Women in Tech: Joanna Watts, Virgin Media

In a recent article for Intercity Tech magazine, we interviewed four women in powerful positions across the industry to get their take on the dwindling statistics when it comes to diversity in the tech sector. In a series of four interviews, we learn about the individual journeys they have taken in their careers, who their role models are, and what they feel the business benefits are of having a diverse workforce in general. The third interview in the series features Joanna Watts of Virgin Media.

Joanna Watts - Head of Department Technical Solutions for Virgin Media

"I always enjoyed computing at school and college, so when I found a course at Portsmouth University, which was a mix of Computing and Business Studies with a year industry placement, I decided that was the course for me. My first role after graduating from university was working for a company called Unisys where I spent a lot of time with mobile operators around Europe deploying voicemail systems. Then in 1998 I joined cable company, NTL as a Product Engineer working on the first free internet dialup service. The rest, as they say, is history!

Since then I have undertaken roles in design and engineering, where I worked on a wide range of projects, including the design and implementation of an international satellite internet service, and deployment of a voice platform at Heathrow Terminal 5. I also spent some time in sales, which exposed me to the challenges that the sales teams I support have to manage. Finally moving into a presales and design supporting B2B customers, which is where I am today."

What is one piece of advice that you would give to women considering a career in the technology industry?

"Don’t listen to the voice in your head that says you aren’t good enough, or won’t know enough. A lot of women that I speak to think they need to know something 100% before reaching for an opportunity. My belief is that as long as you have a passion for technology and want to learn then you can be successful. I have a woman in my team who has come from a service role into a technical specialist role and doing an amazing job learning and understanding the technical aspects of the role, with little previous experience."

"Don’t listen to the voice in your head that says you aren’t good enough, or won’t know enough"

What’s been your career highlight so far?

"Career highlight for me would be the Head of Department role that I successfully applied for after I’d returned from maternity leave the second time. It was particularly difficult coming back to work after having my second baby, as Virgin Media had changed significantly plus the network had evolved exponentially. It felt like a totally different company. However, I managed to balance my return to work with bringing up two small children, worked really hard and was successful in my promotion."

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How should the IT channel encourage more girls and women to work in it?

"I think it needs to start right back in childhood and through early education. Throughout my education I was always very aware that I was one of only a few girls interested in STEM subjects. That trend has continued unfortunately. More girls need to be inspired and supported to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects, which typically have been very male dominated. I also think companies need to be as flexible as possible in getting mums back into the workplace. Whether that be some form of flexible working, or part time roles – the more we can encourage women back into the workplace the better."

"More girls need to be inspired and supported to take up Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics subjects, which typically have been very male dominated."

What is your advice to women and girls thinking about a career in the channel?

"Definitely go for it!! This is a really exciting time for the industry with some amazing technology changes and advances, which will open up a whole new world of opportunities. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that?"

Read the full article 'Women in Tech: Celebrating leaders who are redefining the future' in the Winter 2017 edition of Intercity Tech magazine.