April 2017 event 18 at Cisco

April 2017 event 18 at Cisco

It was Cisco’s turn to host our 18th Connecting Women in Technology event.

A sunny day at their Bedfont office with views of the lakes, the theme of the day took an alternative stance than usual, this time focusing on ‘A Life in the Day of Technology’. The aim; to spark discussion on the way that technology continues to impact our culture and environment, with the chance to network together throughout the day and most enjoyably on the terrace with drinks, canapes and evening sun.

Phil Smith opened the conversation for the day by introducing the pertinent topic of productivity in the U.K and how technology can be leveraged as the catalyst to exponential productivity. Alison Vincent was next to take to the stage where she delivered an inspirational presentation on her journey through the technology industry, from Mathematics to CTO of Cisco and the balancing act she has had to take as a Women in Technology.

The Agenda in true CWT format was as follows:

  • 12.15: Arrival and Registration in Cisco Building 10 (Tea and Coffee provided)
  • 13.00: Introduction and Welcome from Cathy Tomlinson
  • 13.15: Phil Smith (Cisco SVP UKI Chair)
  • 13.30: Alison Vincent (Cisco CTO UKI)
  • 14.15: Breakout Session 1
  • 15:00 Tea and Coffee
  • 15.15: Breakout Session 2
  • 16.00: Keynote: Dr Nicola Millard “The 6 D’s that are shaping the future of our work”
  • 17.00: Summary/Q&A/Discussions
  • 17.30: Wine and Canapes

Everyone had the following choices for the Breakout Sessions:

  • “Millennials: The blurred lines between personal and business. How much is too much?” Hannah Whyte-Smith (Associate Director, Ipsos MORI)
  • “Benefits of technology in crime fighting. How technology helps to solve criminal cases” – Vic Baines (Trust & Safety Manager EMEA, Facebook)
  • “The adoption of technology amongst older citizens and its impact” Age UK

The day was closed off with a fantastic Keynote from Dr. Nicola Millard – a ball of energy and fun with the futurologist’s take on the 6 D’s that are shaping our future: Diversity, Dilbert, Distance, Dolly, Dr No and The Droid. An unforgettable presenter with some wonderfully insightful content.

We had some great feedback from the day:

“The speakers doing the introductions to the day and the keynote at the end were brilliant, some of the best I’ve seen on CWT events. All touched on hot-topics, very relatable and thought provoking”.

“Keynote speaker really made the event – Nicola was an inspiration, lively and very interactive”.

“The networking session at the end was great too!”

“Loved, loved, loved the Crime fighting breakout session. It was so engaging, so honourable and so inspiring”.

 We are now looking forward to our next event at Microsoft later this year – watch this space 😊