Sheryl Newman, co-owner and director of Appetite, set up a chapter in the north-east of a networking group for women working in IT and digital industries in Aberdeen which has embraced the term “girl geek”.
“There are more of us than you think there are,” says Ms Newman. “But what we found when we first started is that women said they sat in their office with no one else – and it was nice to reach out.
“Having that peer to peer relationship is better than just sitting there worrying, and we discuss how to develop your career path and thrive in our industry.
“You know,” she adds, “it is one of the best industries you can work in.”
She rolls off the stats. Women in IT tend to make 9% more on average than in other industries. It offers more flexibility for those who combine career and having children, as it gives more scope to work remotely.
Nor does the industry offer just jobs for the serious tech heads. She says schools often miss the opportunity to encourage women to apply a range skills in an industry still seen as being strictly for the geeks. “I haven’t come from an IT background, but schools are missing a trick,” says Ms Newman. “That tech geek image still pervades. When you see some of the amazing things women are doing, and the career opportunities, it’s wow. Girls still think marketing or PR is glamorous. But IT is glamorous. You can travel the world. It is exciting and it is important we showcase that.”
There are 70 to 100 “girl geeks” in the north-east club.
Most recently the company hosted an event addressing confidence.
“In this industry when you have a man and a woman, if you ask the man to do something he says yes, I can do that, even if he can’t,” says Ms Newman.
“But the woman might say she needs to think about that because she doesn’t know if she can. It is about being more aware and having the gumption to say I can go for this.” Ms Newman studied languages at university which led to a role in training at industrial and technical giant SAIC. But the chance to join Appetite came up, she jumped. Leaping from a major firm to a start-up felt like a natural move. “Working in the training consultancy sphere I had seen so much of what other companies did and thought, if I had my company I wouldn’t do it that way,” she said.
The company has recently introduced three divisions. One area focuses on change management, another on IT training – aimed at roll outs of big technology upgrades – and a data business. But training, as with any service that companies pay for, is often the first to go when recession bites.
But Ms Newman says the recession was a great time for Appetite.
“That was one of our busiest years,” she says.
Three years ago the business employed six people, now its workforce has swelled to 22. Ms Newman says the business is on track to achieve a turnover of £1.4million.
“It is about being clever with your money,” she says of her clients who decided to spend rather than tighten their belts.
She said one bespoke training programme she did with a client saved them 17 working days a year. Likewise, the firm’s client base is increasing its diversity. Recently the Bridge of Don-based company worked with Open University to help roll out a new internal online messaging system.
The company also recently trained up the solicitor owners of the Aberdeen Solicitors Property Centre (ASPC) to run its home sales website.
Oil and gas firms are still the core of the company’s business, but the firm has also landed a major London-based media client.
“We have been invited to London next month to bid for a massive pharmaceutical company. They found us. Our reach and reputation is definitely extending,” she says.