CW@60: Creating connections through technology and empathy

Creating opportunities

When we started out, progress depended heavily on proximity. Networks were built in rooms in towns and regions, opportunities flowed through introductions and visibility was limited to those already inside established circles. Technology dismantled many of those barriers.

Over the past couple of decades, Everywoman has delivered leadership development training to over 200,000 women globally, scale that would not have been possible without digital platforms. Technology has enabled us to reach women wherever they are, providing flexible, accessible development that reflects the reality of modern careers.

It has also transformed visibility. Through digital channels, we can showcase role models to the widest possible audiences, not just those already in established networks, but to those who might never otherwise have had access. Visibility shapes ambition, confidence and progression – it is a critical driver of change.

Technology has equally enabled us to connect and be seen. It has allowed us to communicate our mission at scale and engage with leaders, partners and organisations we would not have reached through “pre-digital” routes. Social and digital networks have flattened hierarchies in ways that were previously unimaginable. But access alone does not equal equity.

Hardwired bias

If anything, the next phase of the digital revolution, particularly the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), risks hardwiring bias at scale.

AI systems reflect the data they are trained on and the perspectives of those who build them. Without diverse representation, we are not just mirroring inequality, we are accelerating it. This is not a future risk – it is already happening.

“The future of tech will not be defined by the tools themselves, but by the diversity of the people shaping them. Ensuring those people are seen, heard and supported is where the real work and the real opportunity lie”

Maxine Benson & Karen Gill, Everywoman

This is why the focus must now shift from participation to influence. It is not enough for women to use technology. They must shape it. They must be designing systems, leading organisations and influencing how technology is applied.

At the same time, there is a misconception that technology will replace the human elements of leadership and connection. Our experience tells us otherwise. Technology can scale access, but it cannot replicate presence. It can enable communication, but it cannot replace empathy and connection.

Some of the most powerful moments in our work still happen in a room. This is why in 2024 Everywoman merged with AllBright, recognising that the greatest opportunity lies not in choosing between digital and physical, but in leveraging both. Today our newly formed business, Allbright Everywoman, looks to digital to enable reach and in-person to create depth. Together, they create lasting impact.

Celebrating women

Nowhere is that impact more evident than at the Everywoman in Technology Awards. For 16 years, these awards have brought together leaders from across the tech industry to celebrate the achievements of women shaping its future. With Computer Weekly as our longstanding media partner and supporter, the awards have consistently ensured these stories are seen and heard. But their impact goes far beyond recognition.

In the room at the Everywoman in Technology Awards, leaders do not just hear about the importance of diversity in tech, they experience it. They see the talent, the innovation and the scale of contribution women are making across the industry. They hear the stories behind the success and understand the barriers that still exist.

Time and again, we have seen these moments change perspectives. Leaders leave with a different view of what the industry looks like and with a stronger commitment to changing it. That is something technology alone cannot achieve.

Looking ahead, the role of women in tech is set to grow significantly over the next decade but not by default. The opportunity is vast. Technology will continue to shape every sector, from AI to climate tech, from fintech to health innovation. These industries are being built now and women must be part of that build. Not on the margins, but at the centre as founders, engineers, investors and leaders.

The next decade must be about more than participation. It must be about influence, ownership and decision-making power.

Progress is happening, but not at the pace required. Which is why the combination of technology, visibility and community is so powerful. Digital platforms can scale access and amplify voices but we at AllBright Everywoman firmly believe it is human connection that turns it into impactful action.

Human connections

As we reflect on 60 years of technological change, the question is no longer what technology can do but who it enables.

For us, the focus remains clear. Technology should be used to scale opportunity, while creating the human connections that make that opportunity meaningful. Because the future of tech will not be defined by the tools themselves, but by the diversity of the people shaping them.

Ensuring those people are seen, heard and supported is where the real work and the real opportunity lie.

In 1999, as the founders of Everywoman, we never imagined the technology we would have today. We started by scanning hard copy articles onto our website, which were accessed by a temperamental dial-up modem. Today the team has access to all manner of tech that enables faster and more accurate processing and operations.

They still, however, need real empathetic and supportive leadership that connects them as a team of humans who need to communicate, explore thoughts and have fun as they deliver their great work.

Maxine Benson and Karen Gill are co-founders of Everywoman. They have been members of the Computer Weekly Most Influential Women in UK Tech Hall of Fame since 2019.