International Women's Day in the data centre sector

Why does mentorship matter for women in the data centre industry? Because in a traditionally male-dominated field, visible role models and collective knowledge are key to widening and strengthening the talent pipeline.

This year's International Women's Day theme, 'Give to Gain', underlines that investing in others benefits the data centre industry. Our team shares how mentorship, representation, and community can help address the sector's skills gap.

What is the purpose of community?

Creating a stronger, more diverse industry is not automatic. It requires people stepping forward to share their time and knowledge with those entering the profession.

Barbara Sacha, Partner, reflected on this through her work with FWD - Forum for Women in Data Centres. She said, "Founding FWD has taught me that community doesn't happen by accident - it grows when people choose to give. By hosting networking events, facilitating open panels, and launching our mentoring programme, we create spaces where women feel seen, supported, and empowered. To me, 'Give to Gain' means exactly that: every act of giving strengthens our collective voice and builds a more balanced, confident industry."

For many in the sector, the value of mentorship is clear not only for individuals but also for the industry's growth. Barbara Smitten, Associate Director, explained how the theme reflects the important role of the next cohort of engineers: "Data centres urgently need more women to bring technical expertise, diverse leadership, perspective, and to help address critical talent shortages in the industry. Mentorship is especially important - it builds confidence, widens networks, and supports long-term career progress. We all have a role to play in promoting the culture of giving. I'm proud that our business already has fantastic role models and that we're seeing greater representation in our newest apprentices and graduate engineers."

Why is representation important?

Reflecting on how mentorship and representation have shaped her journey, Sulego Said, Senior Electrical Engineer, said: “Mentorship has shaped the engineer I am today. Representation has been equally powerful. Leaders like Barbara Smitten have shown me what women can achieve in this space and inspired my own ambition. This year’s theme reflects what I’ve seen first-hand: mentorship and opportunity transform careers. In our industry, I believe, varied teams drive broader thinking and deliver stronger, smarter solutions to complex engineering issues.”

Supporting this, Katarzyna Wachowicz, Senior Mechanical Engineer, shared her experiences. “Having women represented at senior levels in our company shows the real impact that guidance and visible role models can have. I’ve learned first-hand that when I teach or support someone else, it naturally sharpens my own skills."

What is the benefit of supporting the next generation?

By letting more women enter the market, we strengthen the industry as a whole. As Katarzyna recognised, “the data centre sector is still largely male-dominated, but diversity isn’t just a ‘nice to have' - it genuinely improves how we design, problem-solve and innovate. Bringing more women into this space is key to addressing the growing talent gap across the industry.”

This importance is especially clear at the start of a career. For Oshia Rahmani, Mechanical Apprentice, early guidance on a site placement proved invaluable: “One of my first major experiences as an apprentice was working on a railway project, which was also my first time on site. Site work is still quite a male-dominated environment, so it meant a lot to have a female graduate site engineer mentoring me during that time. She took the time to bring me along to different areas of the project and show me how things worked on site, from reading drawings to carrying out surveys. That experience really helped build my confidence and skills, and showed me how important mentorship is in helping people grow and develop.”

As the industry grows and attracting new talent remains important, making the industry more accessible is necessary. This isn’t just getting people into the sector, but supporting them once they have entered. Doing so will build a stronger workforce, and each instance of mentorship will help shape how the industry looks tomorrow.