Tech Awards winner aims to be an inspiration for women
A BIRMINGHAM entrepreneur crowned the region’s top woman in tech is hoping the award will act as inspiration to other young women considering a career in the industry.
Sarah Dowzell co-founded NaturalHR with her husband Jason after identifying the need for a HR system while running her own cleaning business ten years ago.
The company is based in the Jewellery Quarter and provides cloud-based HR and payroll software to SMEs and now employs 26 staff.
Sarah, 31, was crowned West Midlands Woman in Tech at the 2019 West Midlands Tech Awards, run by our sister websites BirminghamLive and CoventryLive.
Speaking after the awards ceremony, she said she was “over the moon” about the win, having missed out in the same category last year, and acknowledged there was still much work to be done by the tech industry to attract more women.
“Women are massively under-represented in tech and it’s something I am aware of as a business owner myself,” she said.
“When we go out to recruit for roles, there are often more male than female candidates and it’s always something I think about how I can improve.
“I am hoping to use my award to show women that
actually you can excel in tech.
“There is a lack of role models for women but I think the tide is changing.
“Having real recognition for women’s achievements shows there are people out there achieving fantastic things in tech and other industries.”
Sarah said there was a groundswell of work already taking place within the tech sector to make it more appealing to young women.
“I am hoping to see real change at grassroots level as there are a lot of initiatives locally,” she added.
“I have been contacted recently by an organisation looking to take more women through programmes, help them
upskill in technology and gain employment at the end of it.
“I would also say ‘don’t be fazed’.
“If you’re not naturally a technical person like me - my background is as an entrepreneur - but my business is a tech company and I should be proud of what I’ve created.”
The second West Midlands Tech Awards were held at the ICC and welcomed tech journalist and Gadget Show presenter Georgie Barrat as host.
They recognised individuals, corporations and other employers across nine separate categories including a trio of new prizes to recognise companies at different stages of their journeys. Birmingham-based mobile payment provider PM Connect was crowned a double winner at the ceremony, taking home both the FinTech and Global Challenger Business of the Year awards.
The Longbridge-based company launched in 2012 and its technology allows consumers to pay for lifestyle and sport content, videos and articles through carrier billing, adding any purchases directly to their phone bill.
Its clients include WWE, the NBA and former rugby star James Haskell and it operates in domestic and global markets including Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific.
The judging panel praised the firm’s commitment to sustained investment in technology, its focus on establishing a strong position in a growing market for mobile payments and executing its business plan well.
Group commercial director Chris Purdie said: “PM Connect is incredibly proud of this double win.
“The two awards are thanks to the hard work of the entire team and it’s fantastic to be recognised for driving tech innovation and international success.
“This rounds off a year of record growth, increasing our headcount by