Women in ICT Standardisation - Interview with Sudha Iyer
5 March 2024
This March 7, 2024, SEEBLOCKS.eu, in collaboration with other five European Funded projects, will be participating in the online event entitled ‘Women in ICT Standardisation’ which will be held online from 10:30 to 12:00 AM CET. Sudha Iyer, member of SEEBLOCKS.eu Strategy Board, will be the “SEEBLOCKS.eu panellist” in this exciting webinar.
All the projects involved in the event are focusing on standardisation and for this special event each project will be represented by women who will discuss and highlight the key gender gaps in ICT standardisation. In particular there will be a focus on the main obstacles that persist in the field and the main results and achievements obtained at the European level, some of the speakers will also be sharing their experiences and practices in empowering the role of women in standards.
Sudha Iyer on behalf of SEEBLOCKS.eu at the event
Sudha Iyer - Senior Vice President Enterprise Cybersecurity Architecture at CITI, is part of the SEEBLOCKS.eu Strategy Board in Blockchain and will be representing the project at the ‘Women in ICT Standardisation’ event. In particular Sudha will be giving a presentation on how to protect digital assets on blockchain for businesses.
In the past months, SEEBLOCKS.eu liaised with Sudha some burning questions within the Blockchain area and specifically regarding women in the blockchain industry. As Sudha pointed out, ‘A culture where talent, irrespective of gender, is not yet the prime characteristic for progress seems as the biggest obstacle in the world for talented women.’ According to her perspective, a significant aspect of attracting talent in the industry is attributed to leaders who actively promote visibility for other talented women and offer opportunities for their advancement. This approach not only fosters gender parity but also cultivates an environment conducive to growth within the industry.
Finally, Sudha shared with us a heartfelt and personal contribution, drawing inspiration from the words of Alfred Tennyson, 'I am part of everything I met.' From this, she articulated the following comment:
‘My journey with international standards began in 2016 as a part of my role in the Global Bank in Ireland and an opportunity through NSAI. I was lucky to have some great mentors and friends, like Fiona Delaney, who stood by me, encouraged me to write policy and standards. I grew as a leader in the financial industry, got embedded in several senior level standardisation forums (open and otherwise). I leveraged mentors, to me they are the giants, I stood on their shoulders and have learnt so much from them. It was not always an easy path. I had my share of hurdles, but I was perseverant and have always found a way to be better at what I do. I have a loving and supporting husband and a 16-year-old son who has a passion for aerospace engineering. This is me today, hopefully better tomorrow!’
To discover more about the event’s agenda and to join Sudha during the webinar, visit our website here.