentoring has led to significant career development for many in the Women in Data community. Roisin McCarthy, founder of Women in Data and Managing Consultant for Datatech Analytics, the UK’s leading Data recruitment firm, has seen first-hand the impact that the Women in Data initiative is having on the industry. Connecting women in data and showcasing inspiring and real-world female role models is having a measurable influence on the career trajectories of today’s practitioners. She believes that the benefits to industry of this ground-breaking collaboration will be seen for generations to come.
The Female Lead is a non-profit organisation founded by data pioneer and entrepreneur Edwina Dunn, with a mission to make women’s stories more visible and offer alternative role models to those ever-present in popular culture. The Female Lead works internationally, from grass roots level in schools to the boardroom and everywhere in between, to highlight the breadth of female achievement in order to inspire the next generation of females to develop their passions and hone their skills with both courage and ambition.
The Female Lead creates a variety of spaces to present the diverse stories of female achievement, including a book of 60 amazing women from around the world, an online and social media presence, documentary films, and a school outreach programme to inspire future leaders. These stories can be found at www.thefemalelead.com.
The landmark annual Women in Data event will be the largest in its history, and will be attended by 450 female data professionals at all stages of their careers. The speakers and workshops at Women in Data provide practical field insights to guide women in a challenging sector.