Special night boosts the representation of women in ICT

Posted on 8 November, 2022

It’s an iconic event for women in the ICT industry—and now the WIC Annual Dinner Debate is back.

Celebrating efforts to support the advancement of women in the local community and recognising their fantastic achievements in the ICT industry, the debate is taking place on Friday 11 November at QT and will provide the Canberra community with the opportunity to socialise, network and enjoy an entertaining night of riotous laughter.

Kerryn Kovacevic, Nathan Heeney, Eloise Robertson, Mike Pamphilon, Mat Franklin, and Ginger Gorman will go head to head to battle it out and take a lighthearted approach to the topic “Leadership: it is all about the outfit”—but what makes the night extra special is along with the Dinner Debate, the Women in ICT (WIC) awards will be held to recognise a number of emerging and successful ICT leaders who empower others in the Canberra community.

And while the technology sector is currently a male-dominated industry, new statistics show the number of women working in ICT is growing with women making up 31 per cent of the technology workforce in 2021—an increase from the previous year.

WIC President Tara Searle says the awards play a small part in a bigger goal: to boost the representation of women in ICT.

“The awards are all about allowing women to take centre stage and be celebrated for their achievements and talent in the ICT industry,” she says.

“We want Canberra’s women in tech to be seen, heard, recognised and rewarded. But we also want men to be a part of our mission in boosting the representation of women in ICT and championing their success.”

Five awards will be presented on the night, including the WICked Woman of the Year Award (which commends a thriving woman in the ICT industry), the Raw Magic Award (which will be presented to a new tertiary graduate student to support transition from studying into her ICT career) and the Kate Muir Student Encouragement Award. Presented to a student who graduates Year 12 in 2022, this very important award will provide financial assistance to a young woman who is attending university to study information technology, engineering or a digital STEM related course of study.

Donations to WIC will contribute to funding this award and to allow students to attend the dinner debate, so why not donate a little extra when you buy your ticket—because dinner, drinks and supporting women in the ICT industry? Sign us up.

Feature image: Zen Creation