5 Women Transforming the Digital World

Women’s Equality Day on the 26th of August is a celebration of the achievements of various women's equality movements. However, it also recognises the ongoing struggles for gender equality worldwide. One of the main issues that the day draws attention to is the gender pay gap. The gender pay gap remains particularly prominent within the digital world; as of October 2021, women were paid up to 28% less than their male colleagues in the UK, and women aged under 25 are paid up to 29% less than men of the same age. Additionally, women’s average bonuses are 43% lower than men’s. These figures highlight how inequalities within the tech industry have limited the success of women in digital roles. To help celebrate the incredible women working in this industry, this article will highlight five women transforming the digital world. 

What is the Digital World?

The digital world refers to the availability and use of digital tools to communicate on the Internet, digital devices, smart devices and other technologies. This includes apps, social media, and artificial intelligence. The pace at which digital transformations are occurring is faster than most other industries; Statista forecasts that emerging tech will experience a growth rate of 104% between 2018 and 2023. IoT (Internet of Things) investments are expected to grow by nearly 14% in 2022 and quantum computing is projected to reach $780 million by 2025. Statista predicts there will be 30.9 billion IoT devices by 2025. The speed of transformation taking place in the digital world has called for some of the most creative minds to break through ever-changing barriers. Recognising the women who have been behind these digital breakthroughs is important to uplifting the voices of women within these industries, and encouraging more women to work in these roles.

5 Women Shaking the Digital World

1. Olga Andrienko: Since Olga Andrienko joined SEMrush in 2013, its users have grown from 300,000 to ten million. Andrienko started as the head of social media before becoming the VP of brand marketing. In this role, Andrienko oversees global brand marketing across North America, Europe, APAC and LATAM, providing strategy for audience retention, advertising, and marketing across a global team. Andrienko was interviewed by Communication magazine, where she explained that one of her greatest challenges in this role has been to cut through the noise of the digital world, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw an even larger influx to media marketing and communications. Andrienko has introduced SEMrush into brand markets in over 50 countries and, in 2018, was mentioned among the 25 most influential women in digital marketing by TopRank. We think that Olga Andrienko is an amazing example of making noise within an increasingly loud digital world.
2. Susan Wojcicki: Susan Wojcicki is CEO of Alphabet subsidiary YouTube, which has 2 billion monthly users. It was, in fact, Wojcicki’s garage that the co-founders of google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, rented out and created Google. Wojcicki worked at Google for many years, developing things such as Google Analytics and AdSense. Wojcicki, who was elevated to senior vice president at Google in 2010, moved over to YouTube in 2014 and became the company’s CEO later that year. It’s safe to say that Susan Wojcicki is a powerhouse in the tech world, and it’s inspiring to see a woman right at the forefront of some of the world’s biggest companies. 
3. Dara Treseder: Dara Treseder is an alumnus of Apple, CMO of GE Ventures and GE Business Innovations and the first-ever CMO for the company Carbon. Today Treseder is the Global Head of Marketing, Communications & Membership at the fitness platform Peloton. Peloton has had a year-over-year increase of 176% since June 2020. Since Treseder joined the team at Peloton, she has introduced major campaigns with celebrities such as Beyonce and its famous #MyPelotonReason campaign, which celebrates members' stories. Treseder has been vocal about the barriers she has faced as a black woman in the tech industry. In an interview with Marie Claire, she stated that “While other people are going to be given opportunities, I have to create them for myself. I'm not doing it just because of myself; I'm doing it because it's important that young Black women see me and think, I can be this too.” Treseder has said that her key reason for joining Peloton is its commitment to being an antiracist organisation pledging $100 million to fight racial injustice and inequality. Alongside the struggles of many women in her industry, Treseden is taking the lead on fighting against racism and sexism in the digital world, and we think that’s truly ground-breaking. The strength of Treseden and the motivational role she plays for Black women all around the globe is why we’ve decided to feature her in this blog. 
4. Chantelle Bell and Anya Roy: The co-founders of Syrona Women were both students at Cambridge when they created the digital platform aimed at democratising women’s gynaecological health. The platform offers various services, including ​easy home testing for multiple things, such as Covid-19. Notably, Syrona also offers a pregnancy-test-like device which lets women check for cervical cancer from the comfort of their own home. Syrona Health is currently available in the UK, Ireland and the USA but will be expanding to new countries this year. The pair have discussed the struggles to get their app up and running which was ‘fundamentally due to the initial lack of funding within women’s healthcare.’ When interviewed by WoW about why the women in tech movement is so important, Chantelle Bell stated ‘The visibility of women in tech is very much needed to show the next generation that they’re not alone and it is possible. When looking at the stats on the types of companies women in tech are likely to build, it’s usually something geared toward solving real-world problems like healthcare and accessibility and that’s exciting. We can really change the world.’ The company pledges to ‘...fight gender inequality in medicine by creating accessible care and contributing to research, all to close the #genderhealthgap.’
5. Jean Liu: Jean Liu joined the largest transportation app in China called Didi Chuxing. The app is available in 400 Chinese cities and ten countries, this mostly came after Liu won a bidding war against Uber, which forced Uber to sell its China operation. Liu has been instrumental in accelerating Didi’s globalisation process by establishing partnerships with the world’s leading ride-hailing companies. 156 million people a month used the app in China in the first quarter of 2021 compared to 98 million people who used Uber worldwide that year. Liu has also stated that it’s a big aim of hers’ to support more women in the tech industry. She gave the statement that ‘Forty percent of our employees are women. The rate is higher than that of other tech companies in China and Silicon Valley.’ In addition to this, Liu ensures that the company ​​provides opportunities to women by educating and training women in their local language with the help of licensing, marketing and technology. We think it’s amazing to see women who are not only striving to become the best in their industries but also uplifting women along the way so that more and more women can access positions in the tech industry. 

With so many inspiring women contributing incredible things to this industry, we’re left feeling hopeful for the future of the digital world. While there is still progress to be made, seeing the women who are already inspiring future generations is truly something to celebrate. The women at DMT astound us each day with their innovations, creativity, and positivity. To help celebrate International Women's Equality Day, make sure to take a look at all the amazing women you work with and the work that they do. If you want to get to know more about the women who work at DMT, you can meet them here!

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