Partner Content: Breaking stereotypes in the tech industry

My experiences with inclusion

I think there is still a stereotype in tech. I know that when I grew up, I originally went into tech and then pulled out of it, around 20 years ago. I changed professions because I thought it was completely male then. I didn't see a role model or anyone I could look up to.

I don't want anyone to feel how I felt when I struggled coming into the industry. Being female and being part of the LGBTQ+ community, I didn't see anyone like me at all.

I want to be a role model for women so they can come in and think, "yeah, I can help and make a difference."

If you walk into a company and you think, "there's nobody like me here", then you feel isolated. So you might change industries like I did, or think you don't fit in.

This is why I was so proud when I saw my name on the CRN website and discovered I was a finalist. It might sound strange, but it's a personal achievement because it's not my main job.

The award is for being a mental health champion. I've had my own experiences and my own mental health challenges and I now can use that experience to help other people.

I've worked in various industries over the past 20 years, and have watched how it's changed. I want to make it better for the next generation.

SHI's support groups

At SHI, we have a lot of employee resource groups, such as WiSH!, which stands for ‘Women In SHI'.

I'm a big advocate of that. I'm also part of Embrace, which is our LGBTQ+ and Allies Community Group, which used to be called SHI Pride.

I thought pride was a fantastic word, but probably overused. So, we had a competition last year to rename the group and one day I had this light bulb moment. I thought of the word ‘embrace', which I put to the business, and we had a vote over it. We thought it incorporated everything we stood for.

It includes religion, culture, colour, ethnicity, beliefs…everything. It's just one word and it covers everything. So we went with that, which was a hugely proud moment for me. Embrace went global!

SHI's inclusive culture

We've created a sense of belonging at SHI and have a great HR team who support inclusion, too. We all want people to have a sense of belonging here.

I've been at SHI five years and I speak to new hires regularly. They can see other people, similar to them, knowing they can achieve the same as those people.

I love it and, and I love talking to people from all different backgrounds. Nobody judges anyone. It's actually more interesting and improves the company because you are recruiting talents from everywhere.

I think SHI is potentially a role model in the industry which other companies can see, and they can think "oh yeah, SHI is doing xyz, so we could do that too."

Ultimately, I would like there to be a knock-on effect throughout the tech industry.

Anna Wesley is International Partner Alliance Manager, Distribution at SHI International (UK).

Anna won ‘Individual of the Month' in June 2021 for being a leader and for contributions within SHI's Pride Committee, as well as for helping to build a diverse culture of acceptance.

Anna is also a member of SHI's WiSH committee - creating articles for SHI's monthly newsletter and was recognised as ‘Individual of the Year' in 2021 in recognition of creating a fun, safe and inclusive company culture.