Community Spotlight: Empowering Women in Data Through the UK & Ireland Chapter of She Loves Data
At She Loves Data, we celebrate the hard work and dedication of our global chapters through our Community Spotlight Series. Each feature in this series highlights the incredible efforts of our local leaders and showcases the impactful initiatives they drive. Join us as we explore these dynamic chapters, honor their achievements, and share how you can get involved in making a difference in the tech world.
Today, we had the pleasure of speaking with Natasha, the Chapter Lead for UK & Ireland. She shared valuable insights into the challenges and triumphs of spearheading efforts in these vibrant regions, enriching our understanding of the local impact and the broader influence of She Loves Data.
About the She Loves Data UK and Ireland Chapter
The U.K and Ireland team launched its chapter back in 2021 (Post-covid world) with our first Online Event ‘Data Diaries: A Collection of short stories by successful women on power of Data in their lives’. Since then, we have expanded our team, hosting both online and offline events for all of our community.
In 2023, we kicked off our Data Career Series which shone a spotlight on the fields of Data Science, Data Analytics and Data Engineering. We take pride in creating events for our communities which are most meaningful and are of popular demand!
This year we will be launching our first Irish Offline event and we are really excited to see where our journey takes us. We have some engaging and insightful events in the pipeline for 2024, which we can’t wait to host with our partners. We’re looking forward to growing our communities across the region and supporting our volunteers to deliver meaningful events, as part of She Loves Data.
Interview with Natasha Yong, the She Loves Data UK and Ireland Chapter Lead
Q: Can you tell us a little about yourself and your role as the chapter lead?
Of course! By trade, I work as a Senior Business Analyst for a leading global financial markets infrastructure and data provider. My day-to-day involves data in all shapes and forms which is probably why I enjoy it so much…
Outside of my role, I lead the U.K and Ireland Chapter for She Loves Data. My role involves leading and organising our local events (alongside my FANTASTIC volunteering team), supporting our global teams through collaboration of events/processes and aiding our chapter in meeting the broader objectives as a She Loves Data organisation. I work very closely with both my local team and the global teams to help coordinate and deliver our events, whilst also supporting the community through online and in-person engagement.
Q: What inspired you to get involved with She Loves Data and eventually lead a chapter?
So interestingly, I actually started off at She Loves Data as a volunteer. I had just finished my undergraduate MSci in Genetics and was a few months into my first job as a Data and Technology Graduate. I was really keen to learn more about the tools/opportunities that were out there in the data/technology industry and in particular, learning how to navigate that as a woman. Information Technology wasn’t really a subject that was particularly encouraged when I was at school, so it was fascinating to me that there was a whole realm of careers within the field available to me.
After our Chapter Lead had informed our team that she would be leaving the role, I saw the opportunity to get more involved with She Loves Data and have a bigger impact on our Chapter activities. It was also a chance to develop my own skills, as well as taking on more responsibility – glad I did!
Q: Can you share a story or an example of how this chapter has positively impacted someone’s career or personal growth?
I strongly believe that She Loves Data gives women the confidence to excel in the data field. Whether that be through our volunteers, or simply someone who decides to turn up to one of our events.
Within my team we have a diverse range of people, those who are already established in Data roles and those who are also looking to develop their skillsets to obtain one. I have seen volunteers within my organisation being considered for new data roles due to their involvement with our chapter! The opportunities SLD provides to help volunteers get hands-on experience with soft skills e.g. communicating across teams, building relationships with partners, using creativity to produce content for events/marketing, are not to be underestimated…
Equally at our events, we’ve had attendees of all experience levels. We’ve had some amazing feedback in the past about how our Career events have led to them pursuing a role in data – which is exactly the kind of impact we want to have!
Q: What have been some of the most successful or memorable events the chapter has organized?
I’d actually say our most recent event - Career Series: Data Analytics!
With every event that we organise, we have a much broader outreach to our community and that’s something that is very special to see from a Chapter Lead perspective. Having our event sell-out this time round was a truly incredible feeling and a testament to the hard work that is delivered behind the scenes. I consider an event a success if at least once person learns something new. To see the impact our work has on our attendees in giving them a little more confidence in navigating the data world is motivating.
Q: How does the chapter engage with the local community and promote inclusivity in the tech and data fields?
The U.K. and Ireland chapter run community meet-ups which focus on engagement and outreach of the SLD community. They’re a chance for people to meet up outside of a formal event, to connect, network and also ask questions! We are hoping to host more of these this year, especially as the weather is getting warmer (sometimes the British and Irish weather! Is not on our side!).
Aside from our events, we also have a slack channel which is dedicated to the U.K. and Ireland Community. We are hoping to use this a lot more this year to engage with our attendees outside of our events.
Q: What challenges has the chapter faced, and how have you overcome them?
I think initially our biggest challenge was getting the Chapter started in a way that gave us the highest engagement. Because we launched in the post-covid world, we had to navigate lockdowns, lower turnouts for in-person events, and venue cancellations! That’s all a lot more manageable now, as we can see from the popularity of our events this year, and we hope it continues.
In addition to these early logistical challenges, establishing a new chapter also often involves the significant hurdle of building local partnerships. For a grassroots organization like ours, especially one new to the region, securing venues for offline events and finding sponsors for food and beverages can be particularly daunting. Our limited financial resources mean that we rely heavily on external support and funding. This reliance makes it crucial for us to engage actively with local communities, organise more events and workshops.
Q: Looking ahead, what are some exciting plans or projects that the chapter is working on?
We have some really exciting plans this year which includes the launch of offline events in Ireland! In my opinion that’s a big step forward and gives us the opportunity to build out a bigger team over there (I am based in London).
We are also hoping to run more panel events on hot topics in technology, such as Data Ethics and AI. There are also some plans to run one of our signature programmes via our Chapter – so we’re really looking forward to working on that!
Q: How can someone get involved with your chapter, and what opportunities are there for newcomers?
At the moment because we are expanding so quickly we are still working out our volunteering team structure and how we can get more people to be SLD ambassadors…However, if you’d like to put your name down to be a future volunteer, you can do so via the SLD website.
Q: What do you find most rewarding about leading this chapter?
For me it’s really simple. Impact. Whether that’s through the attendees at our events, our speakers, our partners or our volunteers, I strongly believe leading the chapter and being part of SLD in general is so rewarding!!
It’s a great feeling to know you are having an impact on the way women perceive Data/Technology careers, whilst simultaneously giving them the tools to aid in their learning and development. The gender gap in Technology is very real and it’s nice to know that I am part of an organisation that is helping to make that gap a little bit smaller everyday.
I would like to see a world where the women of the future have a totally different experience to the women of today, and a much better experience at that!
Lastly, it’s really incredible to witness how much support and time our volunteers dedicate to She Loves Data. It’s really not to be underestimated what goes on behind the scenes to make everything happen. On that note, I’d like to give a special shout-out to my U.K and Ireland team! Without them we wouldn’t be able to do what we do – so thank you!
Highlights and Achievements of the She Loves Data UK and Ireland Chapter
Since its inception in 2021, the UK Chapter has successfully organized 10 events and has grown to over 500 members. A significant portion of our members, approximately 70%, falls within the 21-35 age group, highlighting our appeal among young professionals. The primary job levels represented among our members include Mid-Level Management at 28% and Entry-Level positions at 21%. The most common roles among our members are Data Analysts/Data Scientists, followed by professionals in Marketing and Public Relations. These demographics underscore the diverse yet focused nature of our community, dedicated to advancing in the fields of data and technology.
