Driving diversity in the digital age

UQ business graduate Holly Tattersall is logging into a global network to empower women in an ever-changing digital landscape.

Holly Tattersall addresses the crowd at Women in Digital networking event in Brisbane.

Born in Papua New Guinea and raised in Fiji, New Zealand and Australia, entrepreneur and UQ business graduate Holly Tattersall developed a great appreciation for the world’s diversity early in life.

Something that served her well when she later embarked on a career in the inherently global digital industry.

As Founder and International Director of Women in Digital (WID), an international organisation that promotes diversity and inclusion for women in digital industries at all levels, Ms Tattersall is creating change for women in a typically male-dominated industry.

“After graduating with a Bachelor of Business Management in 2010, with a triple major in Human Resources, Industrial Relations and International Business, I had a keen desire to apply my international business expertise”

Holly Tattersall

“So, I moved to Colombia where I founded a tour company.

“This was a challenging but positive experience for me, both personally and professionally. I was simultaneously learning a new language and navigating the intercultural nuances of starting a business in a foreign country.”

Ms Tattersall received advice from a mentor early on in her career to be authentic in all she did, which led her to pursue an entrepreneurial career path, rather than climb the corporate ladder.

“I founded Women in Digital after realising the power of a mentoring relationship and wishing that all women could have the same experience in their career.”

In two years, the organisation has grown from a local Brisbane meet-up to an international organisation with branches reaching as far as Silicon Valley, in the US, and Tel Aviv in Israel.

Ms Tattersall is passionate about the role digital technology can play in empowering under-privileged women, which has also led her to provide sponsorship and skills mentoring to her partner organisation, Women in Digital Bangladesh.

“By providing services that support and inspire women to be strong, confident and skilled, I hope to act as a change agent who will create more female leaders in the digital industry,”

Holly Tattersall

When Ms Tattersall is not busy expanding WID across the globe, she is Treasurer and Executive Council Member for the Australian Institute of International Affairs, as well as a member of both Women in Technology and the Digital Industry Association of Australia. In 2014, she was recognised as an industry authority by acting as a panel judge for the Lord Mayor’s Business Award for Digital Strategy.

Ms Tattersall’s impact as a change maker in the digital landscape was officially recognised when she was named a finalist in the 2016 Queenslander Young Achiever Awards for Online Achievement.

Her insights into technology lead her to believe that the best Australian universities will begin to utilise gaming, augmented and virtual reality to support students learning styles and offer a more immersive learning experience.

“These shifts in technology will in turn empower teachers to provide tailored education and teaching styles to better suit their students,” she says.

Ms Tattersall credits UQ with providing and encouraging networking opportunities for alumni that have helped her achieve business success.

“Joining the UQ Young Alumni Board helped me realise the value of networking and maintaining connections to the University,” she says.

“When you study at UQ you not only gain a degree that endorses your academic learning, you gain access to a network of successful and supportive individuals who hold a sense of loyalty to their fellow UQ alumni.”

“Spending my formative years abroad led to a fascination with others’ life experiences and upbringings, and the friendships forged and experiences shared with fellow students from Australia and around the world remains one of my greatest university highlights”.

For more information

Visit womenindigital.org

If you would like to connect with UQ’s young alumni community, visit alumni.uq.edu.au/young-alumni

Connect with Holly Tattersall at holly@womenindigital.org