OLA WILLIAMS

Is Empowering Women In Leadership Positions In Technology

BY OLAMIDE OLAREWAJU

latomiwa Williams

O(Ola Williams) is who you want to be when you grow up. She is a mentor, a leader, a tech enthusiast. This business leader who has over 20 years of experience in the information technology industry, where she has assisted organisations in leveraging the power of technology to achieve their business goals is setting her sights on empowering women in tech. Ola is passionate about seeing more women succeed in tech. She leads female-focused initiatives to support and encourage women and girls to pursue careers in information technology. She is a mentor to aspiring female leaders among other things. It is refreshing to see and it's even more exciting that she's leaving room for women to join her at the top.

CREDITS

PHOTOGRAPHY - CHINEDU ADIELE STYLING/ IMAGE CONSULTING - LIGHT IN THE MARKETPLACE OUTFITS

BLACK DRESS: ELVIRA JUDE

RED SKIRT SET: ELVIRA JUDE

BROWN RUFFLE CAPE: LANRE DA SILVA AJAYI

You’re currently the country manager for Microsoft in Nigeria and Ghana. That is a huge feat. How did you get here?

My IT career journey started over 23 years ago. I joined Microsoft over 12 years ago, and the journey continues.

I did not arrive here alone. I have had great mentors who have provided the needed guidance, strong support, and tons of learning opportunities to help me get to where I am. That does not mean that I haven’t had moments where I felt I was at my breaking point, but I have learnt to look at the remaining flicker of light and focus on it.

There have been some important personal learnings along this journey. I have learned to be consistent and show up every day— showing up not just for the sake of it but showing up with solutions.

I have developed a listening ear to hear and absorb various perspectives while crafting my own uniqueness from them.

I have improved my discipline levels to ensure that I am able to manage the responsibility that comes with this place I am at. I have learned to build, develop, and maintain solid relationships because no man is an island, and good relationships simply make this journey a lot easier.

The tech industry has experienced tremendous changes since I started my career 23 years ago. It is important to keep transforming and embracing innovation. I have learnt to embrace change. The process of change is an opportunity to grow and develop, or one becomes irrelevant before one knows it. I can say that I had a slow start in terms of career advancement. However, because I remained consistent and kept developing myself when the growth started, it has been progressive, and I am thankful.

Why tech?

During my secondary school days, I overheard a passionate conversation between two men who were convinced that computers were going to change the world for good. I developed a keen interest and wanted to be part of this revolution. This interest shaped the choices I made in my life. These choices and decisions have brought me to where I am in the technology field today.

It’s 2023, and we are seeing a rise in the number of women in tech. What is a good place to start for a young lady seeking a career in tech?

This is something I feel so passionate about. It is beautiful to see that more women are thriving in technology. It is a positive trend that I hope to also make significant contributions to as time goes on. The more women we have contributing to technology innovation and its application, the more inclusive and usable the technology innovation is for all. It is crucial that more women are encouraged to come into tech. We are making positive progress in this regard, but a lot still needs to be done.

For a young lady considering pursuing a tech career, a good place to start is simply asking yourself: Why tech?

I say this because it is significantly easier to start a career in tech than it was 10 years ago. There is almost no end to the number of free resources available to start off a journey in tech. By the time you include the paid resources and certifications available, it becomes almost a chaotic world of information.

This is why that first question—Why tech?—is so important. If that first question is not answered, you could arrive at a point of frustration that exists between the time you feel you have learned enough to earn from tech and the time the opportunity to earn from it presents itself. The "why" is what fuels your journey and makes it sustainable.

Some people transition quickly, and some don’t. You will hear great and inspiring stories of those who broke into tech, and there are also some strenuous ones. Your motivation must be clear.

The next point would be, "What exactly in tech should I tend towards?" I generally think people should know themselves well enough to explore fields that they are enthusiastic about, so it is easy to find a reason to keep going when the grind gets tougher. It is important to get a mentor. Though we are seeing more and more women embrace careers in the technology field, we still have a low representation of women at the leadership level. According to a study by the African Development Bank, only 10% of senior management positions in technology companies in Africa are held by women. Mentoring is incredibly beneficial for all parties to grow and develop from the experience. A report by the National Center for Women & Information Technology found that mentorship can lead to increased representation of women in leadership positions in technology.

The tech industry is one of the most inclusive industries that I know of. Anyone can transition into a tech career, irrespective of their discipline. You just need to get the right training. At Microsoft, we are providing pathways for women who want to start a career in tech because we believe that empowering women in tech-related fields on the African continent will spur more women pursuing economic growth, equality, and innovation.

We have different programs to support women in building the capabilities they need to thrive in the tech industry. We are supporting the Women Techsters initiative of one of our Not-For-Profit partners, Tech4Dev. The initiative is aimed at bridging the digital and technology knowledge divide between men and women as well as ensuring equal access to opportunities for all. I encourage every young woman to get on the Woman Techsters program.

What challenges did you face as a woman in tech, rising through the ranks?

It is first of all important to note that life itself is a challenge. This foundation helps me approach everything with a willingness to improve and do better. I embrace a growth mindset. While the intensity of the challenge varies from person to person and gender to gender, I am indeed grateful to be at Microsoft, where diversity and inclusion are integrated into our DNA.

But one of the major challenges I often experience is unconscious bias and stereotypes. Some people just believe that women can’t do certain things, and as such, they don’t even give you the opportunity to prove yourself. Research indicates that many women struggle to advance to leadership positions in the tech industry because of bias. When I started off in a core technical role, I was usually the only woman in the team, but I did not allow that fact to deter me. In every role I take on, I apply myself to my job, and my male colleagues come to respect me for the value I bring to the table. It takes a lot of hard work.

And when you think about the challenges of being a woman in tech and the demands of raising a family, I must be honest – it is quite challenging because of the nature and demands of the job. I am grateful that I have a strong support structure at home, so it is easier to manage.

What is your typical day like as a busy woman in tech?

I like to start my day by planning the physical, spiritual, emotional, and psychological areas of my day.

I often review any pending items from the previous day while also keeping an eye out for issues.

In the absence of any urgent issues, I tackle pending issues and update my task list and timeframes for the current day.

I prioritize productivity by being disciplined. Having Office 365, an intelligent productivity solution, is quite helpful.

I delegate things to people around me and build my network through these delegations. I try to utilize my time of rest judiciously.

What are the highlights of your career, so far?

I am grateful that my career journey has been quite eventful. There are a number of positive moments in my career journey, but I would like to mention that being the first Nigerian employee to get the Microsoft Platinum award was quite an exciting and inspiring experience for me. The Platinum Club Award is the most prestigious award for top-performing employees in the organization. I am glad that I won the award twice.

The fact that I rose through the ranks within the organization to become the first female country manager in Nigeria is also a fulfilling experience for me. It was such a delight to see that my career journey has been an inspiration for many young women.

You are passionate about empowering women. How do you see yourself going about this in 2023?

The simple answer to how I would hope to empower women in 2023 is by scaling mentorship and providing a platform to support women's career growth in the tech field.

I am working on getting other women and men who have deeply contributed to the development of programs that have facilitated the growth of women in tech and creating a forum where we can scale mentorship to other young women who are intending to grow in tech. I am focused especially on those who have started the journey but now need to take the step forward to midlevel or C-suite roles. The program will hopefully help these women develop and maintain a trained eye for opportunities to optimize their career lifespan and arrive at what they define as a zenith for themselves. We will continue to see low participation of women in the tech field if we don’t spark the passion in girl learners early in their education journey. We will work in partnership with likeminded entities to empower young girls to reach their full potential through access to the educational skills they need to thrive in a digital world.

How do you unwind when you’re not working? How do you “balance” it all? Family? Work? Life?

I love to dance, which I do at any chance I get.

Achieving balance also requires work and discipline. I try to maximize the time I have to get as much done as I can. It is important to prioritize and invest in relationships that can help when required, because the fact is it is not possible to get everything done by oneself.

Career tips for ladies who want to build a career in tech?

I know that everyone’s life circumstances are different, but the common thing is that everyone wants to succeed in their career. I would not say we have one-size-fits-all tips to be successful, but here is a list of tips I suggest for ladies pursuing a career in tech to embrace:

1. Embrace continuous learning – the tech industry is everevolving and requires continuous learning.

2. Set a goal for yourself – setting audacious personal goals keeps you focused and motivated as you have things you are working towards.

3. Get a mentor – mentoring is critical to a successful career journey, and much more important in the tech industry. But, ensure you get a mentor in line with your set objectives.

4. Network – join tech communities related to your career aspirations, but don't just be a passive member. Make it a point of duty to contribute to any community you are part of, as this helps you grow and gives you an opportunity to be visible.

5. Stay current -- ensure you are up to date on trends and future opportunities in the industry. Subscribe to and follow tech organizations that are relevant to your career objectives on social media. Subscribe to newsletters and journals on technology.

6. Participate in industry events – make sure to attend industry events to get more insight and keep up to date on emerging events in the industry. Industry events are also a great opportunity to grow your professional network.

7. Celebrate your successes – every step towards achieving your goal is worth celebrating. Learn to give yourself a pat on the back for every significant achievement and learn to tell your story.

8. Don’t be afraid to fail but seek to learn from your failure.

9. Be patient – be mindful that it takes time for you to achieve your career growth. Run your race, draw inspiration from other people’s success but refrain from measuring your success by the success of others. With focus, commitment, and tenacity, you will get to your God-given destiny.

10. Be grateful – being grateful and having a positive attitude helps to manage stress during challenging situations, and can help increase creative ability and problemsolving skills.

11. Speak up – it does not matter if you are the only woman in the room, if you have an idea, share your views. Your view is as important as that of any other person in the room.

12. Embrace constructive criticism – do not dwell on negative feedback in a manner that will hinder you from taking risks in the future but build on it and let it propel you to overcome your next challenge.