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2024-12-31-accounts

Scotland Women in Technology Annual Report 2024

About Our Organisation

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE PERIOD January 2024 - December 2024 LEGALLY REQUIRED SECTIONS

Charity Name SWiT (known as Scotland Women in Technology)

Charity number SC049443

Charity’s Principal Address c/o Brett Nicholls Associates 24 Herbert Street, Glasgow. G20 6NB

Names of the Charity Trustees on date of approval of Trustee Annual Report

Meet Our Team

Silka Patel Chair

Ketty Lawrence Vice Chair

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Silka Patel
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Ola Clark Trustee

Margaret Totten Treasurer

Caroline McDowall Secretary

Lianne McGrory Trustee

Leah Savage

Trustee

Clara Anderson

Trustee

Stepping down from board September 2024

Kayleigh Kavanagh Trustee

Iona Grant

Administrator Left December 2024

Ashley Beck

Trustee

Stepping down from board September 2024

SWiT

SWiT is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO). It was registered in its current legal form on 11th July 2019. It has a single tier structure and as such the trustees are the members of the charity. A full copy of the constitution is available on request.

Trustee recruitment and appointment

SWiT has existed as a not for profit unincorporated association run by a board of unpaid volunteers from the technology sector since September 2008. Prior to incorporation as a SCIO the then existing Board held an open recruitment process for additional Board Members with relevant expertise for operation as a registered charity. All Board positions are currently filled.

Future vacancies for Board Members will be publicly advertised as and when these arise. All Board Members are provided with an induction pack containing a copy of the "Guidance for Charity Trustees" issued by the office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, SWiT’s code of conduct, and training on SWiT’s tools and ways of working.

Summary of the main objectives and achievements of the charity

SWiT was created to promote equality and diversity for the public benefit by celebrating, championing and investing in women in technology. SWiT exists to foster the growth of the contribution of women in the sector; to shine a light on their achievements so that women can become a greater force in the market and in turn inspire others. In addition, SWiT was created to influence the technology industry to become more gender inclusive. SWiT focuses on women working in the sector and those looking to enter the sector and build a successful technology led career. SWiT’s overarching aim is to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of gender diversity in technology.

To do this SWiT focuses on three key areas; celebrate, champion and invest.

Celebrate - SWiT Awards

Achievements

Scotland Women in Technology (SWiT) announced in September 2024, a strategic alignment with Women Who Code (WWCode) Edinburgh, bringing the popular meetup network under the SWiT umbrella. This partnership marks a significant step forward in fostering collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity within Scotland’s tech community.

Originally launched in 2017 by Maria Gutierrez, Ceri Shaw, and Lea Savage, WWCode Edinburgh built a vibrant community of over 3,000 women and hosted 100 successful events over seven years. However, due to the closure of its supporting charity in 2014, WWCode Edinburgh had to pause its operations. Now, with SWiT as its new partner, the network can continue to thrive and expand its impact.

As part of the partnership, SWiT will introduce technical meetups, further enriching its offerings for women in tech across Scotland. Additionally, former WWCode Edinburgh Director, Lea Savage, has joined the SWiT board, bringing her valuable expertise and leadership to the team.

Together, SWiT and WWCode Edinburgh are committed to empowering women in technology and creating opportunities for collaboration across Scotland’s tech ecosystem.

Achievements Women Do Cyber Programme

Women Do Cyber (WDC) is an industry-led programme to re-skill and up-skill women with critical cyber security skills. WDC supports women to start their journey towards a cyber security career, providing an accessible route to entry level positions, including pathway into a Graduate Apprenticeship in Cyber. 2024 saw the completion of cohort 2 and launch of cohort 3 - providing 40 new fully-funded scholarships.

Partnership between Cisco, Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and SWiT.

2024

SWiT Awards 2024

The SWiT Awards, a significant event in Scotland's technology calendar, brings together champions of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. With 10 award categories, the SWiT Awards provide a platform to showcase female contributions to technology; recognising outstanding female talent, employers who champion diversity and inclusion, industry advocates and trailblazers

The 2024 SWiT Awards was a successful evening, with immense gratitude to all sponsors, nominees, and winners who played pivotal roles in its resounding success. The event celebrated the passion, skills, and resilient determination of phenomenal women and men in the industry, fuelling inspiration on a daily basis. #SWiTAwards2024

Our Sponsors included :

SWiT Awards 2024

Awards Categories: Rising Star of the Year Career Changer of the Year Gender Diversity Ally of the Year Mentor of the Year Unsung Hero of the Year Diversity Initiative of the Year Everyday Leader of the Year Inspirational Woman of the Year Inclusive Recruiter of the Year Judges Choice Award

Testimonial

“As a passionate advocate of diversity and inclusion within technology, Morgan Stanley is proud to be the Headline Sponsor for the Scotland Women in Technology Awards. Morgan Stanley’s Technology division benefits from having a number of women in senior leadership roles, as well as a growing Women in Tech community, and we are excited to help celebrate and recognise the achievements of women in tech across Scotland. “

JP Morgan are once again proud to sponsor the Scotland Women in Technology Awards. We are looking forward to coming together to honour and celebrate the incredible tech talent we have in Scotland. This is extremely important to the ongoing success of our organisation and growth within the sector. We also can't wait to host the Winners Event at our brand new state of the art Technology Centre on Argyle Street.

Testimonial

“Harvey Nash is delighted to sponsor Mentor of the Year for SWIT’s 2024 Awards. SMEs are a vital part of Scotland’s business and technology landscape, blazing the way for innovation and adapting rapidly to facilitate growth. We’ve had the pleasure of partnering with SMEs across Financial, Legal and Health Technology, and placing the best talent to expand their teams, augment their capabilities and achieve their ambitions”

“Barclays is committed to support the strength, courage and perseverance of women changing their career path into technology. There is no set path to a career in technology. Having different experiences is an advantage, as they bring fresh perspectives, creativity and problem solving which are key in technology. You can achieve anything you set your mind to, and we are here to help you embrace it.”

Activity for 2024 for SWiT Annual Report

January:

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

Activity for 2024 for SWiT Annual Report

August:

September:

October:

- - Event Women Do Cyber Monthly Connect up

November:

Event SWiT Awards 2024 - Event Digi Expo 2024

December:

Planning - SWiT Strategy Day Announcement - Save the date SWiT Awards 2025

Financial

As the charity has limited overhead costs and the day-to-day management is carried out by trustees who give their time freely, therefore the required level of reserves is minimal.

This year the charity appointed a part-time administrator role to support the day to day runnings of the organisation. This was part funded by Edinburgh's Employer Recruitment Incentive (EERI) 2024-2025. As a result, SWiT trustees increased the reserves hold to be the equivalent of two year’s worth of running costs so that the charity can continue its operations in the event of a drop income. The estimated annual running costs are currently circa £11,500. In an addition to a profit of £35K from Scotland Women In Technology Awards 2024

Scotland Women in Technology

Contact Us

Info@scotlandwomenintech.com

Thank You

www.scotlandwomenintech.com