By Clare Guinness, CEO at Belfast Chamber
Belfast is a city transformed. Once known for heavy industry, today we are establishing ourselves as a global innovation hub, recognised for excellence in cybersecurity, fintech, medtechand advanced manufacturing.
At the heart of this evolution is talent - brilliant people driving change, developing solutions, and creating the future. However, to sustain this momentum, we need more diversity. More women in tech. More girls choosing STEM subjects. More voices shaping our digital tomorrow.
Despite the growing tech industry, female representation in technical and leadership roles remains disproportionately low, with women constituting approximately 26-29% of the tech workforce in Northern Ireland. Indeed, the representation of women in tech leadership roles is even lower, with only 5-6% holding senior roles, further highlighting the ongoing gender disparity within our tech sector.
As someone who didn’t start their career in tech, but whose current role as CEO of Belfast Chamber focuses on promoting innovation and economic development, I know first-hand how rewarding this space can be.
During my time with the Strategic Investment Board in Innovation City Belfast, I had the privilege of helping position Belfast as a world-class destination for technology and enterprise. That experience provided me with an insight into the city’s innovative capability and potential and uncovered the huge opportunities for, whether in school, university, or already in the workplace, to be part of something bigger. There is a myriad of highly paid, flexible and rewarding jobs in tech to which females should aspire.
The world is changing, fast. Artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and data science are no longer just buzzwords, they are integral elements of modern life.
Technology is one of Northern Ireland’s fastest-growing industries. We are home to global leaders in tech and a thriving start-up scene, with the sector contributing significantly to our economy and offering some of the highest-paid jobs in the region.
By choosing STEM subjects, young women can open the door to an incredible array of careers.
Indeed, many of our 600-strong Belfast Chamber membership are doing great things in this space in a bid to address the imbalance, and we continue to provide them with as much support as possible.
For example, the recent ‘Empower Girls’ event, hosted by CyberFirst in partnership with Aflac Northern Ireland and over 50 leading organisations, brought together 600 Year 8 girls from 22 schools across Northern Ireland to inspire early interest in cybersecurity and tech careers.
The presence, meanwhile, of prominent tech companies such as Allstate, Version 1, FinTrU and Kainos has boosted Belfast’s growing emergence as a significant hub for technology and innovation.
Strong tech capability is sector agnostic, thereby underpinning highly productive companies and providing a clear pathway for better paid jobs and economic growth, all of which is included in the Department for the Economy’s Economic Vision.
Whilst we have sound credentials, there does need to be a relentless focus on our schools and tertiary education providers to ensure they have adequate funding to grow the skills pipeline. The cap on university places for our local students only serves to hinder our potential.
Too many girls drop STEM subjects in secondary school, too few women reach leadership roles in tech,and, across the board, companies are reporting a shortage of qualified candidates. Schools need to be properly equipped to encourage and stimulate increased demand.
It is for this reason that a coordinated effort is needed. We must focus on creating stronger links between schools and industry, making female role models more visible in the media, delivering more targeted mentoring programmes, and providing accessible upskilling routes for those changing careers.
We also need to support women to consider and pivot into tech roles. There are some shining examples of this amongst our membership with companies such as Options IT and Danske Bank running specific female programmes to being those from a non-tech background into tech roles.
I also can’t overstate the importance of industry networks, something that Belfast Chamber has an active role in promoting. Shaping career paths, sharing challenges and signposting opportunities form part of encouraging and helping more women consider the new pathways into tech.
Northern Ireland has all the ingredients to be a world leader in innovation, but we need to bring everyone on the journey. My message to women and girls is simple - the tech world needs your ideas, your perspective, and your passion. Go for it.
Sync NI's Summer 2025 magazine celebrates women in tech across Ireland as we continue to encourage more women to enter the thriving sector and address the current gender imbalance. Read the Summer 2025 Sync NI Magazine online for free here.
