No one would suggest that IT is the last bastion of male dominance, but there’s no doubt it has had an image problem for many years as a sector that isn’t exactly regarded as open to women.
Is it still as bad as it was? Or has there been progress in female participation in channel businesses in recent years? What else can be done to improve the situation?
Small steps forward
Jodie Carroll, HR director of UK & Ireland at TD Synnex, starts with the positive, noting there has been progress in persuading more females to enter the industry and in encouraging more women to apply for technical and management roles. “But we still have some distance to go before we have anywhere near enough female participation in the channel,” she warns.
Nevertheless, she says the channel “is a dynamic, vibrant and fast-moving place to work, and anyone who is ambitious – regardless of their gender – can succeed in our industry”. She points to the number of women at board level, “many in senior positions”, and a growing pipeline of talent at the distributor.
According to Sonya Mathieu, NetApp’s senior director of partners for UK&I, the channel “often attracts more women than direct sales, but there’s still progress to be made…True equity won’t happen by accident, it requires deliberate, sustained action in how we design and lead our organisations.”
She agrees that the IT industry has long struggled with a legacy image problem when it comes to women, adding: “There has been some progress, driven by a shift toward values-based cultures and a stronger focus on purpose and impact.”
While there has been greater investment in attracting female talent, that’s just the start. “The real test lies in retention, as we must create environments where women not only join but choose to stay, grow and lead,” Mathieu adds.
From the vantage point of her 30 years’ experience in the channel, Paula Cooper, head of channel at iplicit, says the sector has evolved significantly. “The vendors used to be like Big Boy’s clubs,” she recalls. “I am not easily offended, but back then the male-dominated world did make it very difficult for women to rise through the ranks, even if they worked harder and smarter.”
Even then, however, there was “a clear difference between partners and the vendors”. Because they were often owner-managed, partners tended “to have more women in more senior roles. And this is where things started to change for the better,” she adds, stating that the channel has “definitely improved”.
“I believe that women are given the same opportunities as their male counterparts today,” Cooper says. “In my experience, women now hold senior positions in all channel businesses and have been put in those roles based on merit and hard work. And we should celebrate that. In my view, none of it has been given to bolster the female numbers and to look like channel partners are towing the fashionable line.”
Clare Rafferty, head of channel partnerships at Netcall, agrees that female participation in channel businesses “is certainly moving in the right direction”. One reason is the shift in working practices brought about by the pandemic.
“Like many professions, the channel has benefited from more flexible and remote work options, which have made it easier for women, especially those balancing family responsibilities, to enter, stay in or return to their careers,” she says. “In a space that can be fast-paced and demanding, this flexibility has been a game-changer, helping to remove some of the structural barriers that previously limited female participation.”
Nevertheless, the IT sector as a whole “still faces a significant gender imbalance, with women underrepresented across the board. The divide is particularly wide in leadership positions.”
How to bring about change
According to Rafferty, artificial intelligence (AI) could change things: “Whereas IT may have been seen as a man’s career choice previously, the use of AI in all industries is going to make technology a more accessible idea to everyone, breaking down the barriers that may have previously existed.”
It’s an intriguing argument, but one still to be tested.
As for the here and now, she suggests that hiring talented women into channel teams offers a chance to differentiate. “If you want your partners to remember you, then be different. That same message should resonate with young women considering career options. Would you rather be one of many in a field saturated by women, or stand out, be different and carve out a real niche for yourself?”
When men actively champion gender equity, challenge bias and open doors for others, it accelerates progress for everyone
Runa Macleod, Westcon-Comstor
Barb Huelskamp, global channel lead at SolarWinds, believes a good way to change the perception problem around IT is “to tell a different story, and social media is our most powerful tool”.
She suggests meeting millennials and Gen Z on the platforms where they consume information and build career aspirations, such as LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok: “Share authentic stories of women thriving in diverse IT roles, showcase the human impact of tech, and highlight flexible, purpose-driven career paths.”
As a female senior leader in tech, she always scans a room to see how many women are at the table. “Leaders should regularly look at the diversity composition of their team in a meeting or event and consider it an image problem if they don’t have women, or minority women, representing their organisation and the work that still needs to be done,” she says.
Runa Macleod, senior vice-president of global marketing at Westcon-Comstor, doesn’t believe the channel has an image problem with women now that many are stepping into leadership roles and businesses are increasingly recognising the value of diverse perspectives.
“But at the very top, leadership remains largely male-dominated,” she adds. “That’s why mentors, sponsors and visible role models are so vital. They create a pathway for others to follow and help to build confidence in the next generation of leaders.
“There’s still work to do to ensure more women have the opportunity, support and confidence to reach the most senior levels. And that shift isn’t just the responsibility of women, it’s on all of us. Men have a critical role to play as allies, mentors and advocates. When men actively champion gender equity, challenge bias and open doors for others, it accelerates progress for everyone.”
A refocus on image
According to Jenny Briant, academy operations director at Ten10, there needs to be a rethink on what makes someone suitable for tech to encourage more young women into the channel.
“The sector still over-prioritises technical degrees when attributes like adaptability, communication and problem-solving are just as valuable, especially in client-facing roles,” she says. “[It’s important] to prioritise potential over pedigree, offering hands-on training, career coaching and opportunities for continuous learning – from professional certifications to peer-led learning sessions. It ensures that women entering the channel are not only welcomed but equipped to succeed.”
While progress has been made, it’s uneven, she says. “Until we start seriously diversifying the entry points into the industry, we risk replicating the same patterns. With computer science courses in the UK still showing a 4:1 male-to-female ratio, organisations must cast the net wider. That means investing in robust, inclusive training pathways and mentoring from day one.”
The tech industry’s image problem can be fixed by embracing flexible work, recognising and celebrating a broader set of skills, and humanising the path into tech. “Bringing women into the industry is only the first step,” says Briant. “What truly matters is building a sector where they can thrive, lead and drive lasting innovation.”
Lisa Herbert, managing director at Infinity Group, accepts that the IT sector has an image problem with women but believes a lot of it “is driven by assumptions from the outside world”, adding: “When someone pictures a person working in IT, they still likely envision a man. To change this, we need to actively showcase the breadth of roles and the human element in the industry.”
By highlighting the creativity, collaboration and problem-solving aspects of the work, and demonstrating the positive impact technology has on the world, companies can help to broaden its appeal.
“We also need to ensure that our marketing and communications efforts are inclusive and portray a diverse workforce. Ultimately, it’s about painting a more accurate and compelling picture of what a career in the channel truly offers,” adds Herbert. “However, I have seen more women taking dominant roles in the channel in recent years, whether it be through filling leadership roles or making sure their voices are heard in the industry.
“We need to continually monitor progress, identify areas where we’re falling short and double down on effective strategies – and this applies to all areas of diversity. But, fortunately, it feels like more businesses are having these conversations and learning lessons already.”
Kris Blackman, global partner marketing director at AvePoint, agrees that many in the industry seem to be making concerted attempts to change the image of the IT sector as a male-oriented or dominated industry. Nevertheless, it’s hard to say how much progress has been made in increasing the number of women in the industry in general and in leadership positions in particular.
Companies need to do more than just meet diversity targets
Cynthia Overby, Rocket Software
“It seems like there’s almost a disconnect here,” she adds. “We celebrate women leaders more than we have in the past, but we may not actually be diversifying the industry at a proportional level.”
Cynthia Overby, director of strategic security solutions at Rocket Software, offers an interesting perspective based on her own experience. “Having worked in IT for more than 40 years, when I started, I was often the only woman in the room,” she states. “In my first STEM role, I had approximately 5,000 male colleagues and only two women.”
While things have changed, it’s still not enough – on a global scale, more women are leaving IT at the mid-point of their careers. “We need to understand why that’s happening and reverse it,” Overby says.
She has no qualms in stating that the IT sector has an image problem: “The perception of IT as a male-dominated field remains strong, largely because that’s still what people see – men on panels, in leadership, and as keynote speakers at major tech events and demos.”
The lack of visible diversity reinforces the perception that the field isn’t welcoming to women, she states. “Companies need to do more than just meet diversity targets. They need to actively promote and retain women in leadership roles, and that starts with inclusive hiring practices, targeted training programmes, and policies that support long-term career development for women in tech.”
Picking up progress
Gina Archbold, channel business manager for UK and Europe at BlueSnap, has witnessed significant progress during her career, with more women entering channel partnership roles and taking on leadership positions. But she admits that the pace of change has been slower than expected, pointing out that obstacles such as unconscious bias or balancing work with personal life “remain challenges for many women in the field”.
While Archbold agrees progress is being made in industry, she believes there needs to be a continuous push for faster and more consistent change: “It’s about ensuring that women not only enter the field but also have the chance to advance and lead in these key business functions. We’re making strides, but there’s still more work to be done.”
Andrea Carter, vice-president of EMEA marketing at Sophos, says work needs to be done to make tech a more accessible and appealing career path for women. “People can wrongly associate a career in tech with coding, overlooking the wide range of non-technical roles in areas like sales, legal, marketing and more,” she says. “We all have a role to play in changing this perception. It’s important that we present the channel as gender-diverse through the imagery we use, the voices we focus on at events and how we position roles when it comes to recruitment.”
Describing the progress in female participation in the channel as “uneven”, Hannah Jenney, marketing director of UK&I at Exclusive Networks, says there is still a long way to go, especially in technical and executive positions: “The risk of stagnation or regression is real if we don’t continue to push for change. That’s why we’re focused on sustainable, measurable progress, not just short-term wins.”
Amy Illingworth, head of channel marketing at Exclaimer, agrees there has been progress, “but we’d be kidding ourselves to think it’s all heading in one direction”. More women are entering the channel, but “progress isn’t always linear, and when businesses face headwinds, inclusion is often the first thing to lose momentum”.
Businesses need to maintain their commitment, they need to set and track targets, be transparent about progress, and invest in recruitment and development. “It’s not just about hiring more women – it’s about what happens after they join,” says Illingworth. “Are they being given meaningful work? Are they being backed for progression? Are they supported when they push for change?”
She suggests that IT doesn’t just have an image problem, it’s also a positioning problem. “The channel is often talked about in technical or transactional terms, which doesn’t reflect the full scope or pace of what’s really happening in this space,” she says. “If we want more women to consider careers here, we need to be clearer – and bolder – about what the channel actually offers.”
If the channel wants to bring in the next generation of female leaders, it needs to tell a better story and back it up with visible proof points across the industry. “The opportunity is there – and we need to do more to highlight it,” she concludes.
One person who can provide a relatively new perspective is Paige Peters, marketing and communications executive at Nebula Global Services. “I’ve only been in the channel for 14 months,” she says, “so I can’t speak for the long haul, but from what I’ve seen so far, things seem to be heading in the right direction.”
She says that she has met many confident, inspiring women, and has had positive conversations with male colleagues and leaders who are genuinely supporting and encouraging more female participation.
“Honestly, I feel pretty lucky,” Peters says. “I work at a company where 42% of the team is female, so, from where I stand, it doesn’t feel like there’s a big image problem…Of course, there’s always room to grow, but I’m seeing more and more women showing up, speaking up and totally owning their space in tech.”
Read part one of Billy MacInnes’ look into channel diversity.
