Plenty of leadership opportunities for women in tech, says Twitter’s Kirstine Stewart

The conversation surrounding women in tech has been a heated one over the last year, amid growing calls for companies to hire more female engineers and executives.

Yet, despite discouraging diversity reports from major companies like Apple and Google, one female executive suggests that the tech industry has plenty of leadership opportunities for women.

“We see opportunity in the tech world more than anywhere else because it’s the newest and the freshest – it’s an industry that isn’t encumbered by years and years of legacy, or a kind of old boys club,” Kirstine Stewart, vice president of media at Twitter, told Global News.

“That being said, we have to move quickly, because it doesn’t take long for people to fall back on old habits.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "That being said, we have to move quickly, because it doesn't take long for people to fall back on old habits."

Stewart now joins other tech executives, including Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, to open up about life as a female business leader in a memoir.

Her recently published book, Our Turn, draws on her extensive leadership experience to suggest that women are best-suited to the kind of leadership roles companies need to succeed – especially in today’s digital landscape.

READ MORE: What it’s like for Canadian women working in tech

The statistics of women in management positions across all industries remains quite low in Canada.

In January 2012, women comprised 35 per cent of all management positions and 22 per cent of all senior management positions in Canada, according to women’s advocacy group Catalyst.

According to data from a 2014 Catalyst study, women made up just 5 per cent of CEOs in Canada.

Statistics found in workforce diversity reports from tech giants like Apple and Twitter also remain quite low.

For example, Apple’s latest diversity report published in August showed that despite the company more than doubling the number of women and minorities hired in the last year, its workforce remains overwhelmingly male and white or Asian.

Twitter also made a public promise to diversify its workforce this summer after releasing its diversity report. The company said it aims to have 16 per cent of its technology jobs filled by women next year, up from 13 per cent.

“It’s an open door, let’s not let it close.”