We interviewed Siobhan Reynolds, Digital Project Manager at The Rank Group Plc on her experience and thoughts on women in tech. 
- What does your job role involve?
My role at Rank is to manage digital projects from concept to completion within budget and using a certain amount of resources. It involves, planning, delegating, tracking, reviewing, and measuring results. The goal of every project is different, but the overarching objective is to grow business and see valuable ROI from the project. Types of projects can range from creating a new poker app to building a new performance testing environment.
- What made you choose a career in technology?
Technology has always excited me and I wanted to get involved from a young age. I enjoyed IT at school and always wanted to try out the latest gadgets and understand how they work. I remember getting my first phone and the launch of the internet which intrigued me even more.
- Did you study an IT or technology related subject at A-Level or University?
Yes, I took Computer Science A-Level and then went on to study Multimedia at Swansea University.
I thoroughly enjoyed my studies. Multimedia opened the door to a variety of skills to learn, everything from Web design and coding to typography and animation.
- Did you get any work experience in IT or technology before this role?
Yes, I’ve always worked in the IT sector but across a range of businesses in various delivery roles.
I’ve worked as a Service Delivery Manager for a large IT service operator, where I worked with many technical specialists to quote and plan the implementation for small service changes for the government. I then moved to SKY where I worked as a Project Manager delivering digital campaigns, Websites, apps and games for their Entertainment channels. I also contracted as a Project Manager to deliver the UX and Design for a new IPTV/OTT service.
- Do you think there is a lack of females in the IT and tech sector?
I don’t feel there is a lack of females (particularly at Rank) in IT but I do find that most females tend to work within UX, design, project management or Scrum roles rather than as coders or testers.
- Do you find there is a stereotype that a career in IT or technology is just for men?
No I don’t believe so, personally I’ve never felt as though there are any barriers in the industry.
- What would entice women to study technology related courses?
I think it is important that our secondary schools partner up with local tech businesses to showcase the tools they have built and or use for marketing, advertising, producing movies and apps. This will resonate in student’s minds what opportunities are out there and promote just how exciting it is to be part of the ever evolving IT sector. I think currently IT is still portrayed as a geeky subject when actually it’s quite the opposite.
- How could we encourage more women to start a career in tech?
IT is an exciting and rewarding sector to work in. No two days are the same, with the industry ever evolving anything is possible. You never have time to get bored as you are always learning new things as the landscape rapidly changes. There are so many different opportunities to help deliver creative solutions that change the way the world works. It’s so fulfilling to know that you have made a difference, being able to see your website or app launch and be used by the worlds population is true job satisfaction.
