Celebrating women at Blippar on International Women's Day

To celebrate International Women’s Day and the fantastic women working at Blippar, we asked a couple of women across a number of teams about their careers, experiences, and what change they hope to see in the future, both in the tech industry and for the women working within it.

WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO PURSUE A CAREER IN TECHNOLOGY?

Jess Butcher, Co-Founder & Director, London:

I am fascinated by how we disrupt consumer behavior - with new technologies usually the primary driver. In Blippar, I saw the potential for visual recognition and AR tech to disrupt consumer behavior in nearly every industry.

Assieh Khamsi, Chief of Staff, London:

It wasn’t a conscious decision. I worked in several industries before finding my way into tech, but the pace of the industry and the impact you can have on the world with these new technologies is what kept me in it and what I love about it.

WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE INDUSTRY AND YOUR ROLE IN IT?

Jess Butcher:

Blippar is unlimited in its applications, across every industry imaginable by fundamentally shifting consumer perceptions of how they view the physical world around them.

Louise Fisher, B2B Marketing Manager, London:

I am fascinated by how technology completely transforms industries and revolutionises how we as consumers behave. And how it never stops, there is always a new innovation just around the corner. I also love the fact that the jobs of the next generation almost certainly don’t exist yet.

Hsio Ling Hee, Head of Blippar Studio, London:

Being able to witness the "future"

Anna Wilmot, Marketing Intern, London:

The pace of change in the tech industry is truly mind-boggling, and yet I believe the industry is still very much in its infancy - even in this coming year, AR and VR will become even more normalised for consumers. To sit at the centre of this and see how new technologies transform the way we engage with each other, brands, and even the world is both overwhelming and hugely exciting.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT WORKING AT BLIPPAR?

Angelie Panteli, Finance Director, London:

The people - everyone is hugely passionate about what this company is doing and building. We really are on the verge of an incredibly exciting new technology which will be commonplace in the next 2-5 years.

Jess Butcher:

The people. Whether it's listening to our magicians on the west coast talking about what might be possible next week or next year, or discussions with lawyers about the possible social ramifications of visual search - every conversation is 'big'!

Tara Reddy, Product Manager, London:

The chance for ownership, impact, to lead and to be part of a team of smart, inspiring people.

Celebrating International Women's Day at Blippar London

CONSIDERING IT IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY, HOW DO YOU THINK WE CAN ENCOURAGE WOMEN TO PURSUE CAREERS WITHIN THE TECH INDUSTRY?

Angelie Panteli:

Start earlier. Women must be encouraged to start seeing ‘technical’ careers as viable and "sexy" when they come to consider university degrees and their future career options.

Jess Butcher:

We need more ‘women in tech’ profiles to encourage young women to take up STEM subjects and broaden the appeal of technology outside of purely technical roles.

Tara Reddy:

Women supporting each other. Recognising biases held by both genders and not allowing those to hold you back. Understanding how you see others and how they may see you helps you to become more aware and to combat biases.

Lisa Hu, New York, Senior Vice President:

To first encourage them to not be intimidated by the tech world. Fundamental tech work can be done by them (yes even coding), and there are many other skills needed beyond tech-based ones to drive success within the industry.

Louise Fisher:

The tech industry is filled with intimidating jargon that can appear unwelcoming. If you look past this and highlight the application and difference technology can make to people’s lives it becomes far more accessible and appealing. Framing technology in this way will make more young girls interested in becoming a part of that journey to change the world.

Moumita Virginia Roy, Senior Brand & Marketing Partner, Delhi:

There is a blanket perception that women aren't as "logical" as their male counterparts, and hence less likely to be good at Maths, Coding - roles that are "technical". This is so ingrained in society's collective psyche, that many talented women opt for a different course to avoid rejection, ridicule and/or constantly having to demand what's rightfully theirs. I think it boils down to taking a chance on one's own self and debunking this myth.

Assieh Khamsi:

We must demystify what a career in tech means. It's not just about becoming a developer or coding, there are many different options that girls are often not aware of. Great associations are trying to tackle this issue and give girls early exposure to these career options. As a tech company, it is our responsibility to encourage that too. For example last summer we had two groups from Girls Who Code come visit Blippar in NYC and SF for a day of training on AR. This is hopefully just the start.

Girls Who Code visit the San Francisco offices

HOW DO YOU THINK THE TECH INDUSTRY MIGHT BE DIFFERENT IF WOMEN WERE MORE CENTRAL WITHIN IT?

Tara Reddy:

Companies with gender-balanced management teams do better in times of economic downturn. A diverse team makes us more bulletproof and helps us avoid other types of bias brought on by having teams who are all the same eg. groupthink.

Lisa Hu:

More diligent and pragmatic decisions would be made.

Assieh Khamsi:

Having a diversity of opinions, perspectives and backgrounds can only make an idea or product stronger (not just gender diversity but true diversity). What is happening in the creative industry is very interesting - there are less than 15% female Creative Directors but women drive 70-80% of purchase decisions. This presents a major disconnect between people creating the ads/products and the receiver of the ads/products. There are many similar situations in the tech industry and by addressing these inconsistencies, we will improve the end experience.

WHAT BIG CHANGES HAVE YOU SEEN IN THE TECH INDUSTRY SINCE YOU ENTERED IT?

Lisa Hu:

Definitely more female representation at selected tech-based events and annual events, e.g. CES.

Louise Fisher:

The explosion of mobile and social. The way we interact with brands and businesses has completely changed; we now expect immediacy and a two way conversation with brands.

Assieh Khamsi:

The pace of change and innovation keeps becoming faster. We expect everything to be even more seamless and connected (e.g. ability for all devices to be connected with each other).

Hsio Ling Hee:

More customised mobile experiences based on needs, e.g. an app that helps you meditate in a modern world, an app that helps people through their breakups.

Alana Kalin, New York, Senior Brand Partner:

Most in the industry are now aware of the lack of diversity, and many companies, startups and Fortune 50's etc, are trying to remedy this. I'm proud to work with partners like General Mills, who now require creative agencies to be staffed with at least 50% women and 20% people of color.

Blippar’s AR capabilities feed into the growing trend of using new technologies to satiate consumer demand for more personalised, relevant and engaging content

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT BIG TRANSFORMATION IN THE TECH INDUSTRY WILL BE?

Angelie Panteli:

AR, of course!

Jess Butcher:

I think we'll start to do away with the perception of this as an 'industry' full stop and move towards it being a accepted defining quality of all businesses.

Louise Fisher:

The way we access information. In a world of short attention spans and a desire for immediacy, visual and voice search will become the norm.

Anna Wilmot:

As technology becomes even more central to how we live out our everyday lives, I think how we engage with the tech will become increasingly intuitive and seamless - it will become an invisible extension of ourselves.

Moumita Virginia Roy:

The advent of geo-targeted, 'Instant Apps'-like tech, built on Mixed Reality - that would essentially power every utility, service and recreational tool, that are available & indispensable to smart-device owners around the globe.

While it is true that women have been traditionally underrepresented in tech, there is a welcome shift occurring across the industry as companies invest significant time and money into building a diverse workforce. Visit Women in Technology and Girls Who Code to learn more about what these associations are doing to encourage women in tech.

If you would are interested in working in tech, please do also go to our Careers page and get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.

And Happy International Women’s Day!