Member Article

Managed IT specialist calls for greater investment in women following successful rebrand

The IT industry has long been dominated by men, but one family firm is keen to fly the flag for women in the industry after seeing one of its female employees play an “instrumental” role in a successful rebranding and marketing campaign.

Ilkeston-based IDT, which began in 1997 and has since grown steadily – culminating in a move to larger premises in May last year – wants to see the industry make more investment in women after being bowled over by the stellar contribution of Administration/Office Manager Ellie Wheeldon-Jones.

Wheeldon-Jones joined the managed IT services provider straight from college in 2016 and was one of the pivotal figures in its recent expansion, which along with a full rebrand has seen the company launch a brand new website.

IDT managing director Luke Draper believes more SMEs should follow the example of larger IT companies who have been vocal about promoting women in their organisations after watching Wheeldon-Jones take a leading role in developing the company’s successful campaign.

He said: “There’s no reason why more women shouldn’t play a more prominent role in the IT industry. Ellie was at the forefront of our recent rebranding campaign, having swiftly progressed through the ranks to her current role. The moment we met Ellie we knew she had the drive, determination and confidence to do well. That belief has been validated by the invaluable role she’s played in our recent successes, which have laid the foundations for us to expand further and create a number of new jobs over the next two years.

“While some of the biggest players in the industry have begun to do more to celebrate the role of women in IT, many SMEs have done relatively little”, adds Draper.

“We believe that needs to change. Ellie has brought qualities to our business which have undoubtedly helped it to grow.”

Wheeldon-Jones says IDT “feels like a new start-up business” thanks to the energy and buzz around the company, not one that has been trading for 24 years – an impression she gained from her very first meeting with the directors.

She said: “Initially I wasn’t looking for a job in the IT industry, but I was ready to give my energy and enthusiasm to something completely new. It was clear from my interview with IDT that there would be opportunities to progress within the company, and sure enough, after just four years I’m working closely alongside the directors and have gained a wealth of knowledge and new skills as a result.

“There is such a great energy in the working environment here, and since I joined Luke and James [Cartwright, Director] have been incredibly supportive. I’m so grateful to them because many in the industry wouldn’t have given a young woman the time of day. My focus now is to repay that support by helping them push and grow the business.”

Draper says IDT deliberately delayed shouting about Ellie’s impact until after International Women’s Day (March 8th) because the firm didn’t want the message “to be lost in the noise of everyone else doing it.”

He said: “We shouldn’t just be celebrating women’s contributions to the industry on a single day of the year – we should be talking about it all the time. Ellie has been instrumental in pushing IDT forward, and that’s something worth celebrating any time.”

“Our staff is our heartbeat and they are the number one reason why the company is so successful”, adds Draper.

“Our technical team takes a lot of the credit for our successes and rightly so, but in order for them to be great they need everything behind them to be working like clockwork. Ellie is instrumental in that.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by John Walker .