Technical organisations love frameworks, processes and clear systems. But the forces that determine career progression are often far less structured, shaped instead by informal signals, visibility and everyday team dynamics.

It’s important to acknowledge the progress that has been made. Compared with a decade ago, far more women are entering product, engineering and other technical roles across fintech and the wider technology sector. But the reality is that senior technical leadership still skews heavily male.

This points to a deeper issue of progression and retention. Women are not leaving technical careers because they lack ability or ambition. More often, they leave because of how credibility is defined, how opportunities are allocated, and whether teams create environments where people can succeed without feeling they need to conform to a particular leadership stereotype.

If companies want more women to thrive in technical teams, the focus must shift from hiring alone to the conditions that shape how careers actually develop.

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How credibility is recognised

Inclusion isn’t defined by what an organisation says publicly. It's defined by what it measures, rewards and puts on display.

Within companies, transparency is critical. Clear promotion criteria, shared expectations around ownership, and deliberate leadership effort to ensure contributions are recognised all help reduce reliance on informal networks. When the path to progression is unclear, visibility and confidence signals can become proxies for competence, and that dynamic rarely produces the most balanced outcomes.

The same principle applies to the wider industry. It is increasingly common to see dedicated diversity sessions, yet the main stage panels remain overwhelmingly male. When this happens, it sends a mixed signal about how seriously inclusion is being treated.

Inclusion should never be outsourced to a side initiative. It needs visible commitment from leadership. When senior leaders show up, listen and take action, people notice. When they do not, employees draw their own conclusions.

Organisations should audit what they celebrate publicly – from conference speakers to award nominations. Progress should be measurable, not aspirational. Tracking representation helps organisations understand whether real change is actually happening.

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Leadership culture determines whether people can succeed

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Women entering technical environments don’t need to become versions of someone else to succeed. They need environments where trust and respect are built fairly, and where different leadership styles can thrive.

Early in my career, I often looked to leaders I admired and wondered whether I needed to adapt my own style to match theirs. Many of the people I respected had a more reserved or introverted approach. My own style, by contrast, is quite transparent, informal and enthusiastic.

Over time, I realised that teams rarely benefit from people trying to replicate one another. Authenticity matters. The strengths that make someone different often become the assets that allow them to lead effectively.

Leadership culture also shapes whether inclusion is meaningful in practice. Flexible working, parental policies and career progression all play a role here.

For example, I block my calendar until mid-morning to allow time for nursery drop-off. It is a simple boundary, but it reflects a broader principle: if flexibility exists only on paper, but those who use it are quietly penalised, people will eventually leave.

If only women take advantage of flexible arrangements, those policies can become a career penalty. When men take parental leave, share childcare responsibilities and openly use flexibility too, it becomes part of the culture rather than an exception.

True inclusion is more than just policies; it’s about the behaviours leaders model every day.

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Careers in technology are rarely linear

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My own journey into fintech was not linear. I studied law, completed a master’s degree in management, began my career in sales and later moved into payments and product leadership. Each stage of that journey developed different skills that ultimately proved transferable.

Many people working in technology today have similarly varied backgrounds. Some arrive through engineering, others through business, operations or customer-facing roles. What matters is curiosity, willingness to learn and the confidence to pursue opportunities even when the path is not perfectly mapped out. 

Technical teams benefit from people with diverse perspectives and experiences. Being open to those different journeys strengthens both teams and products.

Reaching out to others can also be transformative. Asking for advice and connecting with people in roles you admire can open unexpected doors. Too often, professionals wait to be noticed or selected, when building relationships and actively seeking guidance can be just as powerful.

At Acquired.com, I’m proud to be taking part in “flash mentoring” sessions where students, career changers and aspiring leaders can ask questions and seek advice from our female leaders. Initiatives like this help open the conversation and expand access to the networks that often shape careers.

Helping women succeed in technical teams ultimately comes down to how organisations recognise credibility, distribute opportunity and model inclusive leadership behaviours. 

Companies that get this right will retain more experienced talent, develop stronger leadership pipelines, and build products shaped by a wider range of perspectives. The technical cultures that keep women are those that measure performance by outcomes and trust – not by hours, volume or performative confidence.

And when leaders create those conditions, everyone benefits.

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