Glasgow-born Sheila Flavell, Chief Operating Officer of FDM Group, has been recognised with a Lifetime Achievement award at the recent Scotland Women in Technology Awards.
The Award was presented in recognition of Flavell’s work to bring greater diversity into IT.
Among her many achievements, her latest initiative has been to introduce FDM’s Getting Back to Business programme for returners to the company’s Glasgow Academy.
“I’m absolutely delighted to receive this Lifetime Achievement Award. It’s a real honour,” said Flavell.
“I have had an amazing career journey and have worked with so many inspiring people.
“As women, we tend not to be very good at celebrating our own achievements so awards such as the Scotland Women in Tech are so important at shining the spotlight on the incredible female talent that resides within the country.
“Today, there are so many opportunities available in the tech sector that weren’t apparent when I started out; it’s an exciting industry to be part of and one where women can thrive.”
Flavell has over 26 years of experience in both the public and private IT sectors internationally.
She is passionate about enhancing diversity in the workplace and creating exciting careers for the next generation of digital talent.
She also spearheads FDM’s Global Women in Tech campaign and FDM’s Getting Back to Business programme, aimed at providing opportunities for returners to work.
She sits on the main Board of techUK and the Women in Tech Council and is frequently called to advise government committees on various issues, especially around the digital skills gap.
A firm believer that ‘you cannot be what you cannot see’ and with extensive experience of mentoring and an understanding of the importance of highlighting strong role models within business, Flavell acts as a mentor to several women within the IT sector supporting them through their career progression.
She travels extensively around the world leading FDM’s expansion and championing a career in tech for all, having played an integral role in the Group’s flotation on AIM in 2005 and was a key instigator of the management buy-out of the Group in 2010 and the subsequent listing onto the main FTSE Market in 2014.
Her experience and knowledge of the sector has been crucial in driving the Group’s global expansion programme, taking FDM into the FTSE250 earlier this year.
FDM is renowned for its diversity, with more than 75 nationalities working together as one team, and 26 per cent of employees and circa 50 per cent of the senior management team are female.
The Group was the 6th company in the UK to report its gender pay gap which is an average of 6 per cent and a median of 0 per cent, against the national median of 18 per cent.