To mark International Women’s Day 2024, we’re rolling out a series of interviews and putting the spotlight on incredible voices within our team, exploring the significance of gender diversity in tech and showcasing how we’re shaping a more inclusive future here at Xalient.
We’re kicking off with Jayne Hancock, Strategic Engagements & Alliance Director at Xalient and a seasoned pro with 25 years in the Cyber industry. She’s sharing her thoughts on gender diversity, how Xalient is paving the way for inclusivity, and her role in creating a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.
How do you perceive the importance of gender diversity in the tech industry, and how does Xalient contribute to creating an inclusive work environment?
I have worked in Cyber for 25 years and although gender diversity has come a long way since then, there is still work to do to encourage more females to advance into more CxO roles, reduce the industry pay gap and attract more females into Cyber, which is still a male dominated industry. I truly believe that a diverse team fosters a much more creative and innovative team that have the ability to think outside of the box in a fast-paced technological world. I think teams, that include different genders, neurodiversity, introverts/extroverts, technical/business mindsets all have a different perspective and can bring diverse ideas and solutions to the table.
Xalient has created a positive, collaborative culture and recognises talent and skills across any gender and geo and career development and progression plans are in place to enable employees to thrive. Xalient promotes hybrid working and flexible working contracts, which as a working parent, I have found invaluable and this has allowed me to have a healthy work/life balance (most of the time)! The Senior Leadership team recently organised a Global In person event for Xalient across the Globe, including our recent acquisitions, Integral Partners and Grabowsky to help build an inclusive environment for all. This helped everyone feel connected. In addition, we have also created a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee with a Global Team to ensure we capture important charity and cultural events around the world. Xalient is all about the people!
Can you share examples of initiatives or programs at Xalient that promote the professional development and advancement of women in the technology sector?
Sherry Vaswani, our CEO, is an ambassador in the advancement of women in the technology sector and embodies the Xalient Leadership Commitment to diversity and inclusion. Xalient, along with over 500 other companies, has signed the Tech Talent Charter (TTC) which aims to deliver greater diversity in the UK’s tech workforce. Females are represented well within the Xalient Senior Leadership Team (above the national average) and this proves we are fostering a positive career path for women (and men). We are also starting to see females being represented within our customer success and technical teams, which is amazing to see.
In your role, how do you contribute to fostering a workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion?
I think we all have a personal responsibility to make ourselves aware of any important cultural celebrations, and to ensure we make every person in any location feel part of the Xalient team culture. It is important to ensure there is a platform to enable easy collaboration across diverse teams and make everyone aware they have a safe space to go if ever they have any challenges along the way. Everyone should feel valued and connected. We also need to celebrate the small and big successes along the way in all of the different teams through regional and global events, particularly in this hybrid working world. In 2024, I have set myself a personal objective to offer mentoring where asked within Xalient or to those who are thinking of entering the Cyber industry.
