30572_Kao Data Critical Careers_Pages - Flipbook - Page 87
What has surprised you being a woman in
the data centre industry?
Have you encountered any challenges
being a woman in the industry?
hen I 昀椀rst entered the data centre industry, I didn’t really
think much about being a woman in this industry. I’ve always
considered myself pretty gender-neutral. I wasn’t the type to
focus on whether a role needed “strong women” or anything like that. I
just saw myself as a professional doing the work.
o be honest with you, not really. At least not in the sense of being
treated differently because I’m a woman. I’ve been fortunate to
work with really supportive colleagues and clients. A lot of the
clients I deal with are hyperscalers or large global MTDCs, and honestly,
they don’t care whether you’re a man or a woman. They just want to
know if you can deliver—and that kind of fairness is something I really
appreciate about the space.
W
But that changed after this one event I attended in China. I sent a photo
from the event to a friend who isn’t in the industry, and she pointed
out, “You know you’re the only woman in that photo out of 75 people,
right?” And I looked at it again and thought “Wow, she’s right.” I’d
just come back from another event, a big conference in Bali, and it was
the same thing. That’s when it really hit me: women are really underrepresented in this industry.
Before that, I hadn’t noticed because I’ve been lucky to work with great
colleagues. I’ve never personally felt biased against, which is probably
why I didn’t realise how rare it still is to see women in the room. But once
you notice, you can’t unsee it.
I don’t know exactly why the gap is still so wide—maybe because the
industry is so rooted in mechanical and electrical engineering? But this
is a new age. Things should’ve shifted more by now. I attend vendor
trainings designed for presales and post-sales teams. And I always
remind people—there are women pulling cables, doing splicing, and
getting hands-on in the 昀椀eld. Maybe they’re still few and far between,
but they’re out there.
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T
For me, the real challenge hasn’t been about gender, it’s been
about motherhood.
This industry never stops. It’s 24/7. There’s no real “off switch.” And that’s
the part that’s been hard, especially over the past few months. Even
when I’m home, I’m still on the phone, still checking in, still managing
things. My son hears me on calls at night, during meals, on weekends.
It’s constant. There’s no such thing as protected family time unless you
really force it.
It’s different from other professions where you can say, “I’ll come back
to this later” or “I’ll pick it up when I’m ready.” In digital infrastructure,
the work is time-sensitive, the deadlines are intense, and things are
always moving. So the challenge isn’t being a woman—it’s balancing the
demands of the job with the demands of being a mum.
I know I’m not the only one who feels this. It’s something that comes with
the territory, but it’s also something I think we need to talk about more,
especially as more women (and mothers) join the industry.
