WomenWiseData (WWD) has launched a co-branded mentoring programme with Investigo to encourage women into data roles and promote female voices in the data community.

A Women in Data report revealed that the proportion of women in the data and analytics space dropped to 20% since the pandemic. WomenWiseData aims to tackle this issue by bringing together a community of women seeking to enter the data industry as well as those who are leading the way.

The initiative involves quarterly events focused on opening up conversations, sharing knowledge, and technical learning.

WomenWiseData hosted a panel based on ‘Navigating a career in data as a female’ as part of its mentoring programme. The panel was co-led by global AI and data consultancy Artefact at the Artefact offices.

Last year, Kalina Tomova joined the Investigo data and analytics team as an associate consultant. She founded WWD to increase the visibility of women in the industry. At the events, senior data leaders are invited to host panels to share their journeys as women in data and inspire the next generation of female data professionals.

WWD has also had a lot of interest from ambassadors, volunteers, and coaches, with a considerable number of the senior data leaders involved in the programme putting themselves forward as mentors.

As a woman in data and tech herself, Tomova aims to uplift women and to play an active role in changing the landscape.

Investigo’s participation in WWD is to support women in the data sphere and ultimately fill the digital skills gap in tech, through holding events and optimising reach.

Kalina Tomova, founder of WomenWiseData, said: “Working as a woman in data has exposed how alienating the industry can be if you don’t have support. There aren’t enough networks and support systems out there which is why I set up WomenWiseData in the first place. I’m excited to play an active role in this ever-changing landscape and see women in the community flourish.

The support so far from Investigo and senior professionals in the industry has been outstanding and I hope that we continue to connect with women in the industry to make a real difference in the representation of women in data.”

Matt Smith, Managing Director of Technology, Transformation and CIO Practices at Investigo and InX, said: “It’s no secret that women have been underrepresented in the world of data for a long time, and WomenWiseData addresses this head-on. We couldn’t be more eager to support Kalina and the community of women who are leading the way in the industry as well as those looking to break into the data sphere.”