“The challenges we face in tech aren’t really any different to those we’re facing across society”, she points out. “When we talk about women’s role in technology, we’re really talking about our role in the world as a whole and millennia of undervaluing us.”
She celebrates the positive developments in the sector – the rise of STEM role models like Stemettes founder Dr Anne-Marie Imafidon and Darktrace CEO Poppy Gustafsson, for example – but acknowledges that we still have some way to go, particularly when it comes to getting women in into senior leadership roles.
While it might seem like her position at Subak signals a passing of the baton on gender equality in favour of tackling the climate crisis, de Alwis sees the two issues as fundamentally connected. “Gender inequality becomes exacerbated through the lens of climate change. In times of crisis it’s usually women who get pulled out of education, who have to stay at home and look after the children. Every other problem we’re facing gets worse if the climate challenge isn’t solved.”
Now a respected senior figure in the tech industry, de Alwis worked with a coach to figure out her leadership style, a process she describes as “starting with what you have”. “Think about what comes naturally and then reflect on which parts of your personality aren’t helping you as a leader”, she says. “Say you’re a particularly impatient person. That can be a good thing, helping you to keep pushing things forward. But sometimes you need to temper that instinct to acknowledge that it won’t work in every scenario. It’s about understanding where your vulnerabilities are.”
As for her advice for other women with leadership ambitions? It’s never too late and it’s never too early. “It’s really easy to tell yourself you’ve missed the boat on something”, she says, “but when it comes to career progression, things can be done at any stage of your career.”
On the other hand, that doesn’t mean you’ll get where you want to go instantly. “It’s easy to see perfectly curated LinkedIn profiles and think ‘This person must have had a strategy for life in place since they were ten!’”, she says. “But that’s not reality – it’s theatre. Our careers are journeys. Whatever happens, just continue to move forwards. You judge when you’re ready. Don’t get stuck.”
Subak has a busy year ahead, with an active hiring strategy, a new accelerator cohort and another fundraise on the horizon. De Alwis relies on Asana, team brainstorms and plenty of private reflection time to keep the organisation – and her own ambitions – on track.
Ultimately, though, every decision comes down to her drive to leave the world better than she found it. “I saw a tweet once from a young woman who was doing one of our Code First Girls courses and she was being taught by another woman who herself had done the same course about a year beforehand”, she recalls. “It was so exciting to see these generations of women passing on knowledge. That’s what I want to do: create a positive cascade”.