Dstl staff among top 50 female tech leaders

The annual awards recognise women transforming the tech industry and Dstl is proud to announce Linda Knutsen, Head of its Exploration Division, is named in the list of 50 trailblazing female leaders.

I am incredibly surprised and delighted to be included in the top 50 inspirational women in tech in the UK, and I am pleased to receive this award for all the inspirational women in Dstl, who undoubtedly will be in the top 50 in the future.

Dstl has undertaken talent management for some time, and rather like a football scout spotting talent of the future, I was one of those people who was spotted 10 years ago as a future leader.

I have been on numerous leadership development courses, mentorship, coaching and more recently the Dstl #mypersonalbest programme to help hone my leadership development and experiences to give me the capability and conviction to apply for Executive positions.

Among those speaking at the event was Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former United States Secretary of State, who took part in ‘A Conversation on Leadership’ panel.

Linda added:

I think it is very important that senior roles in any organisation represent society at large. It is also important for women to have a role model within their senior leadership, and I take my responsibility of being that role model for our female staff in Dstl very seriously.

I like to think I can be my true self at work at a senior level, and I hope that it inspires women to have confidence in being themselves too.

Inspiring Fifty UK 21 is an initiative that highlights women who are driving the tech industry in the UK. These women are role models to look up to with the initiative bringing more visibility and recognition to them, and helping to increase the diversity in the field of technology. Linda says women should seek out the opportunities, rather than wait for them to appear.

I don’t think that more opportunities should be made available for women – rather that women should see roles that they can make a success of and have the confidence to go for them, and not let their lifestyle, and a perceived lack of assertion, hold them back.