The event aims to empower and encourage girls and young women to consider careers in the sector of technology. This year the European Commission, European Parliament and the International Telecommunication Union are joining forces to ensure the maximum visibility for advancing the cause of getting more women into technology, in particular ICT jobs.

On the evening of the 24th WiTT co-hosted an event at Campus London with Google’s women@campus and Hackney MP Meg Hillier. The evening brought together women of achievement in the technology sector with local female sixth formers from schools in Hackney. The main goal of the event was to help equip young women from Hackney with the networking skills they need to pursue their career goals and enable them to meet inspiring women in interesting careers so that they could learn what options are open to them. We were also thrilled to have Belinda Parmar of Lady Geek say a few words about women in technology and her Little Miss Geek campaign.

Here are a few pictures from our event:

And here is from the ITU Secretary-General on the occasion of Girls in ICT Day 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qonou7260SU&feature=share&list=PLDDD2E4F143C930A4

Please also find below a press release from the European Commission about Girls in ICT. You can also join the discussion on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter (#girlsdigital) and share examples of innovative solutions which aim at getting more girls and women into ICT jobs!

For more information please see: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-agenda/en/girls-ict-day

Press release
Wanted: more women in digital jobs. European Commission supports global Girls in ICT Day

European Commission

MEMO

Brussels, 25 April 2013

Wanted: more women in digital jobs. European Commission supports global Girls in ICT Day

How can we encourage more young female tech talent into digital jobs? The European Commission, European Parliament and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are coming together on Girls in ICT Day (25 April) to find new ways of encouraging girls to take up careers in ICT and to show them the opportunities on offer.

7 million people work in the information and communication (ICT) sector in Europe. Out of the ICT workforce, only 30% are women.

The ICT sector is rapidly growing, creating around 120 000 new jobs every year
There will be up to 900,000 unfilled ICT-related vacancies in 2015.

Of every thousand women with a bachelor’s degree in Europe, only twenty nine hold a degree in IT.
Out of those twenty nine, only four work in the ICT sector.

These issues will be explored in depth at a European Parliament hearing organised by the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy. On the agenda: the stereotypical portrayal of girls and women in the media, industry’s responsibility for driving change in the ICT sector, digital skills, and the business case for getting more women to work in ICT. Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer at Facebook, will share her views alongside speakers from the digital and tech sectors.

Girls in ICT Day complements the Grand Coalition for Digital Jobs (IP/13/182), the Commission’s partnership with Europe’s digital businesses, governments, training and education sectors to boost digital jobs and training. It is also part of the Commission’s wider efforts to attract young women to science, technology, engineering, and mathematic subjects and into research careers. Girls in ICT Day is an ITU initiative that has been held annually since 2010 around the world. It is one element of ITU’s on-going Tech Needs Girls campaign.

In Brussels, Girls in ICT Day starts with DigitaLive, workshops showcasing digital and tech jobs as an attractive career choice for young women. Topics range from the technology behind DJing to building robots, designing mobile apps and imagining digital futures as far ahead as 2050.

Neelie Kroes, Vice President of the European Commission, and Hamadoun Touré, Secretary-General of the ITU, together with Céline Fremault, Minister for Scientific Research of the Brussels-Capital Region, will visit the workshops and talk to school students from the Brussels area about the opportunities which digital and tech jobs can offer.

Hash tags: #girlsinict, #girlsdigital, #womendigital

For a change of pace, the meeting was held at the Screening Room at MPC, a new, private screening room in Soho.

Here’s some information on the talks we watched (and links to the talks on the TED.com website):

Marco Tempest: A cyber-magic card trick like no other

http://www.ted.com/talks/marco_tempest_a_cyber_magic_card_trick_like_no_other.html

The suits, numbers and colors in a deck of cards correspond to the seasons, moon cycles and calendar. Marco Tempest straps on augmented reality goggles and does a card trick like you’ve never seen before, weaving a lyrical tale as he deals. A magician and illusionist for the 21st century, Marco Tempest blends cutting-edge technology with the flair and showmanship of Houdini.

Megan Kamerick: Women should represent women in media

http://www.ted.com/talks/megan_kamerick_women_should_represent_women_in_media.html

How do you tell women’s stories? Ask women to tell them. At TEDxABQ, Megan Kamerick shows how the news media underrepresents women as reporters and news sources, and because of that tells an incomplete story. (Filmed at TEDxABQ.) Reporter Megan Kamerick fights for well-balanced storytelling in media.

Margaret Heffernan: Dare to disagree

http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree.html

Most people instinctively avoid conflict, but as Margaret Heffernan shows us, good disagreement is central to progress. She illustrates (sometimes counterintuitively) how the best partners aren’t echo chambers — and how great research teams, relationships and businesses allow people to deeply disagree.

The former CEO of five businesses, Margaret Heffernan explores the all-too-human thought patterns — like conflict avoidance and selective blindness — that lead managers and organizations astray.

Catarina Mota: Play with smart materials

http://www.ted.com/talks/catarina_mota_play_with_smart_materials.html

Ink that conducts electricity; a window that turns from clear to opaque at the flip of a switch; a jelly that makes music. All this stuff exists, and Catarina Mota says: It’s time to play with it. Mota leads us on a tour of surprising and cool new materials, and suggests that the way we’ll figure out what they’re good for is to experiment, tinker and have fun.

A TEDGlobal Fellow, Catarina Mota plays with “smart materials” — like shape-memory alloys and piezoelectric structures that react to voltage — and encourages others to do so too.

Rachel Botsman: The currency of the new economy is trust

http://www.ted.com/talks/rachel_botsman_the_currency_of_the_new_economy_is_trust.html

There’s been an explosion of collaborative consumption — web-powered sharing of cars, apartments, skills. Rachel Botsman explores the currency that makes systems like Airbnb and Taskrabbit work: trust, influence, and what she calls “reputation capital.”

Rachel Botsman writes and speaks on the power of collaboration and sharing through network technologies, and on how it will transform business, consumerism and the way we live.

Robin Chase: Excuse me, May I rent your car?

http://www.ted.com/talks/robin_chase_excuse_me_may_i_rent_your_car.html

A decade ago, Robin Chase founded Zipcar in the US, now the largest car-sharing company in the world. Now she’s exploring the next level of car-sharing: Buzzcar, a French startup that lets people rent their own cars to others. The details are fascinating (how does insurance work, exactly?), and the larger vision (she calls it Peers, Inc.) points to a new definition of ownership and entrepreneurship.

With Zipcar, Robin Chase introduced car-crazy America to the concept of non-ownership. Now she’s flipping that model with Buzzcar, which lets you rent your own auto to your neighbors.

Amanda Palmer: The art of asking

http://www.ted.com/talks/amanda_palmer_the_art_of_asking.html

Don’t make people pay for music, says Amanda Palmer: Let them. In a passionate talk that begins in her days as a street performer (drop a dollar in the hat for the Eight-Foot Bride!), she examines the new relationship between artist and fan. Alt-rock icon Amanda Fucking Palmer believes we shouldn’t fight the fact that digital content is freely shareable — and suggests that artists can and should be directly supported by fans.

To help clear up some of the confusion and inform our members and guests about this important tech topic, Women in Telecoms & Technology and Charles Russell, our partner for this event, have assembled a panel of experts on the subject for an evening of discussion and debate.

The panel will be moderated by Ian Taylor, former MP and Science Minister. Our panelists will include:

• Svetlana Grant, Director, Smart Cities, Connected Living Programme, GSMA;
• Linda Chandler, Enterprise Architect, Microsoft Services Enterprise Strategy;
• Patrick Razavet, Director of Utilities and Smart Metering, Cable & Wireless Worldwide;
• Catherine Mulligan, Research Fellow, Imperial College; and
• Malcolm Dowden, Consultant, Charles Russell.

The evening will run as follows:

6:00-7:00 pm: Welcome reception and networking

7:00-8:00 pm: Remarks by panelists, then discussion and Q&A

8:00 pm:           Wrap up and further networking.

If you have any questions, please email info@wittgroup.org.

We look forward to seeing you on February 20th!

The WiTT Board

Annette, Audrey, Helen, Michelle and Stephanie

To register as a member of WiTT simply e-mail your details to info@wittgroup.org. You will then be advised of forthcoming events and meetings. Membership charges are as follows:

* individual membership: £50 per year

* corporate membership: £300 per year

* associate membership: £10 per meeting

* students: no charge

WiTT Founder Stephanie Liston discusses women in tech at the Broadband World Forum, 2012.

As a member of WiTT you are entitled to join this group and be on the list. Please note, however, that the initial focus of the group will be to create a list of women who are ready to join the boards of publicly-traded companies. If you don’t have relevant experience for this type of role, you might want to wait until the group expands its remit. For those who are ready to join the list, please go to the following site to register: www.linkedin.com/groups/Global-Board-Ready-Women-4677558/about

Once you join, your membership will be pending and the Group Administrator will be in contact to verify your credentials. If you are a WiTT member, please contact info@wittgroup.org, and we will provide you with a code that will give you access to the Group and the List without further verification.

We hope you find this group helpful in developing your network, and in finding suitable positions for your future career.

Here is the press release from the launch of the initiative:

European Business Schools/Women on Board Initiative announces
Global Board Ready Women (GRBW) Searchable Data Base

 Group supports European Commission Vice President Viviane Reding’s Call to Action to use all talents for Europe’s corporate boardrooms 

Cooperation with Financial Times Non Executive Directors’ Club, LinkedIn, and BoardEx 

12/12/12.  Brussels, London, New York, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Cambridge, Lille, Berlin, Rotterdam, Istanbul, St. Gallen, Geneva, Lausanne, Mumbai, Hong Kong

The European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative of which Women in Telecoms & Technology is a founding member (partner) has today announced at press conferences and via press releases around the world the formal establishment of the Global Board Ready Women (GBRW) searchable database to respond to global corporate governance needs for more gender diversity on publicly quoted company boards in Europe.

During the last year and a half, Europe’s leading business schools have been working with the European Commission and Senior Executive Women to produce a Call to Action (05 December 11), Selection Criteria Guidelines and a growing list of now more than 8,000 Board Ready Women (07 March /19 June 2012),  http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-12-622_en.htm).  This list of 8,000 Board Ready Women is currently being migrated into the Global Board Ready Women searchable database.

The “Global Board Ready Women” searchable database list and forum will be administered by the Financial Times Non-Executive Directors’ Club on the global business platform, LinkedIn. The Group consists of women who already serve on a board or who are ready to take on a new mandate.  All women listed in the Global Board Ready Women (GBRW) searchable database are suitable to be considered for publicly-listed company board-level positions and meet a clear set of criteria as developed and defined over the last year and a half by the organization members of the European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative (see below).

In addition, the European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative has arranged for each of the individuals selected for the Global Board Ready Women (GBRW) searchable database to be linked with BoardEx ‘s Profiles and to access BoardEx’s database of more than 500,000 corporations and companies.

Lesley Stephenson, Publisher of the FT Non Executive Directors’ Club and member of the European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative commented that the “Global Board Ready Women group launched today will provide executive search firms, companies and investors and those looking to make board appointments with a list of board qualified women. Women in the Group can ensure that their profiles and experience are kept up to date while companies and recruiters can easily search and identify those candidates whose experience most closely match their requirements and contact them directly.”

Sherry Coutu, herself a Member of the Advisory Board of LinkedIn commented, “I’m extremely pleased to be part of this initiative to identify and promote the profiles of the board-ready women in the quest for a more transparent and balanced corporate governance. LinkedIn is the perfect platform for this Global Board Ready Women searchable database.”

European Commission Vice President Reding commented, “We need to use all of our society’s talents to ensure that Europe’s economy takes off. I often hear the argument that there are not enough qualified women to occupy positions in the boardroom. Today the European Business Schools/Women on Board initiative is shattering those myths as well as glass ceilings! The Global Board Ready Women searchable database currently being populated from the lists of more than 8,000 qualified Board Ready Women identified and compiled by them and their colleagues around the world is proof – Companies should now make use of this untapped pool of talent.”

For more information, please contact: Audrey Mandela, Chair of WiTT, at info@wittgroup.org.

GBRW Selection Criteria

Every application to this closed group is formally assessed and reviewed and only those women who meet the criteria below are accepted.  Those participating Business Schools and Professional organizations have applied the same criteria for their participating Alumnae and Members.

All women on the list must have at least 5 years’ experience in 1 or more of the following roles:

• Chair and/or NED of listed/private corporations
• CEO, COO, CFO or other C-suite exec/director level in listed/private corporations
• Family member and controlling shareholder of boards of large family companies
• Director of government agencies
• Director of non-profit orgs
• Institutional investment community senior professional
• Professional firms senior partner serving boards and their committees as clients
• Leading Academics with relevant experience
• Entrepreneur

A list of business schools and other professional groups supporting this initiative is here: http://www.uploadlibrary.com/nonexecs/GBRW.Groups.list.amended.pdf

For further information about the list please contact any of the following:

Members of the European Business School / Women On Boards Initiative

Business Schools

Bocconi

Cambridge Judge Business School

EADA

EDHEC Business School

EFMD – European Federation of Management Development

ESMT

ESSEC business school

HR College of Commerce and Economics

IAUW – International Association of University Women

IESE

IFPM Female Board Pool at the University of St.Gallen

IMD

INSEAD

Kellogg School of Management

London Business School

Oxford

RSM

Sabanci University

Skema

University of Mumbai

Professional Organizations

American Chamber of Commerce France and Spain

Bellisario Foundation

BoardEx

Business and Industry Advisory Council

Canadian Women in Communications

Deutscher Juristinnenbund e.V.

EPWN (European Professional Women’s Network)

Forte Foundation – Major Corporations and Business Schools

The Financial Times Non-Executive Directors’ Club

G16+

GTWN – The Global Telecom Women’s Network

GGI – Geneva Group International

IFA Institut Francais des Administrateurs

International Corporate Women Directors

TIAW – The International Alliance for Women

WiTT – Women in Telecoms and Technology

WCD – Women Corporate Directors

Women’s Forum of New York

Corporate Women

Lady Barbara Judge

Bridget Cosgrave

Lori Gonnu

Cristina Vicini

Lesley Stephenson

Brigitte Boone

Candace Johnson

Audrey Mandela

Diane Morgan

Irene Navitividad

Anne Negre

Indu Shahani

Susan Ness

Marina Niforos

Ingrid Silver

Susan Stautberg

Myla Villanueva

The WiTT holiday party was held on 12 December 2012
at the Science Museum’s Smith Centre.

The WiTT Board

Venue:
Science Museum
The Smith Centre
Exhibition Road, South Kensington
London SW7 2DD

http://wittdecember2012.eventbrite.co.uk

Where: Microsoft, Cardinal Place, 100 Victoria Street, SW1E 5JL London

When: Monday, 12 November 2012 from 18:00 to 20:30 (GMT)

Our fantastic line-up of panelists included:

• Sheila Flavell; COO of FDM Group and winner of the 2012 everywoman in Technology Award for Leader of the year;
• Sarah Wood, Co-founder and COO, Unruly Media;
• Oriane Chausiaux, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Cambridge Temperature Concepts; and
• Wendy Tan White, Founder, Moonfruit, and winner of the 2011 everywoman Tech Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Audrey Mandela, WiTT Chair and co-founder of Multimap.com, chaired the panel.

Our panel discussed their views and experiences, including:

• panelists’ own challenges in starting and growing (and in some cases selling) their businesses;
• best and worst decisions made while building their businesses;
• whether panelists believe there are differences between male and female entrepreneurs, the types of businesses they start, their management styles, and their experiences raising capital;
• views on scaling up businesses started in the UK; and
• advice for other women entrepreneurs.

In the recent past, cybercrime — computer viruses; denial-of-service attacks; malware; cyberstalking; fraud and identity theft; phishing scams — was often directed at individuals or corporations. Last year, the estimated annual cost of cybercrime to the UK was £27 billion.

In a public speech in June of this year, however, MI5 Director General Jonathan Evans said that cybersecurity ranks alongside terrorism as one of the United Kingdom’s most pressing security challenges. “What is at stake is not just our government secrets but also the safety and security of our infrastructure, the intellectual property that underpins our future prosperity, and the commercially sensitive information that is the lifeblood of our companies and corporations,” Evans said.

In July, General Keith B. Alexander, who heads the National Security Agency and also the newly-created United States Cyber Command, said that there had been a 17-fold increase in computer attacks on American infrastructure between 2009 and 2011, initiated by criminal gangs, hackers and other nations.

There’s no question that the threat of cybercrime is growing, and that the focus and scale of cybercrime are shifting. For our meeting of 1 October, Women in Telecoms & Technology has assembled an expert panel of speakers to examine the growing threat of cybercrime, and discuss how individuals, companies, and governments can improve cybersecurity. Our panel included:

Andrew Archibald, Deputy Director of Cyber at SOCA;
Joanne Taylor, Director of Public Security, SAS;
Mark Palmer, Vice President for Defence Industry Europe, IBM; and
Robert Hayes, Director (UK) & Senior Fellow, The Microsoft Institute for Advanced Technology in Governments.

“It is with great pleasure that we are sending below to each of you the ‘Call for Speakers/Papers for the 2013 Mobile World Congress’ we received from John Hoffman of the GSMA.

We very much hope that each of you will respond to this important call for speakers/papers with a suggestion from your part.

Anne Bouverot, the GSMA CEO and Member of the Board who was our guest of honor and speaker at the 20th Anniversary Gala in Barcelona this last February had promised that she would do her utmost to make certain that there were more women speakers and panelists at the MWC and she is holding to her promise with this email.

Let each one of us do everything we can to try and submit a paper to speak.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there were more women speakers than men speakers at the MWC 2013?

Let us make it happen !  Submit a paper yourself, suggest that a (femaie)  colleague also submit a paper.  Let us change the face of the MWC!

With kindest regards,

Bridget Cosgrave and Candace Johnson

The invitation from John Hoffman:

Dear Candace,

The 2013 Mobile World Congress Call for Papers

<http://s667.t.en25.com/e/er?s=667&lid=19069&elq=96556db0691b47e8bba545f7653d0573> is now open, and we invite you to submit your proposals for participation in the mobile industry’s “must-attend” event.

As always, the conference programme at Mobile World Congress reflects the latest developments shaping the mobile industry today and into the future. The 2013 conference will feature presentations from the most prominent companies and individuals in mobile, as well as experts from other industries such as automotive, consumer electronics, financial services and healthcare, among others.

Over four days, Mobile World Congress will showcase the innovation and impact of mobile around the globe, across developed and developing markets.

The Mobile World Congress 2013 conference programme will examine topic areas such as:

*Advertising/Marketing

*Applications

*BSS/OSS

*Business Models – Segmentation and Pricing

*Cloud Services

*Converged Networks

*Devices – Mass Market Devices and Media Tablets

*Economic/Social Impact of Mobile

*Embedded Mobile – Automotive, Consumer Electronics

*Enterprise Strategies

*Intelligent Networks

*Internet Services

*Location-based Services

*Mobile Health

*Mobile Innovation

*Mobile Money

*Near Field Communication (NFC)

*Network Management Strategies

*Next-Generation Networks

*Retail in Mobile

*Security

*Social Media

*Strategies for Growth – Joint Ventures, M&A

*Video

We look forward to your participation in Mobile World Congress 2013.

Best regards,

John Hoffman

CEO, GSMA Ltd.