Women In Tech [Unfiltered] was introduced as a new initiative designed to build a supportive community for women in tech. From offering mentorship to backing women-led businesses, the goal has been to create a space where real conversations happen - especially about the challenges women face in the industry. By addressing the barriers head-on, WIT [U] aims to drive meaningful change.

As WIT [U] returns for Manchester Tech Festival 2024, Community Engagement Manager @ Manchester Tech Festival, Siân-Louise Montgomery tell us all about how the tech scene is evolving, the challenges still ahead, and what we can all do to keep pushing for a more inclusive industry.

Lovely to meet you Siân-Louise! Please tell us about your role at Manchester Tech Festival.

Hi! At Manchester Tech Festival, I act as the Community Engagement Manager. My title can sound slightly vague but I really do exactly what it says on the tin: manage and engage with our community. This can look like hands-on, face-to-face work; such as discussing business goals with potential sponsors and planning our events to make them as engaging and accessible as possible. However, I also do a lot of back office, digital work like writing our social content and supporting our Head of Marketing with copywriting and external communications that our community may engage with. I also help run our Digital and Social Inclusion programme, liaising with our charity partners and ensuring that our social change goals remain at the forefront of our work. Essentially, wherever people are involved- I’m there!

Sian-Louise gives us a lowdown on her career journey to date and how she came to be Community Engagement Manager…

It’s been a whirlwind! I finished my undergraduate in June 2023 and pretty much plummeted mentally, as lots of graduates do when faced with ‘the real world’. Tech was never an option for me, nor a consideration, but I found myself attending a Manchester Tech Festival event with my partner at the time. To my naive surprise, tech wasn’t all coding and hacking (though it certainly is sometimes, and we love the folks that do this). I found myself in a room full of marketers, people managers, events directors, community coordinators, change consultants… people who loved people and knew how to form symbiotic relationships. I liked that, because in spite of not knowing anything about what I wanted my career to look like, I knew I liked people and I knew I wanted to help them. I then began attending various Manchester meetups, most of which run by the lovely tech festival I now work for, and I continued to fall in love with this collaborative and innovative community. Fast forward, and I now have the privilege of calling myself a community builder in this space!

Tell us what does a typical day in your role look like? What are some of your main responsibilities?

I usually start each day trawling through my emails (when your job is to keep the community happy… you end up with a lot of questions!). I enjoy do enjoy this though, as it allows me to kick my day off having done something that is instantly useful to people, which helps me maintain my enthusiasm as a serial procrastinator. Following this, I start on my ever-changing task list, no day is the same really! One day could be blocked out for social media scheduling, another for event planning and production schedules, the next could be full of follow up calls to prospective partners or liaising with charity partners. It really does change every day, which is why I tend to write my to-do list of priority tasks for the next day at the end of each day. This way, I sit down to look at my emails, and then address any outstanding tasks from the day before so the rest of my day is fairly flexible depending on the needs of the business. As we’re nearing the festival my typical day centres much more around event planning and production, ironing out the finer details of our festival tracks and evening socials to ensure our attendees have the best experience possible.

How have you seen the tech scene in Manchester evolve since you started your career?

Given that my career is still fledgling, I’m not quite sure I can comment on the more granular changes in workplaces and organisations, as my experience within them is limited. However, I will say that the conversations and approach towards women in tech has taken a marked turn, even from a year ago when I started. As a community, it feels that the Manchester tech scene is focusing more on support and collaboration for all involved in powering women in tech (including allies), as opposed to having one off celebrations and weeks. We seem to be quickly moving away from the performative to the actionable in a big way, and taking a stance of care while doing it. I like to think that our conference, Women in Tech [Unfiltered], is a good example of this. We’re working to build an initiative of continued support for women in tech, rather than using it as a ‘one and done’ event. Notably, the women in tech movement appears to be focusing significantly less on who ‘caused’ the problem, and more on what we can do as a collective to solve it. This has been a wonderful thing to see, as it means that more and more people are entering our spaces and joining our conversations. Women in tech is no longer a segregated, secluded club of white women talking about themselves and the issues they face. We’re seeing male allies in the room, trans women join the space, women of colour, LGBTQ+ women, women with disabilities, non-binary folk… all of these groups of people are being given more of a platform in the women in tech conversation, and in turn they feel more comfortable joining the space. The more diverse the voices are, the better chance we have at reaching a common ground and creating real change. It’s intersectional, it’s about teamwork, and it’s bloody lovely.

What’s next for Women in Tech [Unfiltered]? What should we be looking forward to, and how can people get involved?

Well, we have round 2 of Women in Tech [Unfiltered] coming on 29th October, which we can’t wait for! After the success of our March conference, we decided to integrate WIT [U] into the core lineup of MTF2024, so that we can platform new voices and catalyse those conversations that started all those months ago. Following round 2, we’re hoping to see iterations of Women in Tech [Unfiltered] throughout the year, both in the form of full-day conferences, but also taking the form of co-working days, networking events, and a digital community through our website and social channels. We’re going to work to grow WIT [U] into a permanent community, with resources and avenues for connection that people can access any day of the year.

With WIT [U] returning for MTF 2024, the movement continues to grow, offering ongoing support and resources. This is more than just a one-off event - it’s about building a diverse, collaborative community that works together to create lasting change in the tech industry. To sign up click here.