In our ongoing series highlighting Women in Tech as we celebrate International Women’s Day, we had a word with Velma Ngoni. Velma is a Change Management Engineer at Safaricom and Technovation Chapter Ambassador – Kenya.
As a Change Management Engineer, her role involves assessing the risks of all software deployments and upgrades across all Safaricom Network elements and IT infrastructure. She also leads the delivery of all digital solutions as well as automation in her team.
Technovation is a tech-education program that empowers girls aged 10 – 18 years to create and solve problems through Technology. As an ambassador, Velma’s role includes scouting potential students and mentors to participate in the program. Organizing events, workshops, and networking forums for the participants with Technology Industry players among others.
Growing up Velma Ngoni just like many of us, wanted to be a lot of things, a teacher, a forensic pathologist, a researcher, a farmer, a soldier, a computer whiz like the TV series Person of Interest, you name it. Her first interaction with tech was during the University Course selection by JAB while she was still in high school. Having been born and bred in Nairobi, she did not want to study out of town so she selected all the courses that could get her into University of Nairobi (UON) with Computer Science being one of the options. Luckily when the KSCE results came out, she had passed the exams, which allowed her to secure a spot at the university to pursue a degree in Computer Science.
Being that she chose the course by chance and did not know much about it, Velma initially had doubts about it till she attended a talk by Anthony Nandaa. Anthony who is a computer whiz had come to the University to give a talk to first year computer science students during which he shared his story. It was then that she shifted her thinking and started appreciating the course due to its limitless career opportunities. This prompted her to make a decision to craft a career path as a young woman in tech.
Velma managed to land an internship position at Safaricom in 2017 just after she had finished her coursework. After graduating in 2018, she landed her current role at Safaricom working as a Change Management Engineer.
As a woman in tech, Velma Ngonoi has faced challenges navigating in a male-dominated industry, which has often left her feeling intimidated and struggling with imposter syndrome. However, she has overcome this by being patient with herself, build her confidence as well as honing her skills.
On matters diversity in the industry, Velma predicts that there shall be a rise in the number of women joining the industry. This is due to the fact that women who are already in tech have been very proactive in sharing their stories which has inspired girls to consider careers in tech. This has led to a situation where we have more ladies taking up courses in advanced tech such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.
In addition to this, organizations such as Safaricom have also been key in driving diversity programs such as Women in Technology and Diversity Internship programs that have provided opportunities for mentorship and learning thus making tech more inclusive.
She also believes that Male support is key in ensuring women thrive in the tech industry. Through their guidance, they can be able to amplify women’s voices as well as encourage them to participate in decision-making processes. Thus creating an inclusive work environment for women to thrive.
Velma shares that the secret behind the success in her career has been working with coaches and role models. These individuals have challenged her to set career goals and overcome self-doubt in developing a career plan.
Velma’s advice to women who would like to pursue a tech career is that in as much as there might be some ups and downs, they should persevere as it will be worth it in the end. She also indicated that it is important to build a community around you who can support you through the journey. Also, one should not be afraid to ask questions and seek help when in doubt because there are many women in tech who have been there and are willing to support you in your journey. It is also important to network as much as possible as this enables one to interact with different people enabling you to gain insights from them on how to tackle the different aspects in Tech.