Flying high as a woman in tech at Sopra Steria

 Sue-Ellen Wright’s career has taken her from the Australian military to Managing Director of Sopra Steria UK’s defence technology business.

 

When I left school, I got a scholarship to train at ADFA, the Australian Defence Force Academy, in Canberra. I graduated in 1990 and my military career took me to an air force base in Brisbane, where I became a Supply Officer. I was then posted to the Blue Mountains, near Sydney, where I ran the Air Commander’s mess, which was an absolutely amazing experience.

As well as learning about catering, I learned about people management. There were plenty of fun moments, but I had to deal with serious situations too. After that posting, I returned to Canberra to work in the material division, buying aircraft, while completing my MBA in project and programme management. 

My final posting with the Australian military was at ADFA, running a division in an instructor role. I loved looking after 48 cadets and being their role model. Then I was on the promotion list to become a Squadron Leader. The posting would have been in an office writing policy, which wasn’t what I wanted to do, especially as I enjoy working in a team.

So, it was at that point in my career that I decided to join the private sector, beginning with a role in an international IT company. It was a different world to what I had been used to, however I found my military experience and leadership skills were highly transferrable, which helped. I also had an amazing female mentor who was extremely capable and competent, holding her own in any situation – the perfect role model. But ultimately, I struggled with the sense of belonging – the military is like your family – so I decided to take a career-break and go travelling with a friend. 

We planned to spend a few years in the UK. I thought I’d do the traditional Aussie thing and work in a bar, but I had connections from the global IT company I had worked at previously. I rejoined them in the UK and stayed there in various roles for 15 years, working with more great female role models, including a CEO.

In more recent years I joined Shared Services Connected Limited (SSCL), a joint venture between Sopra Steria and the Cabinet Office, as a Managing Director. I took on the challenge of outsourcing the Metropolitan Police’s payroll, HR, finance and accounting services. What a journey that was – I’m really proud of our work in this area. I learned quickly that the culture and values at Sopra Steria are fantastic, particularly for women.

Two-and-a-half years later, I was asked to consider becoming the Managing Director for Aerospace, Defence and Security (ADS) within Sopra Steria. I thought I’d finished with defence when I hung up my uniform, but I knew I would be able to make a real difference. I regained that sense of pride and purpose from my time in the military. I decided to go for it – that was nearly three years ago now, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

No two days are the same – we have a broad spectrum of clients and contracts. I see my role as being a leader of leaders, helping my team to achieve our full potential, and reflect what our customers need. My diary could consist of anything from talking to our Public Safety Group about how we better support the 36.7m citizens calling 999 through our Storm Command and Control system, to working out how we better support counter terrorist analysts through our national security solutions.

There are so many reasons why Sopra Steria is a great place for women to work. It is a values-driven, wellbeing-focused business that cares about people. One of the most powerful examples was during the pandemic, when the first item on the agenda at every meeting chaired by the CEO, was an update on the welfare of our employees and their families and a discussion around how the organisation could best support anyone who was dealing with serious illness as a result of Covid-19. 

Women at Sopra Steria are so engaged and receive an incredible amount of support. For example, every woman in my business area has a development plan to ensure they can reach their full potential. Our Women’s Inclusive Network (WIN) is a hugely powerful network which supports and engages many of our people across the organisation, including hosting a programme of seminars and workshops each year, often partnering with our clients, such as the Ministry of Defence. We also have great initiatives across the organisation, such as ‘Shadow Me’ campaigns and menopause awareness training.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to encouraging women to work in defence and technology, and Sopra Steria understands this. There are the little, but important things, such as providing desk fans for women experiencing menopause symptoms, as well as bigger projects, such as coaching cafés and Women in Leadership programmes. 

Our Workforce Inclusion Manager works with us to see what more we can do to encourage women. It’s everything from role-modelling and being visible, to making sure our job descriptions attract people who share our values. If someone has a great attitude and transferrable skills, they can often be trained in the technical aspects of different roles and enjoy a long and successful career with Sopra Steria.

We need diverse teams with different views and perspectives. It’s about making sure women are supported and encouraged to be a part of driving change for the better, as we keep growing our business.