The £2 billion problem - why the data industry keeps losing experienced women

The UK data industry is losing experienced women at a rate estimated to cost £2–3 billion annually. At the Databricks Data + AI World Tour in London, five senior practitioners gathered to examine why – and what it takes to fix it.

The panel – moderated by Tamika Hewitt, Hiscox Account Manager at Databricks – included Louise Frost, Head of Data for Group Functions at Hiscox; Roisin Bowen, Head of Data Engineering at Animal Friends Insurance; Amy McQueen, Senior Data Scientist at Yorkshire Water; and Treasa Harkin, Director of Data & AI at KPMG.

Across the conversation, there was one main thread - that retention apparently depends less on symbolic gestures and more on the structure of day-to-day work, the support people receive throughout their careers, and the communities they find around them.

Early engagement – keeping girls in STEM past age 11

Much of the discussion began with the point at which girls drift ...