Women in TechWorks event draws 160 at Arm Cambridge

Women in TechWorks held its inaugural ‘Engineering Intelligently’ event at Arm’s Cambridge headquarters, drawing about 160 attendees and a waiting list of more than 150.

The turnout highlighted strong demand for women-focused technology leadership events, with registrations exceeding expectations. Attendees included women and allies at different career stages, as well as people in finance, human resources and business roles.

The event featured keynotes, workshops, networking and discussion, with sessions on mentoring, leadership, retention and the impact of artificial intelligence on workplaces and executive decision-making.

Charles Sturman, Chief Executive Officer of TechWorks, linked the initiative to broader skills and leadership gaps in the sector.

“I am proud of what we have achieved here today,” Sturman said.

“The UK has a strong research, innovation and engineering base, but we need more skilled technology and business leaders to help companies scale. This initiative helps address that gap by encouraging more women with the interest and ability to build careers in tech to enter the sector, stay in the sector and progress into leadership, bringing with them valuable diversity of thought, experience and perspective.”

Opening address

The day opened with remarks from Jillian Hughes, founder of Women in TechWorks, who spoke about her career path and the need to ensure women are not excluded during a period of rapid technological change.

“If you told the apprentice version of me that I’d be standing up here 35 years on, opening this event at Arm today, I would have just laughed,” Hughes said.

She also addressed the industry’s wider talent picture.

“We are living through one of the most significant technology transformations of our generation,” Hughes said. “The UK is very good at developing technology. However, developing technology alone is not enough to compete on the global stage. We need the talent and the skills to do so, and women remain underrepresented in the technology sector. To succeed, we need to harness the full spectrum of talent.”

Charlotte Eaton, chief people officer at Arm, delivered the keynote speech. She organised her remarks around five themes: courage, relationship building, range, brand and adaptability, drawing on her career in banking, fast-moving consumer goods and technology.

One example focused on confidence and decision-making early in a career.

“Confidence rarely arrives before the action,” Eaton said. “It normally arrives following it. In that moment I derived a value I have carried with me for more than two decades: I never put anyone above me, and I never put anyone below me in my mindset.”

Eaton, who described herself as a “boomeranger” after returning to Arm, also spoke about the need to unlearn as careers progress.

“A lot of what it takes to progress is knowing what you have to let go along the way,” she said.

She then addressed the gender gap in technology and the pace of change in the sector.

“In times of significant change, including technological shifts, opportunities will arise. When those openings come, are you ready to step forward?” Eaton said.

Her closing remarks returned to the role of people in a field shaped by technical change.

“Undoubtedly technology will continue to evolve. But humanity remains our edge. It is the sparkle of human potential that will continue to be the multiplier for us. Progress has always been a collective effort, and changing the shape of the context for the generations that come will take all of us,” she said.

Skills pipeline

The morning programme also examined how organisations can attract and retain more women in technology roles. Mahdieh Ghoddusi, director of delivery at the UK Electronics Skills Foundation, outlined work aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in electronics through initiatives that start at school age and continue into higher education.

According to figures shared at the event, the foundation’s Girls into Electronics programme has supported 1,500 girls to date. Its scholarship scheme has provided nearly 1,000 students with industry work experience over 15 years.

Survey findings presented during the session showed that almost half of women studying electronics felt the field was not for them. The data underlined the need for support not only at entry level, but throughout education and the early stages of a career.

The afternoon turned to workplace change, with sessions on AI trends and executive leadership in an AI era. Discussion focused on how leaders are navigating rapid technological shifts while building inclusive teams and systems.

For many attendees, one of the most striking aspects of the day was being in a technology setting where women formed the majority. Networking sessions during breaks and lunch were active, with participants exchanging advice, contacts and personal experiences.

Men also attended, and some signed up as mentors during the event. Hughes said several male participants remarked on how unusual it was to see so many women gathered in a technology environment, underscoring the work still to be done across the industry.

At the close of the event, Hughes reflected on both attendance and engagement.

“I have been absolutely overwhelmed, not just by the number of attendees in person and online, but by how many people are interacting with each other who have not met before, the quality of speakers, and the key takeaways. I hope one of the main takeaways is: be bold, be brave, and don’t assume that ambitions are obvious. There’s a buzz about the place, there’s a genuine want for an event like this; people want to be here, and I’ve already been asked about the next one. Arm has been really supportive, and I’m overwhelmed by the sponsors, speakers, partners, attendees and, of course, the TechWorks staff. This event is not about displacing men – we absolutely need men as allies, and I’m delighted to see men here today signed up as mentors already,” she said.