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Empowering women through professional networks: why Capgemini is sponsoring the WICT Network UK & Ireland.

Sarah Wood
July 03, 2024

Capgemini is proud to announce we have joined the ranks of WICT Network UK & Ireland’s strategic sponsors, in a step that reflects our unwavering commitment to diversity, equality, and inclusion. WICT provides a network to support, encourage, and promote women across the cable, telecom, media, and broadcast industries.

The network partners and collaborates with industry experts to host compelling events and offer networking opportunities for their members, in a mission to inspire, connect, and grow talent across the board and enable women from diverse backgrounds to reach their potential.

Here, Capgemini’s Client Partner, Sarah Wood, and Strategy & Transformation Consulting Director, Claudio Costa, whom both have relationships with WICT UK & Ireland, reflect on their shared experiences of professional networks and mentorships, and explore the benefits these can bring.

Each with more than 25 years’ experience in the Telco and Media sectors under our belts, we recognise first-hand the benefits that professional networks and mentoring can bring. Many mentors, both formal and informal, have helped us navigate our careers and we owe them a great deal for their guidance and direction. In fact, our experiences, though very different, have been so beneficial that we’ve individually become mentors for others and learned a huge amount from these partnerships, too.

That’s why we’re thrilled that Capgemini is now a sponsor and member of the WICT Network UK & Ireland. Joining the network will allow us to evaluate and seek improvement in our own operations, as well as provide us an avenue to inspire women, grow careers, and connect our communities.

Plus, as a strategic sponsor, Capgemini colleagues can take advantage of complimentary spaces at WICT Network UK & Ireland events, contribute to podcasts and speaking slots, and gain access to the network’s extensive range of mentoring and mentee opportunities.

Why are professional networks so important?

In the rapidly changing technology, media, and telecom industries, professional networks are of great importance to the career development of women whom, despite the large increase in gender equality, are still left out of these fields at a high rate. According to WomenTech Network, at the current pace of change, it will take more than 131 years (as of June 2024) for the economic gender gap to close. However, professional networks play a vital role in narrowing that gap; fostering acceptance and creating opportunities for women to prosper.

Mentoring women in tech has been transformational to us. Through their self-discovery, we’ve both seen many people overcome self-doubt, identify their strengths, and plan to achieve goals they never thought possible. In addition to technological skills, we’ve witnessed people’s leadership abilities taking root – more confident in moving around difficulties and using those same difficulties as a powerful way to shift their mindset, to encourage others and push forward. The ripple effect is heart-warming, as they become models and advisors to future generations in the industry.

Professional friends are often very dependable and serve as a great source of support and strength. We can build up a community of learning, growing, and confiding in one another – removing barriers and unleashing the talent of women in tech; an indicator of a better and more equal industry.

Such professional networks themselves turn into platforms upon which women can deal with matters that are otherwise crucial for career development, including mentorship programmes, training courses, and up-to-date industry insights. Furthermore, these networks are often linked to sector organisations which consequently contribute, tailor, and support training, seminars, and industry talks against in-demand skills and knowledge while providing additional visibility on new job opportunities.

Joining a professional network also encourages women to step out of their comfort zones and connect with like-minded people who have experienced similar challenges and who have similar aspirations. The mutual association builds a sense of community and improves confidence.

Professional networks effectively address the issues of inclusiveness in the work environment by way of policies promoting gender equality, and by creating a platform for women to express themselves and collaborate on collective challenges. These drive change towards countering current issues like bias, discrimination, and lack of representation in top positions.

They’re also great enablers of mentoring and coaching, and initiatives like WICT’s Mentor Connect or Global Women TechLeaders’ Top Tech Mentoring empower women in technology by providing necessary mentorship and support in reaching career milestones. Plus, these programmes encourage the development of a shared community in which mentoring, collaboration, and lifelong learning are essential characteristics of progressive careers.

Such mentorship programmes are aimed at developing soft skills, overcoming fear, motivating, and communication. The programmes provide well-planned environments where women can thrive from advice from peers who have already dealt with the same challenges and who have similar goals.

Are mentorship programmes and professional networks still necessary?

Yes. Just look at the stats…

  • Representation: Women hold only 26.7% of tech-related jobs, and their representation in major tech companies like Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft can be as little as 33%.
  • Leadership: Women are significantly underrepresented in leadership positions, with figures as low as 26% in some major tech companies.
  • Pay Gap: There is a 16% gender pay gap in the tech industry, higher than the UK average of 11%.
  • Bias and Discrimination: A significant percentage of women in tech report experiencing gender discrimination or bias, with 76% having faced such issues in their roles.
  • Retention: Women are 1.6 times more likely to face layoffs than men, and 57% of women in Technology, Media, and Telecom plan to leave their jobs within two years due to poor work/ life balance.

How you can engage with professional networks and mentorship opportunities

Engaging with professional networks is straightforward and highly beneficial. Here are some ways to get involved:

  • Join as a member. Many networks offer different membership levels based on career stages and goals. For example, WICT provides access to a global community, events, mentoring, and training opportunities.
  • Attend events. Networks often host events, workshops, and conferences that provide opportunities for learning, networking, and professional development. Participating in these events can help women expand their professional circles and gain new insights.
  • Become a mentor or mentee. Engaging in mentorship programmes, either as a mentor or mentee, can be incredibly rewarding. These programmes facilitate knowledge exchange, skill development, and career advancement.
  • Volunteer and lead. Many networks offer opportunities to volunteer, lead events, or contribute as speakers or blog authors. These roles can help women build leadership skills and make a positive impact on the community.

One cannot underestimate the role of professional social networks in shaping and cementing women’s careers. They provide the critical resources, self-esteem boosting, and inclusiveness among women that eventually leads to their success.

Both Capgemini as an organisation, and us as its advocates, are excited for the opportunities this new strategic sponsorship will bring. Through it, we can continue to support the network and play our part in championing greater gender balance within the sector.

Our relationships with professional networks and mentorships

For Sarah, mentoring relationships have stemmed not only through her own professional network but through partnerships that her employers have had throughout her career, for example the 30% Club and The Girls Network. These partnerships not only provide mentoring opportunities for both mentors and mentees alike but also provide a vehicle for extending an individual’s professional network and have been incredibly rewarding for her personally.

For Claudio, mentorships have been born from partnerships with organisations like The Princes Trust, and others – offering many mentoring opportunities, as well as mutual network expansion opportunities. He continues to be an active participant in such activities, both to learn and support others.

Authors

Sarah Wood

Client Partner
As a Client Partner who has worked in the Telco and Media sector for over 25 years, I recognise first-hand the benefits that professional networks and mentoring can bring. I have benefited from many mentors, both formal and informal, who have helped me navigate my career at various points along the way and I owe them a great deal for all the guidance and direction that they have provided. In lieu of the enormous benefits that I have received from my mentors, I have also acted as a mentor for others and have learnt a huge amount from these partnerships too.

    Claudio Costa

    Strategy & Transformation Consulting Director
    As an international chartered management consultant who has been at the forefront of large-scale transformations across Telco, Media, and other sectors for over 25 years, I recognise the extreme value that professional networking and mentoring can bring. Over the years, I have been privileged to have received guidance from many mentors – both personal and professional, and their positive guidance and direction has greatly assisted me during my career. I have also had the privilege of mentoring others, learning immensely from these partnerships, as this is a two-way relationship and a continuous learning process.

      Engagement Model for Apps Modernisation: The Innovate stage

      Capgemini
      8 Oct 2020

      Power on to Cloud: Transforming customer experience and driving new revenues with cloud native apps – The Innovate Stage

      Capgemini and VMware Tanzu: analyze and innovate for rapid cloud native application development

      Our joint approach combines VMware’s Tanzu portfolio with Capgemini’s consulting, implementation, and managed services expertise – and we deliver it via a three-stage engagement model: Innovate – Optimise – Scale

      At the innovate stage, we develop a strategic roadmap to drive continuous innovation across multiple cloud infrastructures for Product Oriented Delivery (POD).

      Watch the video 

      A strategic vision and roadmap defines the actions needed to establish the foundational technologies and platforms to drive continuous innovation across multiple cloud infrastructures.

      Watch the video

      Independent workloads are delivered through DevSecOps automation and utilize POD operating models to incorporate emerging technologies and reduce technical debt, for delivering optimal outcomes.

      Read our brochure for more information on how it can benefit your business, especially to  modernise applications and infrastructure to deliver better software to production.

      Visit our solution page for insights on how we can facilitate an end-to-end transformation of your customer experience and drive new revenues with cloud native apps.

      Elevate your cloud strategy – Cloud Economics & Optimisation

      Capgemini
      28 Jan 2022

      Leveraging Public Cloud Platforms is not a hype anymore, adopting Public Cloud is a must to compete in today’s digital market. With the flexibility and speed of delivery, Public Cloud helps companies lower the time-to-market and explore new innovative technologies. This explains why many companies have already adopted some form of the Public Cloud.

      However, lack of cloud governance may raise your IT spend drastically, do you still have control over your Public Cloud spend? Read the interview of Rijk van den Bosch, Cloud CoE Lead, Capgemini, about the real cost challenges of Cloud

      Taming the spiraling costs of Cloud

      In the market, Capgemini sees that one of the biggest challenges is Public Cloud Governance and how to keep control over Security, Costs, Risks and Architecture compliance. Cost is one of the biggest aspects of this challenge and includes:

      • Controlling (over-) spending: When the growing usage of Public Cloud reaches the office of the CFO, generally teams are overspending.
      • Transparency in costs: With different teams and departments using Public Cloud features, consumption of Public Cloud increases as the number of services grow, leading to a lack of transparency in costs.
      • Utilisation of resources: Using the flexibility and scalability of Public Cloud is fundamental to keep the costs low. This means that resources that are not- or underutilised can be shut- or scaled down to reduce the consumption costs.
      • IaaS implementations that can be modernised: Modernising your application landscape to microservices, containers of even serverless applications gives you the opportunity to use the real flexibility and scalability of the Public Cloud.

      See-Decide-Act: Capgemini’s Cloud Economics and Optimisation

      Our Cloud Economics and Optimisation assessment, is a consultation that aims to detect, identify and implement necessary cost optimisation to minimise cloud operating costs, through a structured approach. This Service also provides greater emphasis on creating a culture of cloud cost accountability and transparency. The assessment combines our expertise, best practices and a toolset to:

      • Visualise Cloud Consumption
      • Create an inventory of your Public Cloud estate
      • Improve on Cloud Costs efficiency

      Identify quick wins in cost reduction for your IT landscape

      Capgemini offers this as a 7-8-week assessment, that involves a high-level assessment of your Public Cloud environment, analysis of your Public Cloud consumption and the delivery of an advice report to reduce and control your Public Cloud spend. The offer is Cloud Agnostic, this means that it can be based on any Cloud Service Provider like Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.

      With minimal effort and costs the assessment will gain you the following valuable insights.

      • Quick Wins to reduce your Public Cloud spend in just a few steps.
      • Visibility and transparency in your actual Public Cloud consumption and the forecasted consumption.
      • Advice on Application Modernisation and the usage of Platform as a Service features like containers, webservices and/or serverless functions.
      • Help create a culture of cloud cost accountability and transparency.

      The Power of Zero from Capgemini’s ADMnext

      Capgemini
      10 April 2020
      capgemini-engineering

      Driving a lean, efficient, and optimised core is your pathway to enabling infinite possibilities.

      Reap the full benefits of your transformation efforts and become a truly digital enterprise by bolstering your core IT foundation first

      With large-scale market disruptions and the advent of newer-age digital technologies, constant evolution is essential. And, with digital services giving more power to consumers, applications have become the default source of business value – to the extent that application loyalty is now synonymous with brand loyalty. So, understandably, leading CIOs are increasingly becoming more “apps-focused” by default.

      But, this emphasis on applications and future digital transformation can blur your focus on your core – your here-and-now operations – and this can hinder your ability to lay a foundation for a digitally empowered enterprise.

      The key to achieving this digitally empowered enterprise and your digital transformation visions lies in getting the basics right first. This means ensuring your legacy estate is made rock solid so that it acts as your digital transformation launchpad. And in order to do this, a clear and solid operational framework is crucial.

      Introducing the Power of Zero: An actionable framework for achieving business excellence through hyper-efficient core IT

      The Power of Zero is an actionable framework for solidifying your legacy IT estate as a launchpad for your digital transformation, so that you attain all the speed and agility needed for a truly digital enterprise.

      In putting your current state of IT and applications in order, the Power of Zero enables you to achieve maximum impact from your core applications. This means a future state with zero defects, zero touch, zero applications debt, and zero business interruption – all leading to zero innovation latency. The Power of Zero is driven by speed and agility and delivers business value throughout your entire applications realm by helping you to:

      1. Drive down to zero defects and tickets through preventive, predictive, and perfective maintenance
      2. Foster zero touch through an AI-infused intelligent platform
      3. Get down to zero applications debt through effective portfolio management
      4. Enable zero business interruption through insights, competitiveness, and efficiency
      5. Create a state of zero innovation latency through disruptive services

      ADMnext and the Power of Zero: Business-focused ADM Services for accelerated growth

      In applying the Power of Zero, Capgemini’s ADMnext moves applications development and maintenance (ADM) from an insurance-based function to investment-focused, business value driver. Essentially, ADMnext equips you with the ability to rapidly respond to change – or rather to embody the change, the innovation, and the outcomes you want for your business.

      In building a lean, efficient, and resilient core with zero human touch, ADMnext enables clients to drive operational agility and helps them restore services quickly in times of crisis.

      At Capgemini, we fully believe in this simple, yet powerful vision, and we are committed to bringing everything ADMnext – and the Power of Zero – can offer your applications.

      Download the whitepaper on the right to learn more about what the Power of Zero and ADMnext can do for your business.

      Speed, risk, and readiness: T+1 and securities lending solutions

      Aerron Reynolds
      13 September 2023

      Racing the clock: strategies to meeting T+1 in securities lending

      What is securities lending?

      Generally, securities lending is the act of one party (the lender) lending securities to another party (the borrower). The borrower needs to provide collateral to secure the loan, and this can be done through cash or other securities. Additionally, the borrower is expected to pay a fee. The length of time is arranged between the parties through a middleman, and after a period, the security is returned to the lender.

      What does this mean for you?

      Beginning May 2024 in North America, securities traders will need to complete the process of transferring ownership faster than before – within one day after the trade (T+1) instead of two (T+2). This has raised concerns about the increased risk involved as companies fear they will not be able to deliver the sold securities within the tight deadline.

      The consequences of a trade not going through on time involve more than just the two main parties involved. The two biggest areas of concern are:

      • Market liquidity – To comply with T+1, lenders may keep their stocks rather than lend, decreasing liquidity.
      • Increased costs – Lenders may require higher collaterals to offset risk, discouraging borrowers while driving up costs. The shorter deadlines also put risk on borrowers. If they fail to return stocks promptly, a lender may make a claim against them resulting in legal fees and possibly fines.

      The risk of recalls

      Another concern is being able to identify a recall in time to satisfy the delivery of a sale by the T+1 deadline. However, it’s not unusual for a recall to fall outside a contractual agreement, and the lender may not know when they’ll get their assets back.

      Beyond the difficulties of such a quick turnaround, this also creates the need for a system that works around the clock, particularly for institutions that work outside of the US. In reality, recall notices may not even be seen until the following workday, requiring heightened services to meet the deadline.

      This also increases the risk of overdrafts due to loans not being returned on time.

      What questions should you be asking?

      There are important questions to consider as you build a strategy for T+1:

      1. What are your positions for each security and where are they held?
      2. Which securities are currently loaned out?
      3. Which securities have been recalled?
      4. Which securities are needed to fulfill delivery requirements, and where can you source these securities if unavailable?
      5. If a security you sold is being used as collateral and needs changing, what is the plan?

      With these questions in mind, certain factors should be considered to gauge readiness to support securities lending to meet T+1’s deadline.

      Keep accurate records

      Consistently maintain records from custodians or agents about positions and settlements. You should also ensure you reconcile accounts accurately and on time. This helps you know your positions as well as any failed settlements quickly, ensuring that all loans are settled promptly and in accordance with your inventory.

      Leverage automation and other leading-tech solutions

      T+1 means less time to handle recalls and reallocations and makes micromanagement impossible. Automation is crucial. Implementing this into your recall process saves you valuable time and lowers risk. If recall isn’t automated, it’s time to make a technological assessment.

      Assess risk

      A new perspective on borrowing and lending risk assessment is vital. Lenders may need more collateral to manage the increased risk. On the other hand, borrowers might need a broader operational review to ensure market trades settle on the value date. Keeping these factors in mind will help manage risk.

      We know T+1

      Our experience can guide you in assessing your readiness to support securities lending for T+1. If you haven’t looked at your overall post-trade operations yet, our experienced experts can assist you with your T+1 program. We can help with tasks like data analysis and reaching out to other parties involved.

      Author

      Aerron Reynolds

      Manager at Quorsus, part of Capgemini

        Our expertise

        Banking and Capital Markets

        AI in Action
        Stopping the Asian Hornet Invasion

        Sam Page
        Jun 26, 2024

        The Asian hornet, a predator decimating bee populations, is on the rise in the UK. Since 2016, sightings have surged. Expert teams reviewing sighting reports and photographic evidence are swamped with an unnecessary workload, with 99% of reported sightings last year being a case of mistaken identity.

        Technology to the Rescue.

        Capgemini’s Applied Innovation Exchange (AIE) in London – a multidisciplinary team of innovation consultants, designers and engineers – is well versed in tackling this kind of problem with the application of emerging technology.

        Following a previous Tech4PositiveFutures initiative which saw the launch of a rewilding tool to help pollinator numbers grow, AIE London again partnered with Pollenize, a UK environmental organisation dedicated to citizen science and conservation, to address this problem. Introducing NestSweeper, an AI-powered Asian hornet identification and reporting smartphone application.

        “We are thrilled to collaborate with the Capgemini AIE team once again. By integrating their expertise and our goals of getting people engaged in citizen science and conservation, we aim to protect biodiversity and create better environments for both nature and people. This partnership embodies our shared commitment to using innovative solutions to addresspressing environmental challenges and promote positive change for future generations”

        Owen Finnie, Co-founder of Pollenize

        The NestSweeper App’s key features include:

        1. Lure and snap: The NestSweeper app has been designed to work alongside the NestSweeper device designed by Pollenize. This device vaporises a specially formulated attractant that emits a scent to attract Asian hornets. When a hornet approaches the device to investigate the scent, it becomes distracted, allowing users enough time to launch the NestSweeper app and snap a clear photo through their smartphone camera.
        2. AI powered identification: Once a photo is captured, the app’s true power comes into play. NestSweeper utilises an embedded machine learning model, that has been diligently trained on a dataset of 40,000 hornet images. This AI analyses the captured photo. By identifying specific features like wing patterns, body shape, and colour variations, the model can determine with an impressive 98% accuracy whether the insect in the photo is indeed an Asian hornet.
        3. Swift action with seamless transmission: If the AI confirms an Asian hornet sighting, the NestSweeper app triggers a streamlined reporting process. Users can capture the exact location details through GPS or manual entry. The app then transmits the verified sighting data, along with the hornet photo, to a central team for human verification. This allows for a rapid response from experts who can then focus their efforts on eradication measures.

        User-Centered Design.

        “Our research for the NestSweeper app was user-centered, ensuring that members of the beekeeping community could easily use it daily. Designing the app with the end user as our top priority was always our primary focus.”

        Ruby Haddad, Research and Design Analyst, AIE London

        Time is of the Essence.

        With spring triggering a hornet population boom, NestSweeper’s swift development – from concept to app store in just 6 weeks – was critical. Automating identification frees experts to focus on eradication, not paperwork.

        Together We Can Stop Them.

        Capgemini and Pollenize are committed to public awareness. Download NestSweeper, share this info or connect with us for more information. Together we can prevent the Asian hornet from becoming established in the UK and a widespread threat to the honey bee population.

        “The challenges around biodiversity have only recently come to light. New regulations are coming up and technology has a big role to play in solving these challenges. This project is a real example of using technology for good.”

        Hardik Pithadia, Product Owner for NestSweeper app, AIE London
        Learn more about this project here.

        Meet our expert

        Sam Page

        Senior Product Designer at Capgemini
        Sam has a decade of experience working across the full end-to-end product design process, from empathising with users during user research, to delivering final UI designs and working closely with engineers to bring digital products to life. Sam is passionate about the application of tech for good, and actively seeks opportunities where Capgemini can make a difference.

          Championing a Coding Career Change
          Learnings from a successful CodeYourFuture partnership

          Bethan Richmond
          Jun 21, 2024

          As Capgemini and CodeYourFuture (CYF) announce a new multi-year national partnership to help even more people get started in a career in technology, our involvement in the vocational training programme is set to hit new heights.

          In this article, we speak to a CYF graduate and Capgemini programme mentor to understand what makes the course stand out from other educational schemes, how it has evolved over the course of their relationship and the value that both sides take from it.

          Capgemini has collaborated with UK-based non-profit CodeYourFuture (CYF) for the past five years, supporting more than 600 trainees, and becoming the first corporate partner to offer start-to-finish support for CYF’s free coding programme.

          In 2024, both parties agreed a new national partnership, which will see Capgemini support students nationwide in London, Birmingham, Manchester and now Glasgow. The team will also deliver two new foundational courses to introduce students to coding and digital skills, before they sign up to the software development programme.

          But it hasn’t just evolved in size. Learnings along the way have given rise to changes in scope and an expansion in focus.

          Sonjide Hussain

          Sonjide had zero experience in coding when she applied for the CYF course. But having previously worked as a project manager in rail engineering, she had been surrounded by technical team members and found herself curious about digital skills. After watching a YouTube video of a seven-year-old coding, she was inspired to retrain and found the CYF course.

          “The key to succeeding on the course and in your career is to be curious, be brave, and be focused on your end goal. Don’t let challenges overwhelm you.”

          “Coding is very practical – what you code is what appears on the screen. You get an immediate response from the work you are doing.”

          Sonjide Hussain, Project management specialist, Capgemini

          Wayne Alexander

          Representing the other side of the partnership, Wayne has worked in the technology sector for 17 years and has always been interested in sharing his knowledge with those who were newer to the sector. He volunteered to become a mentor for the CYF course in 2020, soon after joining Capgemini.

          “One of my old students told me that the course actually changed her life – she recently got promoted and it brings me so much joy to see how she has grown.”

          “I have such admiration for those joining the course with no prior coding knowledge, as it is a very difficult thing to change your career – and even more so if you are doing it later in life.”

          Wayne Alexander, Functional consultant, Capgemini

          We sat down with them both to discuss how the programme has impacted their careers:

          Sonjide Hussain: Because I had no knowledge of coding, I had to attend an introductory course where I was taught basic coding and could see if I had what it takes to keep up on the full course. The full programme then took a deeper dive into more mainstream platforms like JavaScript.

          The greatest thing about the course itself was the community you are invited into. The CYF team, the mentors, and even previous graduates all make themselves available for advice and guidance. Mentors, in particular, are a huge source of support and wisdom. They really want to impart their knowledge, but they also show great patience – steering you to work out an issue by yourself first, rather than immediately jumping in to fix things. It really gave me the confidence to listen to my instincts.

          Sonjide Hussain: The mentors really act as your main sponsors on the course – pushing you to succeed, testing you on what you are learning, and making sure you understand what you are coding and how it supports the bigger function, rather than just doing the task and not questioning its value. That balance between supporting and challenging is the key to a graduate’s success.

          Some of the mentors also became our friends outside of the programme. This helped to humanise them and make us feel that one day we could have the technical knowledge that they have.

          Wayne Alexander: Joining the CYF programme was an eyeopener for me as it was completely different to any mentoring I had done previously. Everyone I had mentored before had already been hired by my company and therefore had some level of technical knowledge, whereas the CYF students may not have any foundational knowledge. I had such admiration for those joining as it is a very difficult thing to change your career – and even more so if you are doing it later in life.

          When I signed up for CYF, I was given a questionnaire to answer which would give them an understanding of my skillset and personality type. This is because they are trying to match your personality and mentoring style with the student that would best learn from you – an approach that I hadn’t really seen before. But it isn’t that they are trying to match personality types. One of the students I was paired with was much more introverted than me but had asked for a mentor who was more outspoken because she wanted to learn how to be more confident in speaking up and being heard. Obviously, this is a skill that sits totally outside of coding.

          I worked with three students on my first course and loved that I got to experience their entire journey – from day one to graduation. Two of those students ended up getting fulltime roles at Capgemini. I got to follow their careers as they progressed in the company and would regularly check in with them on both a professional and a personal level.

          I would argue that I got as much, if not more, out of the mentoring than the students did. As a functional consultant I act as the bridge between the customer and our development team, so I have to build strong relationships. The mentorship has really strengthened that ability as I have to communicate effectively with my students and practice active listening – a key skill for both my job and role as a mentor. You have to be able to listen and take on board what your mentee is saying to you. Feedback is also important, both positive and negative. As a mentor you sometimes need to provide harsher feedback to help your students improve, but you need to adjust how you present that feedback depending on the personality of the individual.

          Finally, my role as a mentor has also helped grow my confidence in networking and team building as you need to rally disparate teams on the programme and work with different personality types to achieve the same goal.

          Sonjide Hussain: Incredibly valuable! While the main focus of the course is to develop your technical skills, it also aims to build your confidence and help you manage pressure, soft skills that every employee needs to make use of at times. The programme also taught me to be more analytical and investigate situations, rather than simply accepting what I was first presented with.

          I also really valued the interview support from CYF and the Capgemini mentors. If I had come out of an interview and felt like I hadn’t done a good enough job of selling myself, I could speak to the team and we would analyse my performance to help me to prepare for the next one and ensure I wouldn’t make the same mistakes.

           Wayne Alexander: I completely agree – soft skills are of paramount importance. The developer job description has changed so much since I first started in the industry. Once upon a time, it was solely the role of functional consultants to communicate with the customer and conduct the business aspect of the project – the software engineers would stay behind-the-scenes and write the code. Now both roles have begun to merge, and the expectation is that functional consultants can speak on a more technical level and engineers can be more communicative with clients.

          Employees need to be as well-rounded as possible. CYF recognised this and adapted the programme to support the development of soft skills so that graduates are best equipped to enter the workforce.

          And they’ve done this in such a way that the students are actually being taught the soft skills whilst building their technical knowledge without ever realising. Most of my students are surprised when I point this out, as it is never explicitly discussed at the start of the course. But when I list the soft skills that are needed for a career, it suddenly clicks for them. When they are working on their technical project, they have to communicate with each other and actively listen to everyone’s point of view. So, when the programme gets to the point where we are actively building soft skills, it isn’t such a change of pace for the students and we are just building on and reinforcing these skills.

          I find that creating mock interviews for my students is a super helpful exercise to build their confidence. I tend to conduct the first interview with no prep work or suggestions, as I just want to gauge their base level – based on how it goes, we then work to improve the areas that they struggle with. We also go through their CVs and make sure they are fit-for-purpose and will attract the attention of employers.

          Sonjide Hussain: For me, it’s all down to the volunteers, like Wayne, and the community you become a part of. The programme is more than just a digital course that will help you get a job. You become part of a support group that is there throughout your career and is always willing to listen and provide advice. English wasn’t the first language of many of the students I was on the course with. I recognise that it can take a lot of effort and patience from the teaching team to help people build their English at the same time as they are learning a whole new coding language.

          Wayne Alexander: As mentors, we volunteer because we care – it isn’t a job, and we don’t get paid. The payment for us is seeing the students overcoming the obstacles and thriving in their newfound careers. As mentioned before, we also get to build our own communication and networking skills while mentoring that we can take back and use during our day jobs. For me, the difference being a mentor for CYF is the bonds you are able to form with the students. You are invested in helping them succeed in the programme. And through the connection Capgemini has with CYF, we see many of the graduates getting jobs with us and continuing their coding career here. It brings me great joy watching the graduates continue to grow and carve their own path at Capgemini.

          Sonjide Hussain: If you don’t try it, you will never know your potential. You do need to be brave, but the results could be life changing. If you aren’t sure that coding is exactly what you want to do, just know that the CYF course exposes you to a vast array of job roles within the tech sector and demonstrates how coding helps to open doors to a future career you may never have imagined.

           Wayne Alexander: It takes a certain type of person to be a mentor. You have to have a passion for sharing knowledge and guiding people. If you feel like you have those skills then you will get a great sense of fulfilment from taking part in a mentorship such as this. I love networking and building relationships, so I get just as much enjoyment from watching the students working towards their goals as they do from achieving them.

          Author

          Bethan Richmond

          UK Digital Inclusion Programme Lead
          Bethan has spent a little over a decade of her 20 year corporate career as a Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability professional. Following a Masters in Sustainability and Business Leadership at Cambridge University, Bethan moved her focus toward social impact. As the UK Digital Inclusion Programme Lead at technology company Capgemini, Bethan has supported, and helped drive forward a maturing of the CSR programme, to create a purposeful social impact programme, more authentically linked to the organisation’s core business. Through this digital inclusion mission, Bethan is responsible for the success of the UK social impact, volunteering programme and working relationships with national charity partners. Bethan has been responsible for the co creation and delivery of several national programmes with well known UK based charities.

            Changing lives with coding
            Meet our digital academy alumna, Dharma

            Sally Caughey
            Jun 20, 2024

            Capgemini UK has supported almost 600 individuals from minority, often disadvantaged backgrounds with training in the skills needed to gain tech sector employment since 2019. Sally Caughey, our Head of Digital Inclusion, caught up with one of our alumna – hearing her manager and our client, EDF Trading’s reflections on the value Dharma is bringing to the team.

            At Capgemini, we want to ensure that digital transformation creates an inclusive future for all. This includes opening digital job opportunities to individuals who might otherwise struggle to access training and employment, and who are often underrepresented in the technology sector. One way we do this is through our work with non-profit CodeYourFuture, a partnership which was recognised with an edie award earlier this year for its positive impact.

            Our award-winning partnership

            We started collaborating in 2018, when Capgemini became CodeYourFuture’s first corporate partner offering support from start to finish for a free software training programme. Around 75% of all trainees joining CodeYourFuture’s courses are living below the poverty line, and the training offers a pathway to acquire the skills and connections that can help participants gain entry to technology careers.

            It’s all about enabling individuals to gain meaningful, secure employment. Capgemini has supported almost 600 people through our digital academies with CodeYourFuture since 2019. Around 70% of those graduating between 2019-22 have now gone on to secure employment offers from Capgemini and other companies. As of September 2023, 84 graduates have joined our own business.

            Adding value in the workplace

            Trainees often have no prior experience of working in the technology sector. After they graduate, how do they find the transition to the workplace, and how do colleagues and our clients find working with them?

            “When I applied to the programme, I was working as a personal trainer – taking free online coding classes wherever possible. I was interested in pursuing a career in technology but couldn’t afford to undertake a full coding bootcamp. I was really excited when I found out about CodeYourFuture’s training programme and realised that I was eligible. It was the launchpad into a new career that I’d been looking for.”

            Dharma Guadeloupe joined Capgemini in May 2022 after she successfully completed the training programme.

            “It’s been fantastic to have such incredible support from all the team. I’ve had a brilliant start to my tech sector career and really feel my personal development has been prioritised.”

            Dharma joined her first client project with EDF Trading last year, where she works as a software
            tester.

            Contributing fresh perspectives

            Building teams with varied perspectives and experiences is a catalyst for creativity and innovation. Sakib Azam and Toby Rawlings, from EDF Trading, explained why they were keen to be supportive of our digital academy graduates:

            “We were eager to see how Capgemini’s digital academy programme worked. We believe that lots of people have an excellent aptitude for IT. However, many have not been lucky enough to discover their skills or have the support for a traditional university IT education. As a result, there is untapped potential in our community. Capgemini and CodeYourFuture’s digital academies give many the opportunity to change their early life decisions and realise their IT abilities. Plus, the opportunity to increase diversity in the team ensures different perspectives are generating ideas, better balance and teamwork.”

            How have they found working with Dharma?

            “Dharma has done really well in the software tester role, readily embracing a steep learning curve. She has the right mindset and she has gained the trust of others in the team, asking excellent questions and building strong relationships. It’s proving a success.”

            David Firth, Senior Account Manager at Capgemini, agrees:

            “From the moment I met Dharma, it was clear she would be an asset to our team. It’s her problem-solving skills that stand out for me. If she comes up against a challenge, she will go out and find the answer without waiting to be told, handling situations in a mature way far beyond what you would expect from someone in their first year working in technology. She has a brilliant way of collaborating with others and was easily able to slot into our team.”

            Supporting other trainees

            After settling into tech sector employment, it’s been fantastic to see our digital academy graduates join the sector and give back – both to current trainees as well as new starters at Capgemini. As the number of graduates from our digital academies grows, so does a network that can help support and inspire others who want to join the tech sector.

            Dharma concludes: “This year, I am volunteering as a mentor to help support other digital academy trainees looking to start tech careers. It’s made me want to give back so others can have the same experience.”

            Find out more about our partnership with CodeYourFuture here.


            Author

            Sally Caughey

            UK Head of Digital Inclusion
            Throughout her career with Capgemini, Sally has worked in various roles on client transformation programmes. She’s a passionate advocate of the positive difference technology and digital solutions can bring to every organisation and individual, and in 2015 she was part of the team that set up the Careers and Enterprise Company, dedicated to preparing and inspiring young people for the changing world of work. Leading Capgemini’s digital inclusion programme in the UK since 2018, she’s focused on how business can help to make sure that everyone can benefit from the digital revolution.

              I’ve been invited to attend the European Power Platform Conference in Brussels
              here’s what I am most looking forward to!

              Hana Ahmed
              Jun 14, 2024

              This experience is especially meaningful, especially as I’ve had such a positive journey as a woman in tech. The inclusive and supportive environment at Capgemini has encouraged me to pursue my passion for technology and innovation.

              I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to attend the European Power Platform Conference (EPPC) in Brussels this coming month.  The EPPC is renowned for its comprehensive lineup of sessions and workshops that delve into various aspects of the Power Platform, including Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate. I am particularly excited about several key sessions that promise to offer invaluable insights and real-world applications.

              One session I am eagerly looking forward to is “Power Platform Best Practices in Architecture” by Claire Edgson and Ahmad Najjar as I am keen to learn best practices that can enhance our projects and the numerous architectural benefits that I can derive. Another highlight for me is the session on real-life case studies featuring the Copilot and CoE starter kit by Peter Ruiter, Maarten van der Beek, Kieran Holmes, and Emma-Claire Shaw. Understanding how these tools are being applied in real-life scenarios will provide practical insights that I can bring back to my team.

              I have been researching the backgrounds of key speakers and industry experts, eager to discuss industry trends, best practices, and career progression. This is a unique opportunity to connect with leaders such as Ryan Cunningham and Sangya Singh, who will be delivering a keynote on “The Future of Power Platform: Transforming your Organization with Copilot and Low-Code.”  I am looking forward to understanding their perspectives on the evolving landscape of low-code solutions and the integration of AI into business processes will be incredibly valuable.

              As an apprentice nearing the end of my apprenticeship, I have been inspired by my mentors and colleagues at MACE and this opportunity highlights a significant milestone in my professional development. It reflects the trust and investment MACE places in me, empowering me to strive for excellence in my role. This experience is especially meaningful given my positive journey as a woman in tech within the MACE team. The inclusive and supportive environment has encouraged me to pursue my passion for technology and innovation. This attendance not only underscores my professional growth but also reinforces the importance of diversity and support in the tech industry. I am immensely grateful to the MACE team for supporting me in this endeavour.

              We’re currently hiring for roles across the UK, explore our opportunities here.

              Explore our opportunities

              Author

              Hana Ahmed

              Lead Software Engineer
              Hana is a Lead Software Engineer at Capgemini and is an enthusiastic apprentice nearing the completion of her programme. She is set to attend the European Power Platform Conference (EPPC) in Brussels in June. With a keen interest in Power BI, Power Apps, and Power Automate, she is eager to gain invaluable insights from industry experts and apply best practices to her projects. This opportunity marks a significant milestone in her professional journey, showcasing the trust and support of her mentors at Capgemini, and highlighting her commitment to excellence and innovation as a woman in tech.

                What every CEO needs to know about global supply chains right now

                James Tilley
                Jun 10, 2024

                There’s a supply-chain revolution underway. It’s global, physical and digital. It’s changing where factories and warehouses are located and how they are managed. It’s being driven by the need to minimise disruption from geopolitical developments, wars, pandemics and climate disasters, and by rapid advances in technology. And it just might be the toughest topic boards need to get their heads around right now.

                Which is why this year’s Gartner Supply Chain Symposium in Barcelona  is such a hot ticket. The event promises to bring together the cream of the world’s chief supply-chain and chief procurement officers. Capgemini will be there as event sponsor, showcasing the depth and breadth of its supply-chain services across consulting, engineering, applications and business services. This year, Capgemini will be co-presenting in partnership with L’Oréal, following last year’s successful co-presentation with Unilever.

                A recent report from the Capgemini Research Institute (CRI) found that the world’s leading companies are reshoring in a big way, with dramatic implications for supply chains around the globe.

                The report, The resurgence of manufacturing: Reindustrialisation strategies in Europe and the US, estimates that companies are poised to invest a mighty $3.4 trillion over the next three years in new or modernised capacity and 49 per cent of that will be onshore. The share of revenue invested offshore is predicted to fall from 26 per cent to 17 per cent over the same period; just three years ago, it stood at 35 per cent.

                For companies, partial onshoring and near-shoring can tackle the growing risk of disruption arising from conflict, unrest, increasingly frequent and severe weather events – you name it. The pandemic and subsequent boom in demand exposed the risks of having too much production concentrated in one place and too far from consumers.

                Rising protectionism is also driving this trend. Now that governments are keen to ensure national capacities in vital sectors such as medicines, vaccines, computer chips, green energy, defence and the like, the US and European Union are offering incentives to key industries that alter the economic location equation.

                Additionally, wages for skilled workers have soared in places where they used to be cheap. This is driving a shift to replace men and women with machines, which cost the same to buy no matter where you install them.

                Indeed, a bunch of new technologies are becoming cost-lowering enablers, from robots, AI and hyper automation software to additive manufacturing and computer vision systems that enable rapid physical stock counts in warehouses.

                Last but not least, the 1,300 directors of companies with revenues of more than $1 billion surveyed by the CRI are getting serious about sustainability. Many are working towards zero emissions. They’re targeting the Scope 1 emissions from their own operations, Scope 2 from their energy suppliers and Scope 3 – emissions by suppliers and the users of their products.

                The less they move stuff around, the better. And verification – of compliance, emissions and marketing claims – increasingly matters.

                At Capgemini, with our partners and clients, we have been giving a lot of thought to all these issues.

                Last September, we formed a strategic alliance with Kuehne+Nagel, a leading global logistics provider, to offer fully integrated business services across the end-to-end supply chain. As a result, we are now capable of running supply-chain planning, order management, cash collection, master data management, procurement and logistics services for our clients.

                Together, we are delivering impactful supply-chain transformations, drawing upon the breadth of our knowledge, capabilities and capacity in the critical slew of digital enabling technologies.

                One example we’re especially proud of is our multi-year relationship with Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Unilever has over 400 brands, sold in over 190 countries and used by 3.4 billion people every day. Just think about the scale of its operations.

                Key to Unilever’s supply-chain transformation was uniting its supply-chain and IT functions to create Unilever Business Operations in 2022. Within this, the newly formed Customer Operations team set out to digitalise the company’s end-to-end global supply chain. Instrumental has been the creation of seven global hubs. Run by strategic partners – including Capgemini – they offer simpler, standardised, digitalised processes to run core functions of the supply chain and provide the foundation and platform for the business to digitalise at scale and at speed.

                The degree of simplification achieved by the implementation of these hubs is unrivalled. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform now runs just 10 core processes, down from over 150 country-specific ones. And it powers 20 fully integrated tech platforms and global process models (down from over 300 bespoke models) that undertake various functions, such as planning, customer interactions, promotion management and analytics, and cash collection. By establishing a standardised base layer of tech, Unilever can now roll out new technologies across the hubs over a single weekend (compared to the more traditional six- to 18-month period). The system gives Unilever’s supply-chain operators a holistic view of every aspect of the supply chain, right down to deciding which truck to use and the most efficient route for it to take.

                Putting all the data together on a comparable basis in interactive systems enables Unilever to optimise the way it sources inputs and services tens of thousands of direct customers and, indirectly, billions of end consumers daily. This has unlocked huge value for Unilever through increased speed of digital innovation, world-class operational efficiencies and increased operational resilience.

                Artificial intelligence is already playing a valuable role, for example in analysing demand volatility to forecast future needs. This leads to better inventory management and more timely distribution, reducing costs and the amount of slow-moving stock.

                Sometimes supply-chain shifts arise because new technologies enable new products, more sustainable ingredients or materials and new ways of fulfilling consumer needs. Indeed, these shifts are moving L’Oréal into an omnichannel landscape, so we have been helping the company rethink its logistics strategy to meet – and indeed surpass – emerging customer requirements. This has included an ambitious target to modernise and optimise warehouse operations by deploying a new warehouse management system at 40-plus sites across four continents, building a common core solution for all internally run warehouses worldwide. We will be co-presenting with L’Oréal on this very topic at Gartner and can’t wait to share our story.

                Best practice in supply-chain management today delivers three objectives: resilience, sustainability and customer-centricity. And that requires the right people with the right skills in the right roles, from the supply chief to the disruption director to the waste wealth manager.

                Make no mistake, supply chains are evolving at lightning speed and this is impacting every company in every link of the chain. At Capgemini, we have the imagination, skills and capabilities you will need to make it happen in your business.

                Meet our Author

                James Tilley

                Vice-President Supply Chain, Capgemini UK
                James is a VP within Capgemini Invent’s Intelligent Industry leadership team, specialised in Supply Chain and with a focus on CPRD (Consumer Products, Retail and Distribution). He works extensively with Capgemini’s largest and most strategic clients. He is fully focused on delivering business value for customers working with Execs and their delivery teams.