International Women’s Day has come around again, and it’s prompted Grit Daily to shine a spotlight on women in the workplace.
One of the most innovative and inclusive companies on our radar is Devoteam, whose headquarters are in Paris, France.
Devoteam has a long-standing commitment to helping organizations transform through innovative technology. With over three decades of experience as a technology consultancy, Devoteam’s expertise extends across cloud, cyber, and data to interconnect all platforms into a “one AI-driven enterprise architecture.” Across its 11,000-strong workforce, Devoteam fosters a culture of learning and collaboration built on partnerships with both global technology leaders and innovative startups.
Now, celebrating its 30th year, co-founders and brothers Stanislas and Godefroy de Bentzmann have built a company that puts company culture at the forefront of everything it does.
Devoteam’s values are all about the people within it. The words respect, collaboration, ambition, frankness, and entrepreneurship adorn the walls of their offices, and although artificial intelligence is at the forefront of their strategy in 2026 and beyond, it remains a company that is ‘Tech For People.”
International Women’s Day
That is what convinced Helena Izett, Marketing Director of Devoteam’s UK & Ireland branch, to join the company a year ago. Helena and her colleagues have been sharing their thoughts on the company as women across the globe reflect on International Women’s Day.
“Usually, I’m the first person to keep my head down when the wave of ‘inspirational’ corporate posts hits my feed. But a year on, I’ve realised that we’re doing something different at Devoteam. We aren’t just talking about gender balance because it’s a ‘nice’ thing to do; we’re treating it as a core business requirement. At Devoteam, we try to limit the fluff. We are an AI-driven tech consulting firm, which means we value results. And logically, attracting more women into tech is a competitive advantage.
“When I was asked by John Lacey and Steve Crowley, our Country Managing Directors, to lead the UK&I Marketing team, I felt that familiar spark of imposter syndrome. I’d spent a couple of years leading the consulting partner marketing ecosystem in the UK and Ireland at Amazon Web Services (AWS), but stepping into a new leadership role felt like an exciting challenge. What made the difference for me was the culture here. I wasn’t hired to fill a gap in a spreadsheet; I was hired because the leadership had faith in what I bring to the table. That sense of belonging is the foundation of everything we do here in the UK.”
Make It Work for You
“I’ve always told my team: ‘Make it work for you.’ In our industry, women often feel pressured to prioritise everyone else’s needs over their own career growth. I’ve found that the most sustainable way to be high-impact is to advocate for the opportunities you actually deserve. Working with John and Steve has made me see that this is not just allowed – it’s encouraged. With nearly every strategic or leadership decision I want to make, I have their support and backing.”
The Devoteam UK workforce is 24% female, with a goal to reach 30% by 2027. In technical roles, it’s much lower, and Helena says that the company is changing that through clear, logical policies such as:
- Inclusive Interviewing: Devoteam UK is implementing a policy ensuring a female candidate is interviewed for every technical role, as well as creating gender neutral job descriptions.
- Broadening Diversity: Devoteam UK looks beyond gender to socio-economic backgrounds – factors that often get overlooked but are vital for true innovation.
- Family-First Policies: The company’s UK maternity policy offers six months of full pay, plus a “Returner’s Bonus” of a full month’s salary after six months back at work. The company paternity leave is also enhanced, offering up to four weeks of full pay for employees who have been with the company for more than a year.
One Voice, Many Perspectives
Diverse leadership is a catalyst for better ideas. Having voices like Helena’s and Finance Director Sarah Allen on the UK leadership team provides a broader strategic lens. This “One Voice” allows Devoteam to solve complex challenges with more sophisticated solutions for their customers.
“What I enjoy most is that I work with fantastic people – both men and women – who are creative, collaborative, and genuinely supportive. If you want a career in tech that actually works for you, come and see what we’re building.”
What the women in the Devoteam UK & Ireland team say:
Helena Izett, Marketing Director
What is the most important piece of advice you have been given?
“The most impactful advice I’ve received is that people will forget your spreadsheets and power point decks, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. In high-pressure corporate environments, it’s easy to default to competition or ‘politics.’ However, I’ve found that leading with kindness and humility isn’t just a ‘nice’ way to work – it’s a competitive advantage. It builds the psychological safety necessary for teams to actually innovate and deliver their best results.”
Why do you think companies would benefit from having more women at the top?
“Diverse leadership is a catalyst for innovation. At Devoteam, our ‘One Voice’ is strengthened when it incorporates varied perspectives. On our UK leadership team, having Sarah and me provides a broader strategic lens. This diversity allows us to approach complex challenges with more sophisticated solutions for the benefit of our customers, partners and employees.”
What are your top tips to other women in the workplace?
“Support each other. We are a cohesive and unified team; therefore, we must never view our peers as threats. By supporting other women and lifting them up, we create a more vibrant and happier working environment – which has always been something that’s really important to me.”
Sarah Allen, Finance Director
Which women inspire you the most?
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have many inspirational women in both my personal and professional life. While we can look to people in the media for inspiration, we don’t truly know their full stories. The women who inspire me most are those I know personally — women who lead with honesty, integrity, empathy, and a genuine commitment to supporting others.
“Seeing how these women navigate difficult situations inspires me. You don’t have to be a business leader to inspire others, you can do this at any level. Sometimes, it’s as simple as being the kind of person who can see things from someone else’s point of view and genuinely wants to help.”
How can we better support other women in their career growth, particularly in developing leadership skills?
“The best way to support other women is to give honest feedback, truly listen to their aspirations, and help open doors whenever we can. Be their champions, act as positive role models, and support them through more challenging situations. By showing support, encouragement, and guidance, we can help grow their confidence and open up the opportunities they need to develop as leaders.”
As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career? Have you been confronted with gender-related roadblocks in your career?
“Early in my career, I was once asked in an interview if and when I planned to have children. I can’t remember my exact response, but I didn’t get the job (a lucky escape!)
“While I believe questions like that are less common today, it would be naïve to think that biases don’t still exist.
“At Devoteam in the UK, our leadership team recently reviewed and enhanced some of our family-related policies. We’re committed to building a workplace that supports employees’ lives, and to attracting and retaining the best talent – both women and men.”
Anna Gawne – Head of Operations
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
“Women make up 50% of the population but represent less than 25% of tech roles in the UK, with representation dropping at every leadership level. IWD matters because it creates space to discuss why this drastic underrepresentation persists despite widespread agreement that ‘representation matters.’ The uncomfortable reality is that good intentions alone haven’t moved the needle enough. At a minimum, IWD ensures these conversations happen at least once a year and can (hopefully) serve as a catalyst that moves us beyond good intentions towards a fairer, more equal reality.”
What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders?
“Your environment matters more than you can imagine – choose where you work and who you’re around carefully because it will inevitably shape how you lead. Rather than focusing on ‘fixing’ weaknesses, I’ve found it more efficient to focus on what I’m naturally good at and do more of that. When it comes to developing your style, I’ve learned more from watching other leaders in action than from any training program. Find people you respect, observe how they operate, then adapt what works to your own approach. In an increasingly hybrid workplace, try to prioritise some face-to-face time – I’ve found it leaves a more memorable impression. Trust your instincts throughout, and if something’s consistently not working for you, don’t be afraid to recalibrate or move on. It will allow you to find something that suits you better.”
Why do you think companies would benefit from having more women at the top?
“When the people building our technology don’t reflect the diversity of users, we get predictable blind spots and missed perspectives that directly impact business success. It’s well documented that technical designs reflect their creators’ biases, and when the workforce has a disproportionate majority compared to the population it serves, these biases get amplified into the systems themselves.
“More fundamentally, it’s about building products that work for the broadest range of people. A biased algorithm doesn’t just affect one interaction, it scales to millions of users. With more equal representation in decision-making roles, we have the opportunity to actively code equality into the infrastructure that will shape our future, rather than perpetuating the past.”
Nav Dhinsa – Principal Consultant, Devoteam UK
Why do you think companies would benefit from having more women at the top?
“I really feel that having women at the top should be about much more than just a diversity tick box exercise. It is about actually valuing the different points of view we bring, which is a huge reason why inclusive companies keep growing and usually do better than others financially. Women in charge help to shake things up and challenge the status quo by moving past those traditional norms that can sometimes hold a business back. This brings a level of empathy that was once wrongly seen as a weakness but is actually a massive strength. It comes down to truly listening to people, which builds a culture where everyone feels they can speak up and share their best ideas.”
How can we better support other women in their career growth, particularly in developing leadership skills?
“I think supporting women is really about being much more open about the reality of how careers actually move forward. We help the next generation gain real leadership skills when we share honest stories about how we handled a hard promotion or got back on track after a mistake. Sharing these experiences teaches the resilience and navigation skills you can only get from the real world. It is also common for women to find their personality gets picked apart more than their work, so we need to show them how to navigate that while keeping the focus on results. It is about moving from just giving advice to making sure the next group of female leaders has the tools and the visibility they need to succeed.”
Why do you think it is important to celebrate International Women’s Day?
“I see International Women’s Day as a massive chance to stop and be deliberate about recognising the huge impact women have across so many businesses and sectors, as well as the women in our personal lives who are often the driving force for making us the strong leaders we are today. It is a day for us to really back each other up and make sure we are shining a light on the voices and successes that drive real progress. I love that this ties in with Women’s History Month because looking at some of the amazing female innovators shows the next generation of women what they can actually achieve. At work, this day is a reminder to cheer on the women around us who show up everyday with such drive and conviction. By leaning into mentorship and celebrating each other, we stop competing and start acting like a proper community. It is about making sure that the work women do, whether it was years ago or just yesterday, is visible and fully recognised for the value it brings.”
Learn more about Devoteam on their official website or on LinkedIn.
