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Celebrating International Women’s Day 

In honour of International Women’s Day, we are highlighting IDC’s “Women in Tech”, who for many years, have been playing an active role in shaping the technology research business. In this series we will be sharing views from our best and brightest IDC women on issues such as gender gap and diversity in tech world. 

Terry Mattheoyianni
Country Manager, IDC Greece

1. Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I am Country Manger in Greece and Regional Director for our CIO and Custom event Series. Typical day is juggling between hundreds of tasks from talking to clients, speakers, searching for interesting topics with one purpose: creating high level, exclusive events.

2. Why – and how – you got into the tech industry?

Organizing events is a passion for me and getting the opportunity to do so in the fast-changing tech industry was a great and welcome challenge.

3. What do you enjoy outside of your work at IDC?

I volunteer in the Smile of the Child, an organization that supports children in need, but I also love to travel, cook and spend time with family, my kitties and my friends.

4. What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in the tech industry?

Not to be intimidated! I believe that there is no more glass ceiling in the tech industry, and women can excel in it the same way they excel in all other industries!

5. What do you like most about working for IDC?

IDC has a diverse and flexible working environment which gives me the opportunity to interact with many different personalities and nationalities. Throughout my 9 years career within IDC I have developed professionally and personally in an business environment that supports and respects me.

 

Angela Salmeron
Research manager, IDC EMEA

1. Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like?

I cover Enterprise Mobility and IoT markets. There’s no typical day for an analyst. We switch from calls to meetings (sometimes in a different part of the planet) and back to our laptops to meet a deadline. There’s no such thing as a dull day at work!

2.  Why – and how – you got into the tech industry?

Although I have an Economics background both my father and brother are engineers and with a passion for technology. Joining IDC felt natural for me. My industry is fascinating and moving at rapid pace. I feel privileged to work in the tech sector.

3. What do you enjoy outside of your work at IDC?

I have a 3-year old daughter who is full of beans and keeps me busy (even at night-time). We love Kew Gardens and Richmond Park. Besides this, I like to jump to the pool once or twice a week, which is very therapeutic for the mind!

4. Do you notice a lack of women in technology compared to other workplaces? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

The tech industry is heavily staffed with men. Google, Facebook and even Apple are examples of companies with technical female employees not representing more than 20% of their workforce. The problem seems to start right from the beginning, in education. In the UK, only 14% of computing graduates are women.

 5. What do you like most about working for IDC?

Working for IDC is fun and being a woman makes no difference. We’re offered the same career opportunities and rewards and promotions are purely meritocratic. Working in the tech sector with a young family is difficult but IDC provides flexible working and is understanding when family comes first.

 

Neli Vacheva
Country Manager IDC Bulgaria

1.Can you share a little bit about what it is that you do and what a typical day for you is like? 

I have minimum 2 priority tasks in any single moment. When they become more than 3, I stop and take a coffee. Between the urgent tasks I do whatever is possible to lessen the incompetence levels by meeting people or reading.

2. Why – and how – you got into the tech industry? 

I read “Me the Robot” from Isaac Asimov, when I was 12. The influence to my imagination was so strong that I took a series of conscious steps to join the IT industry by applying in Maths high school and a Tech university afterwards. It is strange to see how this book is becoming a reality with every single day.

3. What do you enjoy outside of your work at IDC? 

I enjoy discovering this incredible world around.

4. Do you notice a lack of women in technology compared to other workplaces? If so, why do you think that’s the case?

That is not a case in Bulgaria. The country is first in EU with 27.7% share in IT, which is about twice the EU average, followed by Romania 27.2% and Latvia 24.t%. The Country managers of SAP, DELL/ EMC, ESRI and many other IT companies are women. Some of them are on regional positions. Regardless the above the industry sees a big potential in attracting more young ladies to areas where the shortage of specialists inhibiting the growth of the IT sector. I have never struggled by negative attitude to me as professional because of my gender, but my daughter who is among the Top 101+ Women Leading the VR Industry and is working in IT in Bulgaria thinks that women get less wages than men on similar positions.

5. What do you like most about working for IDC?

Being part of a IDC slows down the ageing as you are part of a fast-paced, innovative and energising world.

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————This blog is part of the IDC “Women in Tech” series. You can read the other series here. You can also follow and join the conversation on social media using – #IDCIWD18