Women in Data Centres | Page 5

WOMEN IN DATA CENTRES scheme back in 2021 which offered the opportunity to try out various teams within real estate and after six months I was introduced to the data centre team .

In all honesty , I hardly knew what a data centre was before I started at Knight Frank , but after doing some research and meeting the team I thought it was a really exciting sector ; one that ' s changing at pace and with real opportunity .

It was also a fairly new team so there was scope for a lot of responsibility from the get-go which made it even more exciting . I joined for what was meant to be one rotation but never left and have been enjoying the sector ever since .

In your view , how can women become more integrated in the data centre space and how can we work collaboratively to encourage and uplift ?

There are several ways because the data centre sector is vast and there are many different jobs within it – you can be on the technical engineering side and on the sales side , or the real estate side like myself .

Educating people about data centres needs to begin at school . It ' s going to be such an important part of everyone ' s life , it already is , and people need to be more aware of the infrastructure that enables our day-to-day activities from a young age . We must continue to promote more women in STEM at school and ensure that knowledge of the sector and the vast job opportunities within it are taught at universities .

I come from a real estate background , so that ' s where I can cast most judgement in terms of my own experience and what needs to change . The real estate sector is already on a journey of trying to bring more women into the sector and trying to level the playing field .

There are lots of men in senior roles and more women in junior roles . Real estate firms are introducing initiatives to balance that out , such as more balanced parental leave , but we need to be more proactive in making sure women are at the table . Women think differently and offer a difference in opinion so it ' s making sure from the get-go that the door is left open for women , but also making it clear that their voice will be heard . There ' s an element to which we need to challenge the status quo .

As a young woman in a maledominated field , have you encountered many challenges and if so , how have you tackled these ?

Being in a client-facing role , I encounter people from many different countries , different backgrounds , and you ’ re confronted with certain levels of unconscious bias or sexism . When I first started the job , I wasn ' t necessarily equipped to deal with that and how best to navigate difficult circumstances .

In those situations , it ’ s important to lean on the people you trust , who are in positions of power , who can make a statement and who can stand up for you . It ' s important you stand up for yourself as well , of course .

It ’ s also important to be confident enough to flag when someone has an element of unconscious bias so that they can learn from it . There are enough people in the industry who are ready to actively promote and get behind women because they see the value in it – so lean on them . We all need to work together to close off those who haven ' t yet caught up with how the world should and will function going forward .

Can you tell us about some of the conversations you ’ ve had with other women in this field – what do you think is the overarching recipe for success ?

I don ' t think there ' s one specific route to success , everyone ' s experience is different . I ' ve had lots of conversations with women during my time in this field and some of them have been with people in incredibly high positions of power .

For me , it involved a lot of asking questions around how they got to where they are , the challenges they

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MY OVERARCHING MESSAGE IS THAT THERE ’ S A REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITY HERE – WHY NOT GIVE IT A GO ?

faced and how they overcame them . A large proportion of the advice I ’ m given is from men , so it ' s important to go searching for these conversations with women to cross-reference and understand both journeys .

I ' ve had many instances where I ' ve been the only woman in the room and I have to rely on the advice from other women – to be confident in my abilities . Everyone – man or woman – will experience imposter syndrome at some point in their career so trusting when you have the experience or expertise is key . And if you are confronted with challenges , lean on those around you .

What would you like to communicate with young women who might be considering taking up a career in this field ?

My advice is for anyone considering a career in this field – it ' s epic , it ' s exciting . The more you realise how fundamental data centres are to everything we do – Zoom meetings , communicating with friends and family , streaming the EUROs final – the more you understand how amazing it is to be a part of the journey .

Of course , there are challenges and there are times when there aren ' t many women in the room , but there are enough great people in this sector who are encouraging and promoting women and that in itself helps to level the playing field .

My overarching message is that there ’ s a really exciting opportunity here – why not give it a go ? �

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