Setting New Standards with Women as Leaders in Ad Tech

Supporting women in tech doesn’t just end at leadership, instead it’s a continuous cycle that starts with the hiring process and ends with setting new standards in tech.

Standards of setting qualifications that matter, and compensation for their role, not their gender. Ensuring that women’s careers are supported no matter how they grow. As we wrap up Women’s History Month, we took some time to reflect on ways Sharethrough, and any organization, can better support women and we spoke to some of the strong female leaders at Sharethrough about their experiences and advice for other women in ad tech.

Supporting Women in Tech

For a long time, women in tech haven’t received the support they need. At Sharethrough, we’re changing that, starting with the hiring process, paying equally to others in their role, and supporting them through every step of their journey as they grow their career with Sharethrough. 

“We live in a competitive world every day and it is so important to lead with empathy and lift each other up to provide a safe, positive space for each other to be the best version of yourself and allow space to grow.” Laura Bromwich - RVP of Sales, MidCentral & West

The Hiring Process

As organizations, the onus is on us to start the conversation with potential candidates, and that begins with a job description. Organizations are missing the potential of many qualified and talented women, and not just from within. Although they’re willing to overlook some missing qualifications because they believe in the potential of a candidate, job descriptions are stuffed with limiting qualifications that women have historically demonstrated not to apply unless they meet them all. 

Instead of using “required” skills or qualifications in our job descriptions, we use “nice to have” skills. And to give a fair chance to all potential candidates, we use gender-neutral pronouns, so no one feels alienated instead of qualified. 

“The biggest challenge for women in tech is breaking into the industry, and getting through the door. Many women won’t apply to a position unless they meet 9/10 requirements when the requirements are actually preferences. For women that see a job posting for a position they’re interested in, apply anyways. Don’t tell yourself you’re not good enough, let them tell you that. Until then, you may be the person they’ve been waiting for” - Natacha Brind’Amour - VP, People & Culture

Equal Pay

Even to this day, many women and other folks around the world earn a fraction of what their male counterparts are making. And although the pay gap is shrinking, it’s still far from where it needs to be - equal pay. 

We utilize a salary survey tool here at Sharethrough that gives us access to benchmarking data in the industry, to ensure all people regardless of age, sex, gender are paid equally against the same benchmarks. 

Supporting Women’s Career Growth

Opening the chance for women to succeed continues past the hiring process and extends into supporting their career growth throughout their journey with Sharethrough. We provide women with all the tools they need to do their work or they can request additional support in any shape or form that works best for them. 

On top of that, we also provide in-house training and continuing education programs that allow women and other employees to be the best at what they do. And because not everyone has the same career goals in mind, frequent 1:1s and 360 review cycles help us support the women and all other employees at Sharethrough however they want to grow their careers. 

“I’ve been working at Sharethrough for more than 5 years, starting as a senior software engineer. It’s a very open-minded environment and always challenging since ad tech changes so fast and our traffic grew so much in the past several years. I’m fortunate to be involved in lots of exciting moments such as making sure the whole system is sustainable and scalable when the traffic continued to grow and the cost wouldn’t grow along with the traffic growth, and supporting multiple major feature changes according to the business plan. I entered my first leadership position about 2 years ago as a manager of the STX-CORE team. I feel extremely lucky and always appreciate all the support from my managers and peers. They gave me room to share my thought, the opportunity to own crucial projects, and to take different responsibilities in my career path.” Anna Wang, Manager of Engineering

Supporting Diversity

Part of what makes us stronger together, one of our core values, is the diversity within Sharethrough. Our current employee pool is made up of 59% males, 38% females and 1% undefined, with half our departments predominately female. But we didn’t get here by accident. 

“A leadership team should always be diverse to represent every unique employee and represent the possibilities for anyone.  It's important for women, in particular, to be in leadership as they bring a different perspective on decision making and have been known to apply a different set of skills that can help solve major business issues.” Loretta Carreno - Director, Business Intelligence

Wisdom From the Women Leaders at Sharethrough

As much as the tech industry has progressed, women are still underrepresented. Organizations with a gender disparity in leadership are hindering their own success because they aren't capitalizing on the unique skillsets, experiences, and perspectives that women bring to the table.

Speaking to the women leaders at Sharethrough, we asked for some advice and wisdom on how organizations can support women from within and throughout the tech industry, and their own experiences with Sharethrough and working in tech.

Why Do You Think We Need More Women in Leadership Positions?

“Because representation matters! Having women in leadership roles allows women to feel validated and allows women to express their opinion comfortably. This creates a team environment where ideas are diverse, perspectives are varied and everyone feels valued.” Katie Hines - Director, Programmatic Strategy

“Without proportional representation in leadership, both the workforce and workplace are not fully benefiting from our perspectives and skillsets.  In order for businesses to grow, service their customers and keep adapting it is important to include women leaders. We have the power to question the status quo and innovate for growth which allows us to pave the way for more women to follow while building a successful company.” Laura Bromwich - RVP of Sales, MidCentral & West

What Are Some of the Biggest Challenges Today That Women Are Facing in Tech?

"Finding a supportive company. I'm grateful to work for a company that values female leadership. I've worked at Sharethrough for over 10 years and have always been supported in my growth. I know that I'm lucky though. Most companies are not like this, especially in tech. Our North American revenue organization is led by an all-female leadership team, something I'm truly proud of." Jillian Kranz - SVP Revenue

What Advice Would You Give to Younger Women?

“True Story: I initially was encouraged to not take any Business studies by a Guidance Councillor in high school. I was told that "Men only succeed in Business and you won't go anywhere with that". I was successfully convinced that "Fashion" was the right path for me. Of course, years later I reentered school for Business and here I am today, but it definitely carves out some advice I would share with younger women today. Don't let anyone tell you that you cannot do something as good as someone else or that you won't be as successful. Follow your dreams even if you are the odd one out and don't let yourself get intimidated by these unfortunate biases.” Loretta Carreno - Director, Business Intelligence

“You are so much stronger than you think. Keep working hard to become the woman you want to be.” Laura Bromwich - RVP of Sales, MidCentral & West

A Better Future

With Women’s History Month coming to a close, we reflected on some of the key issues affecting women in tech today, so that we may contribute to a better future. A future where women and other folks are encouraged to apply rather than being alienated by the job description, where the pay disparity becomes pay equality, where diversity is embraced and women’s career goals are supported no matter what they are.

“What I’m most proud of is setting an example of what it means to be a  female leader to my young daughter. I want her to grow up knowing she can do anything she sets her mind to, and I never want her to question whether she can do something because of her gender.” Jillian Kranz - SVP Revenue

Click to learn more about how you can grow your career in the tech industry with Sharethrough.