Interview with journalist Sonia Haimanta
Katia Fytrou’s interview should be read by all Women who run obstacles in the professional arena – not necessarily in the field of STEM. Not only because she holds a high-ranking position (COO) in Cosmos Business Systems that provides solutions to Technology issues and pioneers with innovative products, but mainly because Ms. Fytrou honestly and generously submits her own concentrated experience while opening a big window to younger Women taking their first steps in a male-dominated terrain. From this conversation we keep the comparative advantage of the female presence in the Technology industry by bringing a renewed aura of management, increasing empathy, tightening the cohesive work fabric, tracing opportunities and challenges, digging new and deeper networking channels and most importantly, building solid bridges of trust with customers: a brave new world is added to the old. Cosmos Business Systems evolved and managed to hold one of the first positions in the Technology sector in Greece and Cyprus, highlighting the potential of the company through its human resources.
To what extent is this success story due to the presence of women in the staff or management team?
The success of our company is a team result. As we all know, a strong and united team with common goals and prospects will bring excellent results. The majority of our company is 74% men, although organized efforts are being made by the HR department to achieve better distribution. Women in positions of responsibility existed from the beginning in Cosmos Business Systems but did not participate in the Management. The presence of women in Management in recent years has brought a Renewed “aura” of management with more family characteristics such as increased empathy within teams, increased trust and the feeling of belonging to an organization or better to a “family” that cares about employees as individuals and not as employees alone. The results of our company show us in practice that the change of our strategy in the structure is bearing fruit and for this reason we have already decided to strengthen the presence of women in more positions of responsibility.
How does your company treat Women employees in relation to inclusion?
For all jobs at Cosmos, the prospects for advancement are the same regardless of gender and not only. We place more importance on assessing one’s abilities and productivity than on one’s gender. The development of our staff’s skills and their “lifelong learning” is a priority for us. We motivate development almost daily which follow a carefully designed training program for our staff.
How do you see your clients leveraging female talent in their IT and technology companies?
Harnessing female talent is not common among our clients. However, we see that they are slowly integrating women into positions of responsibility in Technology and Information Technology. It will take many years to have a sufficient number of women in this field, but a good “yeast” is being created, which will change the status quo.
What are the biggest obstacles faced by a woman working in Technology and/or Digital?
The first thing I would point out is the distrust of my interlocutors, who are meeting me for the first time. It usually takes twice as much effort for a woman in the tech industry to be accepted for her abilities as a man who has a “right” to be in the field. The majority of the interlocutors are men and I often find myself in the position of the only woman in a meeting. This fact, It puts you in a position of weakness where you have to back up your positions with solid evidence and hard data, otherwise your knowledge of the subject carries no weight. A woman’s behavior in the workplace should be very measured because she can be misunderstood more easily and at the same time she must find the balance of maintaining her feminine side without being seen as provoking.
Negative comments about women about their appearance are more frequent than about men. What did you specifically encounter
?The main thing I had to deal with was social bias and belief in relation to my managerial ability within the company. It was as if I had an invisible enemy and had to meet all his expectations of my failure. A woman is capable of an auxiliary or auxiliary position but is not capable of running a business or having subordinate men. This is one of the stereotypes I had to face. But Most people forget, rather deliberately, that a woman by nature is required to have administrative and organizational skills due to the combination of her work, family and the demanding schedule of children, where in my case there are three.
How does it feel to be in a male-dominated environment?
Flattered though highly stressed. While it’s a bit weird to be the only woman at the table like I said before, it’s also quite enjoyable. Everyone will notice the way they speak, they will be more polite than when they are alone. They will want to be liked in what they have to testify because they will hardly upset a woman and will prefer to smooth some corners on difficult issues. On the other hand, I am very anxious to be worthy of the occasion every time on all levels. The triptych that a woman needs to survive in a male-dominated environment is smile, kindness and knowledge.
How does Technology affect businesses especially in the post-covid era?
I would say that Covid-19 has had a positive effect on the development of the use of technology and even without objectors and revolutionaries. Everyone was forced to evolve immediately. Within days, decisions were taken on the technological development of companies and the state that had been dragging their feet for a long time, if not years. This change is maintained after covid. Teleworking has come and will stay to some extent in a hybrid model. It will be used where physical presence is difficult or not possible. I also think it will be a good means for parents with family obligations that before could not keep up. The technological evolution of businesses will continue as we already see in the market in areas of security, networks, Disaster Recovery centers and upgrading their infrastructure.
What is your message to women trying to enter the field of Technology? Do you think that the doors are open but not free for high-ranking executives
to climb?The doors are open and the opportunity is in front of them. It’s not an easy industry to climb but you can show your skills and succeed. If you are not afraid of hard work, daily comparison and generally do not bend the difficulties, technology is the field to enter. And as British computer scientist Karen Spärck Jones said: “I think it’s very important for women to get into the IT world. IT is too important to leave to men.”
Finally, is there anything in the female mind that comes to add, complement, enhance the mindset and operation of an IT-Technology company?
I could not answer this question in the negative. Of course there is! First, women are experts at perceiving opportunities in new ideas and collaborators. They have the ability to bring their ideas to life but also to help those around them develop their own. Women are also experts in creating their own network that will help them realize the goals they have set and try them beforehand. They are also experts in cultivating relationships that are genuine and meaningful and of course this helps develop the company’s relationships with partners and customers as relationships of trust. Watch the interview on WID