Women in Business: In Conversation With Isabel Scavetta

In this episode Jenny Morris Hernandez, a trainee solicitor in Brown Rudnick’s London office, interviews Isabel Scavetta, product manager at CybSafe and multi award-winning DEI advocate, about how to make the future of technology more inclusive.

Scavetta has been recognized by organizations such as McKinsey & Co. and TechWomen100 and is a U.K. Delegate to the 67th Commission on the Status of Women for the U.N. Women.

There have been great strides in the tech industry to encourage women and more diverse professionals to enter into careers in the field, Scavetta says. However, more can be done, she adds; for example, encouraging open knowledge sharing and boosting opportunities online to ensure that chances to succeed in the sector are not kept to insular circles of society.

Beyond changing job descriptions and setting up schemes, it's crucial to help underrepresented talent feel confident in environments that can feel stacked against them, said Scavetta, who is also the co-lead of Inclusive Cyber for Global Shapers London, an initiative of the World Economic Forum.

“We think a lot about mentorship when we talk about improving diversity in the technology sector, but I would also argue that needs to extend to sponsorship,” Scavetta says. “So, not just looking out for each other, coaching each other, helping people to upskill... but also being that voice who’s going to advocate for someone out there and going to put their name into circles that maybe they wouldn’t have been otherwise. This is particularly effective when we think about the gender discrepancies when it comes to, for example, promotions, and the gender pay gap. Having visible allies and sponsors who are willing to put underrepresented talent on the radar is crucial in terms of helping women and other underrepresented groups to break into the sector and stay in the game.”