Women and Diversity in Channel Awards: Q&A with Softcat's Debra Coady

The WDCA winner talks to CRN about what the award meant to her personally and professionally

Woman of the Year – amazing achievement and well-earned for all the work you do at Softcat and beyond. Aside from the award, what would you consider your personal high point of the past year?

Thank you!

I was honoured to be included in the 2024 “Women Who Will” list, which celebrates women leaders in law. The list is published by Next 100 Years, an organisation which is dedicated to achieving equality for women in law.

This also meant I had the opportunity to meet lots of incredible people at a dinner celebrating the organisation’s inspiring patron, Lady Hale (the former UK Supreme Court judge). Definitely a career highlight!

What does winning this award mean for you?

Winning this award is a very humbling and touching sign that what I do, and how I do it, is recognised by my colleagues and further afield as making a difference.

I’m a solicitor working in-house and that’s probably not a role most people think of when they think about the tech sector, so I’d like to think that it’s also a reflection of the contribution that people in non-technical roles make to the sector.

For me personally, it feels like encouragement to keep talking about the importance of accessibility and inclusion in the workplace and wider society, and ethics in law and data, and all the other things I’m passionate about!

If there was one professional goal or ambition you’re chasing in 2025, big or small, what would that be?

I have a list! My team do a great job now but we know there’s more we could do and want to be able to do well. Softcat is growing rapidly as a business, so I need to ensure that the Legal function is set up with the right combination of internal and external expertise and resource to provide excellent legal support to our internal and external customers every time. That’s the overall goal but there are a lot of things on the to-do list to achieve that and then sustain that level of performance.

What has been the most rewarding initiative, group or project that you’ve been involved in, professionally, over the past year?

Softcat and Exertis co-hosted a fantastic event as part of our LGBTQ+ History Month celebrations back in February. I loved being on one of the panels and having so many really interesting conversations with lots of different people. It was one of the most thought-provoking and positive events I’ve been to and, as someone who often finds any kind of networking challenging, credit to everyone there that it also felt really easy and enjoyable.

Who is one person you would consider an unsung hero in your professional circle, be that at Softcat or elsewhere?

We talk about Softcat’s culture a lot and everyone plays a part in that, but the people who voluntarily run our employee networks and organise office events and celebrations have an enormous impact. We do recognise their contributions, but I still think a lot of what they do, and the amount of time it takes, happens quietly behind the scenes. It's impossible to single out just one person because all of them are heroes to me.

What has been the biggest lesson you’ve learned over the past year?

The last year has had some wonderful moments but has also been really challenging professionally and personally. I’ve learnt that things are rarely as bad as they seem, but procrastination usually makes them feel worse. It’s a lot easier said than done but making a start (even a tiny one!) on something that you’re dreading dealing with can help make it feel a bit less overwhelming. I knew this already but I’ve also been reminded of the importance of having supportive people to lean on.

This article is sponsored by Softcat.