Julie Simpson

Julie Simpson

CEO, ResourceIT

What's the most pressing issue preventing progress with diversity today that no one's talking about?

The lack of diversity across the IT industry remains the biggest barrier to progress at all levels - the industry as a whole remains dominated by white heterosexual males (as it has for the last 40 years), but particularly at leadership levels. There are not enough women, people of colour or people from other minority groups (LGBTQ+) in leadership positions, and until businesses make conscious efforts to change that, we cannot progress as an industry. This is a problem for commercial reasons (not everyone we sell to is a heterosexual white male) and for human rights - you can't be what you can't see!

What do you believe are the most effective policies and initiatives that companies can implement to promote diversity in their workforce?

Compulsory diversity training such as allyship training for all employees. Reviews of all recruitment policies including job descriptions, hiring policies and the recruitment agencies utilised - directing them to actively put forward diverse candidates and refusing to interview into the same mould time and again. Review of websites and brand - many IT companies still show mainly white males on their websites and in company collateral. Setting up of ERGs so people of all types can feel a sense of belonging. Hiring diversity leaders - head of culture and so on - and making it someone's job to move the needle across the business. 

How much progress do you believe the industry has made in diversity since you started working in IT?

A lot. But nowhere near enough. Women in Tech groups are thriving and becoming more normal - The WIT Network for example that I am a co-founder of now has over 8,000 members in more than 50 countries, but women still only make up less than 20 per cent of the IT workforce. Twenty years ago that was a lot lower. We do see more female leaders now - Clare Barclay at Microsoft, for example (a tremendous result for women everywhere to see a female leading that organisation). There are more awards programmes recognising female success and progress. But within the dominating demographic I have mentioned, a large majority don't see that there is a problem and have no intention to change. They must be forced to do that. 

What should senior management teams be doing more of to help create a more inclusive industry for everyone?

Publishing of ethnicity data being compulsory for all organisations >250 employees. This exposure will see people working to address. We need to get into schools on a much larger scale and talk to the young people and children about the great careers they have in IT. All IT companies should have a formal ‘Schools Programme' in place, participating at whatever level makes sense, but participating nevertheless. 

How did you first get into the IT industry?

I proactively looked for a role in the IT sector. I could see clearly that technology was advancing and wanted to be a part of the future and not be behind the curve. I wanted to earn well, grow professionally and ensure my daughter had a better future. I landed a job as a telesales executive at an IT provider and worked my way up from there. Sales remains a great way in as the skills are transferrable at an entry level, I believe. 

What have been some of your experiences (both good and bad) with how the IT industry has historically approached diversity?

I heard just the other day someone saying that an A-Level for gaming had been introduced into a local college. Gaming. Really? How is that a diverse qualification? Yes, females do gaming but at nowhere near the level of males; yet again a new element of the curriculum has been introduced that is geared towards males. Where is the social media A-Level, LinkedIn or other social business tools introduced at a general college level? The lack of knowledge of teachers of the IT industry as a whole is severely lacking - they have no idea about the vendor, channel, customer relationships, no idea about cloud or Edge or AI. While IT teachers may know some (as limited as it is) all teachers should be educated in technology and be able to embed that in their teaching. This conversation makes me mad. In terms of good experiences, I have been thrilled with the development, launch and growth of our new TC4RE (Technology Channel for Racial Equality) Community. A group of CEOs have founded this community with a mission and goal to change the balance of the IT industry for the future by actively educating, engaging with and transforming our organisations and those of our partners and peers. We are sharing information, learning from each other, supporting each others' programmes and marching forward together to accelerate change. Our organisation, ResourceiT is very proud to be among the founders - Microsoft, Insight, Softcat, SoftwareONE, Computacenter, Tech Data, Lumen, Claranet, Boxxe and Protiviti.

Who have been your biggest role models in your professional life, and how have they helped you to succeed?

Gavriella Schuster gave me support when I needed it and the ambition to succeed. Leasa Mayer taught me creative thinking and confidence in my ability and influence. Tony Wells grounded me on financials and business reality. Tony Robinson taught me to present. Clare Barclay showed me what hard work and dedication could deliver. Gail Mercer-MacKay, Christine Bongard and Corinne Sharpe gave me friendship and loyalty.  My daughter, Tory Simpson, gives me hope, pride and vision for the future, and my husband Michael Simpson gave me love and relentless dedication to become the person I am. Without his support there would be no ResourceiT.

Do you think companies should be compelled to publish ‘ethnicity pay gap' data?

Yes, 100%. Companies with more than 250 employees.

Do you believe Covid has hampered or helped gender diversity efforts in the IT industry?

Hmm. This is a tough one - yes it has helped in some ways (forced flexible working and so on) but hampered in others as women still do most of the personal jobs as well as pursue a career which was even harder when there was no escape from the home environment.