Wednesday, 21 November, will mark a year since Leigh-Ann Fowle sat down to dine with just under 30 female geeks, establishing the Johannesburg branch of worldwide initiative Girl Geek Dinners.
The dinners are held monthly in 32 different countries and aim to encourage women interested in technology and other so-called "geeky" professions to meet others who share their interests and to gain inspiration and mentorship.
According to Fowle, the way to increase the number of women in careers like IT is not through quotas but rather through showing them what is possible.
"Women need role models and women need mentorship and they need people they can look up to, people they can learn from," she says.
"And you've also got to make the industry attractive for young women. So you have to explain to them all the different paths your career can take," she adds.
Fowle uses the November guest speaker, Prezence Digital head of product strategy Lynette Hundermark, as an example. Hundermark started with a computer science degree, writing code. Now her job is incredibly people-orientated and creative.
Each Girl Geek Dinner takes place at a different venue and guest speakers regale stories of their successes. Previous speakers have included Sarah Britten, well-known blogger and brand ambassador; Heidi Brauer, former executive manager of group marketing and strategic partnerships at Comair; and Mardia van der Walt-Korsten, regional head for Middle East and Africa at T-Systems.
"A lot of women who attend are young in their careers and they've said that listening to people like that is so inspirational," says Fowle.
In addition to encouraging the attendees, the dinners also provide the opportunity for young women to grow their personal networks.
"It's so difficult for people to get into jobs of any sort when you come out of varsity; no one wants to give you a chance," Fowle says. "The strength of a network is that the more people you know, the more opportunities you're open to, and that's true in any area of life, not just for girl geeks. The bigger your network is, the better for you."
The dinners now play host to between 60 and 70 people and are often sold out, according to Fowle. Those who wish to attend can purchase tickets online in advance for R150, which includes dinner and a goodie bag. Men are welcome to attend, she adds, although they might feel awkward in a room full of women.
In the past, Fowle has been accused of being exclusionary for pitching her event at women and only inviting women to speak.
"One guy wanted to speak, and when I said we're only looking for female speakers, he said 'it's apartheid'," she recounts.
"I've tried to keep it to female speakers just because I feel like we should profile the women there are out there."
Fowle stresses that the dinners are not meant to exclude anyone or promote one gender above another.
"I just believe you should be brought up knowing that you can do whatever you want to do. Whether that is stay at home and be a mom or have a career, or do both, or do none, then that should be your opportunity and there should be no limits on what you can do," she says.
"So if you're studying something and you're not enjoying it or whatever, why not give tech a chance? There are many ways for you to learn and get the skills if you want them and change your career path."
To find out more about the Johannesburg Girl Geek Dinners and to book for the November event or see how you can get involved with the initiative, click here.
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