IT companies such as IFS are taking bold steps to dismantle stereotypes, fix inequalities and empower women to build satisfying and rewarding careers in IT.
Echelon sat down with four women professionals to talk about their individual journeys in creating satisfying, rewarding careers as successful ‘Women in Tech’.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the tech sector? What were the opportunities that IFS provided that helped you reach this decision?
Kanishka Wasalagedara: I did my BSc in IT at SLIIT and graduated in 2005. During that time, IFS was actively involved with various educational institutions. They visited my university and presented on the industry, the company and the talent they were seeking. I applied and was lucky enough to be selected while I was waiting for my final results. I have been with IFS ever since.
Yashodha Pieris: I was inspired to join the IT sector by my cousin brother. When I was in school, he was studying at SLIIT. When he visited, he would be working on his assignments and I would provide him with suggestions. I really enjoyed problem-solving and that spurred me to join SLIIT. A month into my studies, I received a letter from IFS, which said that I was eligible for a scholarship. I was interviewed, and was one of 15 scholarship recipients.
Asma Naphiel: I did economics and finance plus IT management at the University of Moratuwa. During my time at Moratuwa, we were introduced to IFS, which offered a six-month internship. I was able to participate and it was the best six months I’d ever experienced. It was my first work experience, and when I heard stories from my friends about the companies they were working for, and IFS was so much better. They were more welcoming and friendly, and everyone was so helpful. After completing my internship as a software engineer, I opted for the Business Analyst option and IFS provided an avenue.
Wyomi Ranasinghe: I love maths, problem-solving and graphic design. When I applied for the internship, I was not chosen because I wanted to get into gaming and design, but there was no market in Sri Lanka for it. I got another chance at IFS after graduating, where I was interviewed by Ranil [Rajapakse]. He asked me about my experience in graphic design and I said that it was fine as a hobby, but I was more interested in problem-solving. Throughout my career, I was a software engineer. Now, I manage a team that builds development tools.
Can you tell us what your designation is? What is your role and what projects are you involved in?
Wasalagedara: My designation is Manager – Software Development and I have dual responsibilities. I oversee HR responsibilities of a team of 25, and also am operationally responsible for the support of Manufacturing and Engineering Product Design components of IFS Applications. I cater to a global customer base from North America to Australia and New Zealand.
Pieris: I am a Software Engineer in the human capital management product area. I work in the support team, solving issues reported by global customers.
Naphiel: Although my designation is Senior Business Systems Analyst, I am involved in different areas. I gravitate towards product management. Currently, I manage three projects across separate departments.
Ranasinghe: I am a Manager – Software Development. I also manage the business requirements of ongoing projects and assist with project management. That’s the beauty of IFS. You’re not just limited to your job designation; you have the freedom to participate in projects that interest you.
What is it like being a ‘woman in tech’ and how has it impacted you personally?
Wasalagedara: I am more confident and self-assured. Tech has helped me develop my creative and problem-solving skills. I have also honed my interpersonal skills by travelling and working with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Pieris: Everything has been positive, from when I was a trainee until now. When I first joined, I was never treated differently because of my gender. I was and am always treated as an equal. They gave me the same opportunities available to everyone else.
Do you think enough is being done, locally and globally, to address gender imbalances?
Wasalagedara: I think the industry is trying to bring this issue into the forefront. There is more representation at the ground and management levels. I think we can improve but I feel there has been a significant improvement from when we started. Companies are tackling it directly and I feel the difference at IFS.
Naphiel: I was in the first batch for IT and Management at Faculty of Information Technology at University of Moratuwa. When I joined, there were just 33 women. Now, it is in the 100s. After graduation, all 33 were able to get work placements in the IT sector. Plus, I think a lot of women are now being given leadership roles. Globally, there may be an imbalance, but there have been many initiatives to resolve that imbalance in Sri Lanka.
Pieris: There are now more women IT graduates than there are men. However, in the industry, there are fewer women working than men. But I feel like women are rising to the challenge and the playing field is equalising. Thanks to my scholarship from IFS, I was able to get on track and finished two degrees.
What was the scholarship offered to you?
Pieris: The IFS scholarship program funded the complete 4-year degree programme for 13 of us, in addition to providing valuable industry exposure through a 4-day-a-week internship. I was able to obtain both a University of Curtin degree in Software Engineering and a SLIIT degree (B Sc in IT) through the IFS Scholarship programme. During out four-month training, we learnt how to code and handle specific tech tasks. We gained practical knowledge before learning the theory at SLIIT, which put us ahead of our classmates. Once we were placed in the teams within IFS, we got the opportunity to understand what the industry was expecting from a graduate and what the industry could offer graduates. Using this, we were able to select our study paths accordingly.
What else do you do at IFS?
Pieris: IFS offers a lot of extra-curricular activities like sports, CSR initiatives and a choir. I’m part of the choir; for IFS’s 20-year anniversary, I was one of the lyricists and helped produce a music video.
What are some of the challenges that women in business face?
Wasalagedara: For a woman, maintaining a healthy work-life balance is a big challenge. However, my parents and husband have been very supportive of me and my goals. In addition, IFS is very understanding and provides us opportunities like working remotely when personal responsibilities arise. Team members are very supportive of one another, and we will not hesitate to cover for a team member if they have personal emergencies to deal with.
What advice would you give women on maintaining a healthy work-life balance?
Ranasinghe: I’d say you have to accept things as they happen and not expect perfection 24/7. I have two kids, four and six. You have to accept that you want to achieve your career goals, but you have kids and they need you too. Maintaining a balance is important. You have to accept that it will be alright in the long run and do the best you can.
As successful women in tech, what advice would you give women interested in tech?
Ranasinghe: Regardless of whatever career you choose, dedication and commitment is important. If you are in an organisation that gives a space for your voice, you need to use it. You need to find an organisation like that. Put your best self out there and be committed.
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IFS is one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent IT sector influencers. In 22 years in the industry, it is spearheading innovation and change, not just in business, but in terms of addressing gender equality in the workplace. Senior VP and Head of IFS World Operations in Sri Lanka Ranil Rajapakse joins the conversation.
IFS is known for its international presence, with Sri Lanka being a core part of the business. How do you ensure that your talent has the right skills to work globally and what role can women play in this bigger picture?
Ranil Rajapakse: IFS has a culture of continuous learning. New team members receive training and engage in self-study to keep up with trends. As a knowledge-based company, creativity and innovation is key to the success of the organization. Having talent with different backgrounds and experiences is a key enabler of creativity and innovation – and in this regard having gender diversity is a key factor. Studies have shown that diverse teams are better and faster at problem solving and decision making and contribute to higher level of engagement. Women in teams taking up expert and leadership roles are key to make this happen.
How are companies like IFS leading the way in diversity and equal opportunity pay in Sri Lanka, and globally?
Diversity and inclusion is positioned as an integral part of IFS and not as something sitting on the side with, say, HR. We want everybody in management and leadership positions to integrate diversity and inclusion into their agendas. We also go beyond looking at merely filling quotas with X amount of women. Although numbers are important, we want to create a rewarding employee experience that empowers women to work here. From recruitment to a healthy work/life balance, appraisals and salaries, we think big picture. For example, performance appraisals are entirely results and competency-based. Gender plays no part here. Plus, we also put in a great effort to normalise appraisals across the organization to eliminate any manager bias.
What are some of your most important diversity goals in terms of numbers?
Currently, women form 40% of the IFS workforce, which is a great figure for a software company. Around 31% of IFS management are women. In terms of diversity goals, we’re focusing on enabling more women to climb the corporate ladder and take up positions in management and expert roles.
What are the biggest impediments for the future generation of women to succeed in business and what is IFS doing to address these?
There are several challenges to a woman’s career in tech. One problem is an unconscious bias that considers IT/software development as male-centric. Some of these biases are small yet are important to address. For instance, think about ads in the tech sector. They overwhelmingly feature men with computers. There appears to be no room in the imagination to feature women. In response, IFS had conducted and will be conducting several programmes to create awareness about these biases, so that staff can think about women and technology in new, more conscious ways.
A second challenge is balancing work and family. IFS has resolved this with structured work days with flexible hours and robust planning. We also have two day-care facilities to help working mothers handle their responsibilities.
A third challenge is the social stigma about women in tech. The IT industry is still largely male-centric, which applies to certain highly technical areas like software architecture. Our aim is to create the awareness that anyone can do this kind of work.
A fourth challenge would be an internalised lack of confidence in women about their ability to compete with men in the industry. Due to entrenched stereotyping, women think “this is not for me”. However, IFS is combatting these views.
One initiative is conducting awareness campaigns in schools, in partnership with industry bodies like SLASSCOM and government agencies like the ICTA. A few months ago, the SLASSCOM Galle IT Week focused on creating awareness for 3,000 school kids with a special focus also on girls and their parents to break traditional IT stereotypes.
How can the IFS scholarship programme at universities support the entry of more women into the IT sector?
We want to encourage more women to enter the IT sector and establish careers by introducing them to the opportunities available. To that end, we have two scholarship programmes. One is where we sponsor an A-level student’s undergraduate degree in exchange for four days of work per week at IFS. The second programme provides financial assistance, in the form of a monthly stipend, to students following state university degrees. This option supports students with financial constraints. At the moment, we’re supporting 40-50 such scholarships, and over 55% of the recipients are women.
What are some other initiatives?
In addition of our CSR focus on uplifting education, this year we are focusing our CSR efforts to empower women in rural areas. We are working on sustainable projects that focus on education, general and sexual health, and support for victims of sexual assault. We are also looking at women’s entrepreneurship outreach, as we want to provide the support and resources they need to successfully determine their own lives. As part of this, we are designing a programme where women in senior roles at IFS to engage with rural women, to inspire them to build sustainable, successful livelihoods for themselves and their families.
[Banner image L-R: Yasodha, Wyomi, Kanishka, Asma]