Together We Engineer: Why Women in Engineering Day Matters

International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) is celebrated each year on June 23.

Dedicated to highlighting the achievements of women in engineering — particularly within fields such as digital transformation, AI and cloud computing — this year's theme is #TogetherWeEngineer.

Initiated by the Women’s Engineering Society (WES) in 2014, INWED celebrates its 12th year in 2025.

The day serves as a platform to elevate the profiles of women engineers worldwide, who remain underrepresented in the tech industry.

In the UK, women constitute only 16.5% of engineers. Globally, the numbers dwindle even further, with sectors like data centres often seeing less than 10% female representation.

These statistics underscore the importance of encouraging more women and girls to embark on engineering careers.

“Conversations about women in engineering tend to focus on recruitment. But the bigger issue isn’t getting women into the sector - it’s keeping them,” explains Aurore Knight, Associate Director at Black & White Engineering.

“That usually comes down to whether the job allows people to stay in the profession during periods of change, particularly around family. This isn’t a theoretical concern, it’s something many women face, and it has a real impact on retention, particularly mid-career.”

Confronting industry challenges

In the tech domain, where digital transformation and AI are rapidly evolving, women face challenges in retention, particularly in leadership roles.

Tanya Channing, Chief People and Culture Officer at Pipedrive, highlights the issue is less about talent itself but access and visibility.

“Inclusion is a growth driver and a prerequisite for great innovation,” she says. “If we encourage girls and women who love solving puzzles, creating, or improving things to join an engineering field we can engineer a better future together using diverse voices and more equitable outcomes."

This further emphasises why days dedicated to recognising women in engineering offer a vital opportunity for the industry to reflect, celebrate and take actionable steps in supporting women.

“In engineering, the talent pipeline issue is real, but so is the opportunity,” shares Jenny Hadlow, COO at Checkout.com. “We need to ensure young women not only enter the field but stay, grow and lead in it. That means giving them meaningful roles early in their careers, pairing them with mentors who challenge and support them, and creating environments where they feel like they belong.  

“Progress won’t come from one big initiative. It’s about making small, intentional choices every single day, like ensuring interview panels are balanced, understanding the difference between merit and potential, and inviting internal voices to contribute to discussions that impact them.

“Ultimately, we don’t just need to hire women into engineering roles, we need to retain and elevate them. If we want future CTOs, Heads of Engineering and technical founders that reflect the world we live in, it starts now with how we hire, how we lead, and how we back the next generation of women in engineering.” 

Investing in talent

Women, especially in leadership positions, continue to be underrepresented in the data centre industry.

The ongoing male dominance in this sector and in engineering as a whole can have far-reaching consequences, such as stifling innovation and overlooking valuable digital opportunities.

Initiatives like International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) aim to inspire and attract the next generation of young talent to pursue careers in the industry.

On this, Aurore says: “When I talk to younger people considering engineering, especially women, I try not to oversimplify it. If you’re someone who likes solving problems and figuring out how things operate, it’s a good fit. 

“The skills you develop, particularly around analysis and structured problem solving, are useful across a lot of sectors, even if you don’t stay in a traditional engineering role forever. It’s a solid foundation that opens doors in all kinds of industries.”

As digital transformation continues to heat up and create new complex challenges, Aurore suggests the industry is a lot more unique than ever before.

“In building services, particularly data centres, the landscape is constantly shifting. The technical side is challenging, but the pace is what sets it apart,” she says. “There’s also a heightened focus on sustainability and energy efficiency, which is changing the way we approach everything from cooling systems to materials.

“What I’d like to see over the next five to ten years is a shift in how the profession defines success. Full-time, uninterrupted careers aren’t the only valid model. Hybrid and flexible working should be part of the standard offer, not just for women, but for anyone with responsibilities or commitments outside the office. 

“It’s also what younger engineers are increasingly looking for - people coming into the industry now often expect flexibility as a baseline, not a bonus.”

With AI seeking to reshape the future of the industry, women already in the workforce are eager for enterprises to be more realistic about how people work moving forward.

“If you want to retain skilled engineers, you have to recognise that life doesn’t always fit neatly around a 9-to-5,” Aurore continues. “When you make that adjustment, you actually gain productivity.”

Tanya explains: “The rapid evolution of AI transforms how we build, test, and optimise, creating new opportunities for us to shape the future.

“It’s levelling barriers by valuing skills like data literacy, ethical reasoning and interdisciplinary collaboration. These are areas where diverse perspectives are essential. 

“For women entering or advancing in engineering, this means a broader range of entry points and faster career mobility, especially in AI-focused roles like machine learning ops, prompt engineering, or responsible AI governance.”

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