Today is International Women’s Day (8th March), a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. As part of today’s celebrations, we asked a few of the Kite women for their thoughts on a variety of topics, from their inspirations to the advice they would give to newcomers to our industry.
We interviewed Sandie Ibanez-Leach (Marketing Director), Shannon Bennett (Sales Team Leader) and Zoe Carter (Product Manager); see what they had to say below.
Q & A
Q1.) Who are some of the women that have inspired you in your life, and why?
Sandie: My sister continues to inspire me – she has always been such a driven and successful person that wants to lift and motivate those around her. In her mind, no challenge is too complex, and everyone is worth her support. My mum always taught me I could do anything I wanted to, and to never let limiting stereotypes get in my way… and Beyoncé goes without saying, of course.
Shannon: From a young age, I felt inspired to be as hardworking and successful as my mum, who – no matter what challenges she faced – always succeeded in every role. I couldn’t have asked for a better role model!
Zoe: I’m from a large family that includes many very strong, independent, and inspirational women, and I have to admit it has been great having that influence growing up.
Q2.) What made you get into the industry?
Shannon: IT Security is such a fast moving and exciting industry – from the day I stepped through the door at Kite I can honestly say no day has been the same. I have always been keen to get my teeth into something new, and every day is a school day when you work in IT! I wanted to develop my career and skills in an industry that I was excited to talk about, and I can say that I certainly made the right choice in my career path!
Q3.) What do you like about the industry?
Sandie: The IT security sector will always be a thriving and rapidly evolving industry. I joined the company when it was a start-up; I was excited by the director’s vision for the company and since then, each year brings exciting new opportunities and challenges to overcome. I enjoy that a big part of channel marketing is finding ways to forge stronger working relationships with our partners.
Q4.) What advice would you give to people coming into the industry?
Sandie: If it was someone thinking of getting into a marketing role within the industry, I would advise them to use their fresh perspective to their advantage and not follow the crowd when it comes to new ideas and initiatives. It is important that all your marketing efforts are aligned to your objectives; it sounds obvious, but it is easy to lose track of this and get tempted by exciting ideas that won’t deliver on your set goals.
Shannon: The possibilities in IT are endless. The technologies and threats that are evolving every day mean that the IT Security industry is only ever going to get bigger. Grasp the opportunity with both hands and run with it.
Q5.) What progress do you think has been made in terms of gender equality, and what areas still need improvement?
Zoe: There’s no denying it’s a very male-dominated industry. There are plenty of people – especially here at Kite – that you can see making a conscious effort to change this. I have also been lucky enough to work with some inspirational women in this space so far, which is great! That said, the IT industry still has a long way to go to ensure women are fully represented, valued, and able to advance in their career.
If you want to learn more about International Women’s Day and how you can get involved then check out the link below.
