Billy MacInnes canvasses opinion to ask what can be done to increase diversity in the industry and encourage more women to take up roles in the channel
When you ask someone to list traditional male occupations, IT isn’t something they’re likely to mention, but that doesn’t mean it’s unworthy of being spoken of in the same breath as the armed forces, the fire service, the police and the building trades. Just like those professions, men dominate nearly all levels of the technology industry.
So, how do we encourage young women to work in channel businesses?
“Encouraging more women to build careers in the IT channel remains one of the industry’s most important – and ongoing – challenges,” says Sal King, channel sales manager UK&I at Scalefusion. “While we’ve seen encouraging progress, with more women stepping into leadership roles than ever before, the sector is still male dominated, which can present an invisible barrier for many entering the field. [Channel organisations] need to be proactive in restructuring their cultures and practices to better support women, particularly when it comes to progression and visibility.”
Jenny Briant, academy operations director at Ten10, notes that despite years of focus on diversity, “the IT sector is still struggling with deep-rooted biases that limit female participation, particularly in channel businesses. The reality is that too many women either opt out of tech early in their careers or never enter the field at all.”
She quotes data from Accenture which shows that a significant number of women in tech leave by age 35, often due to a lack of inclusivity and unequal progression opportunities. “The result is an industry missing out on huge talent potential,” she adds.
Kenz Mroue, director of EMEA partner sales at Nasuni, says that while the conversation around women in the channel and technology starts with statistics about underrepresentation, numbers alone don’t tell the full story. “Women are already driving innovation, solving critical business challenges and shaping the future of the industry,” she says. “[It’s not just about] getting more women through the door, it’s ensuring they have the visibility, mentorship and sponsorship to advance into leadership roles.”
Companies prioritising inclusivity aren’t just doing the right thing, “they’re making smarter decisions” she says, adding: “Research consistently shows that diverse teams drive better outcomes, enhance decision-making and fuel innovation.” But despite excelling in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and leading key initiatives, “women often face roadblocks in career progression due to a lack of sponsorship and access to high-visibility projects”.
Businesses that truly want to build inclusive teams, need to go beyond recruitment and implement structural changes that create clear pathways to leadership. “Representation isn’t a checkbox exercise, it’s best business practice,” adds Mroue.
Alternative routes into the channel
Lisa Herbert, managing director at Infinity Group, says it’s important to encourage women to follow technical learning paths from a young age. But the truth is that women come into channel businesses from many different routes, technical and non-technical. “So, it’s crucial to allow them to pursue what they’re interested in rather than pushing them towards STEM subjects at school,” says Herbert. “But business leaders need to offer plenty of mentorship opportunities and support to help them to fulfil their potential, find connections and upskill within the industry.”
Emmanuelle Cahane, head of channels, strategic partners, alliances and system integrators at Ribbon Communications, believes it’s important to start early: “Targeted outreach programmes in schools and universities that showcase successful women in the industry, and the available opportunities, is one place to start.”
She says this needs to be complemented by internships and scholarships that offer the necessary exposure and experience, but she warns the channel won’t have the desired impact if it’s not fostering an inclusive work environment that “supports women’s career growth and development, and creates a flexible work-life balance where women can contribute and thrive”.
Kris Blackman, global partner marketing director at AvePoint, has an interesting perspective. While many people will say the way to improve female participation in the channel is to showcase success stories and elevate the profiles of women in leadership positions, it will only do so much.
“Sometimes, it can even hide deeper problems,” says Blackman. “In addition to showcasing leaders and celebrating success, we need to make concrete changes to processes like hiring, promotion and education to ensure that women truly have equal opportunity for success.”
Sonya Mathieu, NetApp’s senior director of partners UKI, believes there needs to be a greater emphasis on the soft skills that drive sales success, not just traditional experience to attract more women into the channel: “Strong enablement programmes can equip women with the technical expertise they need, while a culture that celebrates individuality and unique strengths will help to expand our talent pool. Sales has evolved, and our recruitment approach must do the same to engage the next generation of female talent.”
We need to make concrete changes to processes like hiring, promotion and education to ensure that women truly have equal opportunity for success
Kris Blackman, AvePoint
Gina Archbold, channel business manager for UK and Europe at BlueSnap, says it’s important to highlight how dynamic and rewarding the field can be. Because channel partnerships involve companies teaming up with others, it is a career “where you’re not just selling a product, but helping businesses to connect, grow and succeed in different markets”.
“The channel is a phenomenal gateway for pulling business-minded women into a technical field,” she says. “By showing young women the impact they can have in building partnerships and expanding business networks, we can spark their interest and inspire them to pursue careers in this field.”
Hannah Jenney, marketing director of UK&I at Exclusive Networks, believes that increasing female participation in the channel “starts with intentional action”, which means inclusive hiring practices, diverse representation in leadership and “fostering a culture where women feel seen, heard and empowered”.
“[We need to] demystify the channel and make it more accessible,” she says. “That starts with visibility – sharing stories of women thriving in technical, sales and leadership roles. We also need to partner with schools, colleges and universities to offer mentorship, internships and workshops that build confidence and skills.”
Paige Peters, marketing and communications executive at Nebula Global Services, offers some firsthand experience. “Before the age of 22, I had no idea what the channel was or that it was even a career option. I first came across it online, but didn’t fully understand it until I got my first job in the industry,” she says. “The channel wasn’t something mentioned at career events during my education, and I think that’s why many young women miss out on this opportunity.”
She recalls that last summer a female work experience placement didn’t know about the channel but found it interesting once she experienced it. “However, she also raised the concern, ‘Where do I start?’, and this highlights a big gap: while there are amazing female role models in the industry, their visibility is lacking for younger women who don’t even know the channel exists.”
Increasing role model visibility
There’s no doubt that the presence of role models and mentors could be an important factor in raising the channel as a career option for young women.
Barb Huelskamp, global channel lead at SolarWinds, agrees with Peters that visibility is important. “To inspire more young women to pursue careers in the channel, we must do a better job of recognising and amplifying the mentors and role models already driving success in this space,” she says. “Visibility matters. When women see others who look like them thriving in channel roles, it shifts perception and builds confidence.”
This needs to start with smarter, more inclusive recruitment strategies. “Often candidates, especially women, may not fully understand what a channel manager does or may self-select out if they don’t meet every listed qualification,” she says. That can be changed by using language “that speaks to transferable skills like relationship-building, strategic thinking and collaboration, while also making diversity a visible, lived mission within our organisations”.
Channel businesses can pave the way for the next generation of female leaders by highlighting the stories of women in channel roles and creating tailored pathways to attract more of them.
Infinity Group’s Herbert believes recognising and promoting mentors and role models is vital. “We need to actively identify successful women within our channel businesses and give them platforms to share their stories and experiences,” she says. This could involve featuring them in company newsletters, hosting internal and external events where they can speak and possibly creating a formal mentorship programme that pairs young women with experienced professionals.
“It’s about making these role models visible and accessible, demonstrating that success is achievable and that there’s a supportive community to help them along the way. Publicly acknowledging the contributions of mentors through awards and recognition schemes can further amplify their impact and encourage more senior professionals to step into these crucial roles.”
BlueSnap’s Archbold agrees that recognising and celebrating successful mentors in channel partnerships is key to inspiring the next generation of women in the field. Mentors in sales, marketing or partnership management can offer a window into what a career in those areas looks like and how it can lead to leadership roles.
She thinks that sometimes the real hurdle for women isn’t skills – it’s self-belief. “While many men will go for a role if they meet just a few requirements, women often wait until they tick every box. But once we unpack their transferable skills, we see just how capable and ready they were…Sometimes, all it takes is a new perspective and the confidence to go for it.”
Spotlighting successful women who “went for it” in articles, podcasts and speaking events gives young women “the chance to hear their stories and see what’s possible”, says Archbold, adding: “Mentoring programmes, where experienced women share insights on how they’ve built successful partnerships and navigated challenges, can also provide valuable guidance and encourage others to follow in their footsteps.”
Andrea Carter, vice-president of EMEA marketing at Sophos, says mentorship is “incredibly important” for providing young women with direct access to more experienced professionals who can provide their perspective to support personal and professional growth. The mentoring programme at Sophos “helps support young women as they grow their careers, providing valuable guidance and encouragement”.
She notes that social media can be a powerful tool in showcasing success in the channel and sharing knowledge. Budding channel professionals can use it to bolster their own skillsets and careers. More experienced women in the channel “should invest time in engaging new talent through reaching them at school and university career events to highlight the opportunities available in the IT channel”.
Paula Cooper, head of channel at iplicit, makes the point that that many women in the channel already “encourage women in our professional world to be the best versions of themselves by offering practical and mentoring support – particularly to our less experienced colleagues. We have all been on our own journeys; the paths we have taken and the experiences we have been exposed to shape us as individuals, as well as professional working people.”
She says that adopting “‘give-things-a-go” approach and rejecting blame culture “allows new women in channel roles to really learn their craft, gain experience and enjoy success with less weight of the pressure of wondering ‘What happens if that fails?’. A positive support network now exists in our channel and in many others – although not all – that we didn’t see in previous generations.”
Make mentorship a key role
Cynthia Overby, director of strategic security solutions at Rocket Software, says that those in senior roles need to be more proactive about trying to inspire and guide young talent: “The earlier we can start, the better the results. If a company is serious about fostering the next generation of female talent, mentorship should be a key part of any senior’s role and not just an add-on they can do in their free time.”
One way to help spur action might be to include it in key performance indicators (KPIs), offer tangible benefits and proactively carve out time to encourage employees to take on the additional workload that comes with mentoring.
Reflecting on the past helps us to see how far we’ve come, while also highlighting the work still ahead
Sonya Mathieu, NetApp
Jodie Carroll, HR director of UK & Ireland at TD Synnex, says the distributor actively encourages female coworkers to apply for technical and management roles through its mentoring programme “and we’ve had some really pleasing successes there”. She believes the distributor is trying hard to achieve meaningful change, adding: “But it does take time. We have to be positive and continue to drive forward and intensify these activities. I believe that, if we keep trying, we will eventually see a real progression, especially as new generations of women who have grown up with technology being integral to their lives come into the workplace.”
Mathieu at NetApp says it’s also important to bring women together to share experiences, mentor and support. “Creating spaces where women and allies can share experiences, insights and best practises is hugely valuable,” she says. “I host an annual event that consistently proves how transformative these conversations can be. Reflecting on the past helps us to see how far we’ve come, while also highlighting the work still ahead.
“But we must go further. Too often, women in leadership repeat the same toxic behaviours they once faced, and we must break that cycle. True progress means lifting each other up, not perpetuating old patterns. To all the women in leadership roles: don’t wait for permission or for a formal strategy. Take the lead and create safe, supportive environments where others can grow.”
The need to do more is something shared by many. “Providing women with an opportunity to share experiences, and to mentor and support each other, is important,” agrees Cahane at Ribbon Communications, “but it needs to be complemented by policies ranging from eliminating biases in hiring and promotion to promoting work-life balance, equal pay and career advancement opportunities. An inclusive culture is necessary to make effective and sustainable changes taking into account that women can work differently.”
Jenney at Exclusive Networks echoes that view. “It’s not enough on its own. These networks are vital for building confidence and community, but they must be backed by structural change. That includes equitable pay, flexible working policies and clear pathways to leadership.”
Natalie Noor, UK&I channel and SMB director at Lenovo, describes these networks as valuable, but true equity “requires engaging the entire organisation, especially male leaders and managers, in understanding the systemic issues that shape women’s experiences at work. Education around unconscious bias, inclusive decision-making, and equitable opportunities must be widespread and consistent.”
Read part two of Billy MacInnes’ look into channel diversity.
