IWD 2025: The Female Force Changing the Data Centre Industry Landscape

In this special International Women’s Day episode of Making Connections, guest host Nadia McIntosh explores the evolving role of women in the data centre industry with three inspiring guests: Michelle Wainwright, Operations and Board Director at EkkoSense; Soraya Kashefi, Technical Customer Success Manager at EkkoSense; and Silvija Skinderskyte, PMO Lead at Telehouse.

Together, they discuss the challenges of working in male-dominated environments, from breaking through hiring barriers to navigating leadership dynamics. They also highlight the progress being made, from greater workplace flexibility to the increasing visibility of women in technical roles. The conversation delves into the importance of mentorship, workplace culture and leadership styles, as well as the ongoing impact of unconscious bias.

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Transcript

IWD 2025: Women leading the change in the data centre Industry

Nadia Mcintosh:

Welcome back to making connections, our podcast series where we explore key challenges and opportunities shaping the IT and data centre industries today. I'm Nadia McIntosh, marketing manager at Telehouse, and your host for this special episode in celebration of International Women's Day. This year's theme is accelerate action, calling for urgency in breaking down barriers to gender equality, both in the workplace and beyond. The data centre industry, like much of the tech sector, has historically lacked gender diversity, but change is happening not just in policies, but in leadership, culture and the way companies approach career growth for women in technical fields. Today, I'm joined by three successful and inspiring women who are not just part of that change, they're driving it. So joining me today is Michelle. 

Michelle Wainwright:

Hi, I'm Michelle Wainwright, operations and board director at EcoSense. I look after the teams from delivering our monitoring solutions, support and training functions, and ensure that energy savings promised are delivered to our clients. 

Nadia Mcintosh:

I'm also joined by Soraya from EkkoSense. 

Soraya Kashefi:

Hi, I'm Soraya Kashefi, Technical customer success manager at EkkoSense as well. I help customers get the most value from our software by understanding the needs, guiding them through best practices and ensuring a smooth experience. My role is all about building relationships, solving problems, and making sure customers feel confident and supported 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

and last but not least, I'm joined by my colleague and PMO lead at Telehouse, Sylvia 

Silvija Skinderskyte:

Hi. My name is Silvija Skinderskyte. I'm the PMO lead at Telehouse Europe, and I have the exciting responsibility of overseeing large scale, mission critical capex, infrastructure projects. My focus is on the gray space of a data centre, meaning cooling systems, UPS, power infrastructure, while also bringing experience from the white space where client IT equipment operates. 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

Thank you all and welcome so I'd like to rewind the clock a bit now. Could each of you take me back to when you first entered the industry? What was the landscape like for women in tech? Michelle, should we start with you? 

Michelle Wainwright:

One of my biggest barriers when starting out in male dominated industries was I couldn't get past the interview stages. I had the skill set, but because they were unable to accommodate women with on site facilities, I was unable to be employed even 10 years ago, as I've worked through some promotions and was leading a multi discipline project on site, I was repeatedly asked just to take the notes and was overseen for my role in the in the job. 

Nadia Mcintosh:

Wow and Sylvia. Is this something you can relate to from your experiences? 

Silvija Skinderskyte: 

I do technically relate to these type of experiences, although I have to say, most of the times have been the only woman in male dominated meetings as such. So it would happen in cases where someone would miss me over the questions section, or I would get just ignored while trying to raise my point, although it might get very frustrating and demotivating, I would still be able to speak up and be heard and ensure that I do deliver the message that I wish.

Nadia Mcintosh: 

I can understand how that would be quite demotivating and Soraya. I understand you transitioned into the industry from a background in product design. So What have your experiences been like within the data center industry compared to the others?

Soraya Kashefi:  

So I can say, having come into the data center industry approximately seven years ago, that since joining, I've had the opportunity to witness several women advance, get promoted, which has been inspiring, even though I started in a part time role, coming back after maternity leave, I've been promoted, which I'm really happy and grateful for having started and been given opportunity to do part time work which is quite hard to find in itself. So I just found the industry has been incredibly supportive and has offered me flexible working conditions, part time work, as I said, which has made it much easier to grow professionally whilst managing two young children and a family life at home. And I can say, compared to other industries, my previous role in another industry, I wasn't offered the same flexibility or support, and ultimately, I had to leave my former career behind for that, for those reasons. So I can only say that I've had a positive working experience in data center industry. 

Nadia Mcintosh: 

Thank you all for sharing. Now I'd like to get into your role, Sylvia as PMO at tele house. I know you manage a lot of cross department relationships regularly. Do you have any tips on dealing with those challenges?

Silvija Skinderskyte:

Yes, absolutely, I would like to offer three tips. So firstly, we need to understand that people have different priorities, but we need to emphasize the importance of working as a team to achieve mutual goals and business objectives. Next, I would definitely recommend to be confident in your communication. You need to pay attention to your language, the way you articulate, your appearance, especially your tone of voice and the pace when you talk. And lastly, the third tip that I can offer is to identify your priorities and urgencies, but try to keep it short and simple. 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

Thank you, Sylvia, for those three tips. So I'd also like to go a bit more into parenthood and go down this road. And I know you touched on this. Soraya, so how has culture evolved within the workplace? Soraya, Michelle, I know that this is something which is quite personal for each of you. Have you noticed a shift in how motherhood is perceived in the workplace. 

Soraya Kashefi:

Yeah, I have definitely seen a shift since the pandemic, which, at the time, I think, allowed people a window into people's home lives, a little bit to visibly see the struggles of working parents, for example, on disrupted video calls, and not just for women, for fathers as well. I think working from home and having that forced upon us proved that productivity wasn't negatively affected whilst working at home, for the most part, with young children, though, you know, difficult at times, and I think the legacy of that is, is that shift following on from the pandemic, which has led to a bit more empathy, because people have seen that it was it was tough, and working from home is a viable option now. So I definitely think there's a greater acceptance of remote working, flexible working hours, with regards to kind of school pickup, and there's a reduced stigma around working from home due to childcare needs and school drop offs. 

Michelle Wainwright:

I agree and speak from before a pandemic, running for trains and trying to get home for the childcare was very challenging, and from a client side, the clients are more agreeable to video conferencing now, allowing the team members to have a value, meaning meetings rather than face to face meetings, and prevents them having to arrange that childcare and the travel to accommodate that. It's a shift which has allowed more working parents to access the skilled roles that they're qualified to do, and where client facing roles would be inaccessible. 

Nadia Mcintosh:

I'd say the flexibility is something we've all benefited from, but I can understand, specifically for parents, how that benefit has really made a change in involved in your working experience.So there's been a lot of discussion around unconscious bias in the workplace, particularly in how leadership qualities are perceived in men versus women. For example, a lot of this can come down to perception until there's real gender balance, those biases can be difficult to shift. Sylvia, have you noticed differences in how women's decision making, communication styles or leadership approaches are judged compared to men. 

Silvija Skinderskyte: 

If I'm honest, I haven't really noticed big differences as such. I think we're all very unique individuals, and we all maintain our specific style of leadership, communication or any decision making, so all of it. It just comes down to us, purely on our character and charisma and the way we're able to engage with people and build their relationships. Obviously, working in a critical environment, directness is something really necessary, rather than sugar coating things. 

Nadia Mcintosh:

That's an interesting point. Sylvia, but Soraya, what are your thoughts around women's leadership styles, communication and decision making being viewed more subjectively and situationally? 

Soraya Kashefi: 

I agree to the previous points. It's difficult to objectively say how women's communication techniques or other skill sets are judged when entering a room. I can only talk about what I see and the styles I see from other women in the situations that I'm in and the meetings that I'm in I see, a lot of women can take a thoughtful, collaborative approach to decision making, and they can strike a difficult balance between between being caring but taking firm, decisive action. Where I see more or differences would be around self promotion and confidence in the workplace, I often see women don't naturally step into self promotion as easily as other people and male counterparts can. One anecdote I've heard and would repeat is that a manager of 20 years had noted that in that time of 20 years experience, not one woman had come to her for her pay rise and asked for a pay rise, compared to multiple men who had gone to her requesting pay rises. So I think that's probably where I see more of a different. But yes, going back to the previous point, I think it's difficult to objectively say how we are judged. I can just see different skill sets coming to the fore.

Michelle Wainwright:

And I think times have changed, particularly in my career, there's room for different leadership styles from both men and women. I personally don't like the shout it to get it done approach. However, there may still be some circumstances where this fits. 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

I can appreciate how having strong role models and mentors can make all the difference for young women and inspire them to enter STEM fields, be confident in the workplace and progress their career. I mean, even from my own experience, when I joined Telehouse, I was interviewed by two black senior women. And even though it was 10 years into my career, it was a rare moment, and also very encouraging and very empowering. Soraya, I know you've also spoken about the impact of having a female line manager. Could you tell us a bit more about how that has influenced your career experience? 

Soraya Kashefi:

Definitely, I think having a female line manager brings a lot of positives to a team. Any female leaders are naturally empathetic and great listeners and strong at building relationships, although I would say ultimately, having a great line manager isn't about gender per se, but having a manager who understands the female perspective, and, for example, understanding challenges of being a mother to young children does make it much easier to raise concerns, knowing scenarios that you bring in or situations you want to talk about will be met with empathy.

Nadia Mcintosh:

And that's a great point about empathy and leadership. Allyship as well also plays a big role here too. Have any mentors or leaders helped shape your path to Sylvia? 

Silvija Skinderskyte: 

Absolutely. Many of my line managers have been male, and have to give a big shout out to all my colleagues at Telehouse, because of their support and continuous guidance in my career, and also beyond my direct reports. Is really fantastic to get to know female leaders outside my team, such as Michelle. When I first met her on one of the project works we've been working together. 

Michelle Wainwright:  

It was great to meet you as well, Sylvia, I could recognize in you some of the troubles and the tasks and the journeys that you were going along that I also went along during my career path. 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

So as we wrap up, let's circle back to this year's theme. Accelerate action to the room. What's one action, big or small, that businesses or individuals can take right now to create real progress for women in tech?

Michelle Wainwright:

We take an approach to review skill set rather than other factors. Names are removed from CVS before handing to line managers to give equal opportunities. Interns and work placements are also a great opportunity to inspire the next generation, and we're always welcoming more female applicants. 

Soraya Kashefi:  

I'd like to highlight networking events. There are numerous great forums and events in the data center industry to meet and speak with other people in the industry, and that, alongside women led mentorship schemes, is a really great opportunity. 

Silvija Skinderskyte:  

Yes, I agree. And offering a greater flexibility where possible, is an action which will help to create real progress. As an example, we could bring more women into podcasts or introduce the women's voice to the wider public and audience, just to give a bit more confidence to those young women who are out there have no idea what is this tech industry and provide the sense of confidence and support that is nothing scary is absolutely wonderful. And trust me, you can achieve a lot and grow and build up your future with numerous prosperity. 

Michelle Wainwright:  

Think I should add to that, but it's not a scary world. Would you agree Sylvia entering that male dominated environment and that you've received promotions and you've enhanced your career in this area. 

Silvija Skinderskyte:  

Absolutely, I haven't been able to achieve this without the support of my colleagues. And growth, I think is a natural thing, but I'm very grateful for my progress in the company, starting with a role as admin in a service delivery white space of the data center, and within time being able to achieve my further goals, and now working with large scale infrastructure projects as a PMO lead. So big. Thanks. And obviously it's all based on, I guess, our hunger to grow, hunger to learn, hunger to proceed and never stop. 

Nadia Mcintosh:  

Thank you all. I really would echo everything you'd say and also add that for every door that we walk through, the hope is we can keep it open for the next generation to walk through the door behind us. It's been a really insightful and candid discussion, and I really do appreciate all of you sharing your experiences and perspectives so openly. International Women's Day is a moment to highlight these conversations, but the real impact comes from ongoing action. The more we challenge outdated perceptions, advocate for change and support the next generation of women in tech. The faster we'll see meaningful progress. So Michelle, Soraya and Sylvia, thank you so much for joining. 

Michelle Wainwright:  

Thank you, Nadia, it's been a great day. 

Silvija Skinderskyte: 

Thank you all that was amazing. 

Soraya Kashefi:

Thank you. It's been a brilliant opportunity.