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Dear Members,
Well here we are in the last edition of the FITT newsletter for 2014. It has been a fantastic year for FITT and our wonderful community of supporters. We had our largest ever International Women’s Day and ICT Trends events in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Thirty new mentees graduated from the FITT Mentoring program and are ready to take on new challenges in their careers, plus two new gold partners joined us, Cisco and Origin Energy. These are in addition to two new corporate partners, NAB and IBM. Thanks to everyone who made 2014 a great one for FITT.
As we come to the end of 2014, we have two new members of the committee to welcome; Monica Heinrich our new Strategy lead and Jacqui Kernot our new Operations lead. You can check out their bios and the other committee members here. You can also check out the official announcement of appointments following FITT’s AGM below.
Now to what’s coming up next! Firstly, applications are now open for the FITT 2015 mentoring program and will close in late January so there’s no time to waste in putting that New Year’s resolution into action. Download the forms and any information you need from the FITT website and send them in. Anyone who has taken part in the program (myself included) has reported high levels of satisfaction and confidence to move to the next stage in their careers as a result.
We are also taking registrations for International Women’s Day 2015 in March in Sydney and Melbourne. There are some fantastic speakers lined up already, so reserve your tickets early to ensure you get to rub shoulders with the movers and shakers in the industry discussing the theme ‘Transforming the Future for Women in ICT’.
As we head into the Christmas break please take 5-10 minutes on one of those slow Friday mornings after the office Christmas bash to complete our annual member survey and be part of our corporate diversity report in 2015. It’s so important that FITT accurately represent how our members are feeling and how we can tailor our programs to help. Full details can be found below.
Finally we are delighted to have Shara Evans, CEO of Market Clarity as our exec profile this month, Futurist Shara delivered a fascinating presentation at our ICT Trends events in October and we’re excited for our readers to get to know her a bit better.
From the management committee and myself, we wish you a very happy holiday and hope everyone recharges the batteries to make 2015 better than ever.
We look forward to seeing you in 2015!
Regards
Catriona Walkerden
Newsletter Editor and FITT Marketing Lead
On Behalf of the FITT Management Committee
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Exec Profile – Shara Evans – CEO Marketing Clarity
What is your current role and what is your scope?
I’m a technology futurist, keynote speaker, and the CEO of Market Clarity, a professional services firm.
I track a wide range of cutting edge technology developments by examining what’s happening in research labs, talking to global thought leaders about these developments and the latest scientific advances, and then I use my imagination to put it together into scenarios of what our future will look like.
Read More >
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Save the date – International Women’s day
FITT present the 2015 International Women’s Day Luncheon: Transforming the Future for Women in ICT
Gender diversity continues to be a hot topic today- one that is discussed everywhere from the G20 to within our own Government. In 2015, FITT would like to put the spotlight on the ICT industry and focus on the actions that we can take now, in order to transform the future for women in ICT.
Read More >
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FITT Webinar – Review
How to manage stress before it manages you - November 20th Lisa Phillips
On November 20th we had nearly 80 registrations for our webinar about managing stress. FITT was fortunate to have secured such a passionate and empathetic expert on such a key area, which can affect many people daily - both in work and in our personal lives.
Read More >
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Annual Survey – Join in
Please add your voice to our corporate diversity report – we would love to hear from you!
Read More >
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Mentoring – Review & Apply
We recently saw the wrap up and close of another successful year in the FITT Mentoring programs. We again ran a National program – for those in mid career, enhanced our Mentoring Circle for senior women, and continued our pilot of the LITE program.
Read More >
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Volunteer with FITT – various roles
We had a fantastic reaction to our call out for volunteers over the last couple of months. We still have some great opportunities if you have time, passion to make a difference and any level of experience.
Read More >
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FITT AGM – Update on MC -
announcement of appointments
On November 18th FITT had their AGM.
We welcomed back a host of wonderful people – the Management Committee of FITT. Below are the names of the wonderful women who run FITT. You can find out more about these people on our website.
Read More >
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Cisco Events – Get involved
Women Rock IT
On Wednesday 12 November 2014, the Social Innovation Group in Asia Pacific launched the first in a four part series of the Women Rock-IT Cisco TV Series with Chief Technology Officer, Monique Morrow.
Read More >
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What is your current role and what is your scope?
I’m a technology futurist, keynote speaker, and the CEO of Market Clarity, a professional services firm.
I track a wide range of cutting edge technology developments by examining what’s happening in research labs, talking to global thought leaders about these developments and the latest scientific advances, and then I use my imagination to put it together into scenarios of what our future will look like.
I use these insights to help companies harness the fast moving world of technology innovation to develop new lines of business, as well as helping them assess their strengths, weakness, potential opportunities and threats from emerging technologies. I then work with them to develop a disruptive competitive advantage and I regularly speak about futuristic and technology topics at public and private events.
Areas that I cover include: telecommunications services and technologies, smartphones and other devices, wearable tech, implantable tech, sensors, augmented reality, virtual reality, holographic displays, home automation (and the many different types of Internet-connected devices within homes), drones (transport industry, spying, hacking), robotics, cars of the future, 3D printing, cloud services, security and privacy, and the next wave of innovation.
What attracted you to a career in ICT?
I’ve always been fascinated by science fiction, future technologies, civilisations, and far away worlds. As a young girl I often read several books a week - sometimes even devouring a book a day. However, it wasn’t until my last semester of studying Political Science at Temple University that I discovered that I had an aptitude for the then newly emerging field of computer science. I was using a statistical analysis package called SPSS when, to my amazement, I found that I was able to very quickly learn a range of programming languages, without ever having taken a course in the subject.
At the time, I was interning for a State Legislator, and had been tapped to run for a local election. I decided that if I were to win the election, I would follow my planned career in law and politics, and if I lost I’d pursue my new-found aptitude in computing. I lost the election by 10 votes! It truly was a sliding door moment in my career path.
Tell us about the high points and low points of your career?
I’m fortunate in that I’ve had some amazing high points. Early on it was having great managers / mentors who pushed me to my limits, encouraging me to volunteer my time at industry organisations whilst taking on really challenging technical projects. Being elected to the to Board of the International Tandem Computer Users Group at 24 was a springboard to many opportunities that followed. A subsequent promotion to the role of International Program Manager, and later Sales and Marketing Manager, enabled me to travel the world, and later immigrate to Australia.
I launched my first analyst firm, Telsyte, in 1997 - right at the start of telecommunications industry deregulation. Selling the firm to publicly listed UXC was certainly a highlight of my career, but seeing that Telsyte is still successful in the market is equally gratifying.
Another highlight was winning the 2007 ACOMMS Award for Professional Services to the Telecommunications Industry within the first 18-months of starting my current firm, Market Clarity.
Without a doubt, serving on advisory committees and boards for top science organisations such as CSIRO and NICTA, and having access to global thought leaders across a wide technical spectrum, ranks top of list in terms of personal satisfaction (satisfying my inner Sci-Fi geek).
Running a small business is hard work, and having done this for the past 17-years, I can attest to the amount of effort that goes into keeping everything running. In professional services, it’s a constant cycle of business development, delivering projects and speeches, researching new technologies, creating new intellectual property, marketing, and a lot of time spent on back-end administration and financial stuff. Spending a weekend working on admin tasks when its gorgeous outside is definitely a low point!
What does work life balance mean to you?
I’ve always struggled with work life balance, even more so now that I’m single. When you own a business, there’s always something that needs to be done, and it’s tempting to fill my “down time” with work. Having recently pivoted my career from being known as a telecoms analyst, to now focusing my research and speaking engagements on emerging technologies, and being known as a futurist — the time that I spend researching and writing about future technologies really crosses over into the things that I consider fun. So, I make it a point to plan non-work social activities, and I’m also planning to travel when things slow down for the holiday period. Exercise and meditation are an important part of my daily routine, which also helps me keep things in balance.
What attracted and kept you in the ICT industry throughout your career?
One of the things that I’ve always found fascinating about the ICT sector is the increasingly rapid pace of change, and the never-ending opportunities that arise from new technologies.
There are so many emerging technologies that I find truly fascinating: augmented reality, robotics, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, just to name a few, that will create a world 10 years from now that may, in many ways, be unrecognisable. Ultimately, everything is going to be connected, every gadget that we own, our homes, our cars, our clothing, and even our bodies will be connected to the ‘net.
What ambitions, personal or professional, do you still want to achieve?
I have to say, that not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I’d end up as professional futurist. In the past year, I’ve identified new product sectors, industries and entire job categories that don’t exist today. Taking these concepts and turning them into reality is certainly on my radar.
What’s the one piece of advice you'd give to yourself starting out on your career?
Take a chance. When an opportunity presents, seize it. Dare to be different. If something stretches your talents, or takes you out of your comfort zone, it’s a good thing. Get in touch with your inner self; if your intuition is saying “no” or “hold back” there are probably subtle clues that are niggling in the background. Pay attention to these, and do your due diligence before jumping in headfirst. Always be true to yourself, do the things that make you happy.
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FITT present the 2015 International Women’s Day Luncheon: Transforming the Future for Women in ICT
Gender diversity continues to be a hot topic today- one that is discussed everywhere from the G20 to within our own Government. In 2015, FITT would like to put the spotlight on the ICT industry and focus on the actions that we can take now, in order to transform the future for women in ICT.
We invite you to celebrate International Women’s Day with us and hear from industry leaders and visionaries (both female and male) who practice what they preach and are working hard to create balanced workplaces. Each of our speakers will share their experiences of what works and what doesn’t - providing tips on how to create a great workplace for women and exploring the ways in which we can nurture the next generation of female leaders.
We have taken your feedback on board and will be maximising the networking opportunities at this event - so everyone will have the chance to discuss and contribute to this important conversation.
This event is not to be missed - where else would you find hundreds of women in ICT in the one room (plus a few dozen brave men of course)?
Please save the date or pre purchase your tickets before they sell out!
REGISTER FOR MELBOURNE - 4th March 2015
REGISTER FOR SYDNEY - 25th March 2015
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How to manage stress before it manages you - November 20th
Lisa Phillips
On November 20th we had nearly 80 registrations for our webinar about managing stress.
FITT was fortunate to have secured such a passionate and empathetic expert on such a key area, which can affect many people daily - both in work and in our personal lives.
Lisa gave tips on how to respond to the stress we feel and how to build our resilience to these external factors – about how we as individuals can manage the stress triggers, which are personal to each of us.
We know that stress affects more women than men, and it is believed that this is predominantly due to women willing to take on more (more work, more responsibility, more tasks in the home etc etc).
Lisa talked about stress which helps us thrive – helps drive us to fulfil our goals and gives us energy; and then the other, negative stress which drags us down – damaging our body and mind.
The strategies Lisa discussed can help everyone – whether under a huge cloud or just managing the stress that is nipping round the edges of our lives.
About Lisa:
Lisa Phillips is a Life and Confidence Coach www.amazingcoaching.com.au
Click here to listen to the recording.
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Please add your voice to our corporate diversity report – we would love to hear from you!
We compile the report from this member survey each year to provide a greater understanding of Women in ICT – their roles, strengths, challenges and how we as FITT and perhaps the wider environment can help progress and grow Women in ICT in 2015 onwards.
Click here to start the short survey.
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We recently saw the wrap up and close of another successful year in the FITT Mentoring programs. We again ran a National program for those in mid career, enhanced our Mentoring Circle for senior women, and continued our pilot of the LITE program. The LITE program, in its second year, is aimed at graduates and those new to the workforce. Next year we will be modifying the program based on feedback, and look forward to further developing in this area.
There were 30 matched mentor/mentee pairs in the National program, and one Mentoring Circle with 5 mentees. It was really another motivating year, many mentees noted a new job or promotion had come about during the year, and that the program contributed to and increased in their confidence, career structure and planning. The initial focus on goal setting is also well appreciated by mentees and mentors alike.
All programs will return in 2015.
Applications are now open for the National and Circle program.
Click for more details.
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We had a fantastic reaction to our call out for volunteers over the last couple of months. We still have some great opportunities if you have time, passion to make a difference and any level of experience.
This month, we are looking for roles on both the Management Committee and also within the Marketing Subcommittee, so please give us a call if you think you are interested:
FITT Management Committee – Chair
FITT Management Committee – HR Lead
FITT Subcommittee Volunteer – Graphic Designer
FITT Subcommittee Volunteer – Website Manager
FITT Subcommittee Volunteer – PR Manager
FITT Subcommittee Volunteer – Marketing Manager
All of the FITT committee and subcommittee are made up of unpaid volunteers, passionate women (and sometimes men) who give up their time and skills to make FITT a driving force in the world of IT for the past 25 years.
Please send your details to Fereshteh Zamani at HR@fitt.org.au to get the ball rolling.
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On November 18th FITT had their AGM.
We welcomed back a host of wonderful people – the Management Committee of FITT. Below are the names of the wonderful women who run FITT. You can find out more about these people on our website.
| Name |
Role |
| Megan Stokes |
Interim Chair |
| Chelsea Love |
Learning & Development |
| Cat Walkerden |
Marketing |
| Valeria Ignatieva |
Events |
| Emma Rickerby |
Community Engagement |
| Semra Barutchu |
Infrastructure |
| Megan Stokes |
HR |
| Bridget Gray |
Networking |
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On Wednesday 12 November 2014, the Social Innovation Group in Asia Pacific launched the first in a four part series of the Women Rock-IT Cisco TV Series with Chief Technology Officer, Monique Morrow. The series is designed to inspire the next generation of female IT talent to pursue careers in the industry.
A total of 1989 students attended the event from 50 countries. 77 students attended over TelePresence units located in Australia, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. 970 students attended at Academies located in Indonesia, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia & Philippines. 942 students attended the live Cisco TV broadcast with a further 223 downloads of the recording.
Monique's blog posted on Huffington post entitled 'Why Our Future Depends on Women In Technology' has received over 1,000 likes in 2 weeks.
Monique welcomed students by sharing some of the most influential women in technology history, a focus on her own personal journey and the exciting opportunities that exist in the Technology Industry.
During the sessions Monique introduced a speech by Vice President of the European Commission, Neelie Kroes, who is responsible for the Digital agenda that states: "Every woman should have the tools to take control of her life: and today, it's almost uniquely ICT skills that offer growing employment, innovation, and opportunity."
Janet Ramey, Vanessa Sulikowski and Shraddha Chaplot are scheduled to speak on 5th February, 23rd April and 2nd July 2015. Click through to see more details.
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