The conversation about women in technology has changed a lot over the years. What began as a push for visibility has become something much bigger: a story about representation, allyship, and influence.
Mary Wells, Chief Marketing Officer at Cloudera, has had a front row seat for that evolution. Over her 25+-year career across some of the biggest names in tech, she’s seen firsthand how women’s roles and voices have transformed. As the executive sponsor of Cloudera’s Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT) initiative, she helps foster that next stage of growth: creating space for women and allies to learn, lead, and lift each other up.
Drawing from her experience, Mary describes the evolution of women leading in technology through three eras. Each builds on the one before it, with a new era just beginning to take shape.
Era One: Representation and Belonging
A couple decades ago, progress meant simply being seen.
Many women in tech were “the only one”—the only woman in a department, on a project team, or even in an entire building. These pioneers faced the dual challenge of doing their jobs while also proving they belonged.
In a recent interview, Mary reflected on her experiences during this era with informal meetups for women in tech at various company and industry events. In hindsight, she sees these as the early grassroots versions of today’s more formal women-in-tech support networks.
Mary recalls women sharing stories of being the only woman on their floor or in their department. Some left those WLIT conversations with other leaders (who happen to be women) in tears—not from sadness, but from relief. For many, it was the first time they realized they weren’t alone in their workplace struggles. Seeing their experiences reflected in others created a sense of representation and belonging.
Simple conversations broke the feelings of isolation, creating a sense of solidarity. Women working together to listen, encourage, and prove that belonging was a form of strength.
During this era, peer communities gave women the courage to take a seat at the table and stay.
Era Two: Confidence and Voice
Once women had a place in the room, the conversation started to shift. It wasn’t enough to just be present. It was time to meaningfully participate.
That’s why this second era of women leading in tech can be characterized by confidence. Women started searching for ways to use their voices, influence decisions, and lead authentically. Mary recalls that about ten years ago, the questions she heard most often centered on self-doubt. Women were asking, “How do we make our presence count?”
At the time, “imposter syndrome” became the go-to phrase to describe the gap between physically being in the room and truly feeling like you belonged there.
But as time went on, she sensed this was a misnomer. Imposter syndrome wasn’t just a woman’s issue. Everyone experiences self-doubt at some point. The key isn’t to wait until it disappears, but to move forward anyway. For her, confidence often begins with courage. “Do it afraid,” she tells colleagues. A reminder that stepping out of your comfort zone usually means you’re growing.
This was the era when women stopped waiting for permission to lead and began shaping conversations of their own.
Era Three: All are Welcome Through Allyship and Partnership
This third era is about allyship and shared responsibility. It’s no longer just a “women’s issue”—today, all are welcome. Men and women alike are working to build teams that reflect the diversity of the world around them.
Mary has seen this shift firsthand. At a recent women-in-tech-leadership panel during an event in London, she looked out at a crowd that was nearly 60% men. For her, that moment, recognizing allyship and a broader peer group actively listening to these challenges, captured how far the conversation had come.
She recalls a moment when a male colleague questioned why forums like WLIT were needed, and another man quickly stepped in to say, “Look around the table,” implying that for most in attendance, the answer was obvious. That kind of allyship, Mary notes, gives the conversation credibility and momentum.
Progress now depends on everyone showing up, listening, and lifting others along the way.
The Emerging Era: Leadership and Influence
A new chapter is already unfolding, and this next era is about influence. Ensuring women aren’t just part of the conversation about the future of tech. They are helping to define it. The WLIT sessions throughout Cloudera’s global EVOLVE event series offer a vivid example of what this new era looks like in practice.
Under the theme “Accelerate Action, Accelerate Innovation,” WLIT brought together leading voices across industries to explore topics ranging from adaptive leadership to responsible AI. Across four events, we saw over 300 external registrants and nearly 200 attendees demonstrating a strong appetite for these crucial conversations.
Together we discussed:
Leading with governance and transparency (inspired by the rules of robotics)
Shaping a responsible AI future that people are excited to engage with
Cultivating adaptive, human-first leadership styles
The feedback from these sessions reflects how resonant and needed these conversations are.
One attendee shared:
“The WLIT panel from NY was honestly one of the most refreshingly honest and engaging panels I’ve seen. The diversity of thought and representation was great!”
For Mary, the WLIT sessions at EVOLVE demonstrate how influence becomes impact—it’s a natural evolution of the journey. The focus is no longer on women proving they belong in tech leadership—it's on equally leading the conversations that will shape the future. The goal isn’t to be seen as “women leaders,” anymore—instead, we’d rather simply be seen as leaders.
Looking Ahead: Women Leading in Technology
Each era has paved the way for the next. Belonging built confidence, confidence created allyship, and allyship is leading to influence. A fourth era, Mary says, we’re already seeing take shape.
The story of women leading in technology is still being written. It’s a story of resilience, courage, and connection. Of people who chose to lift one another up rather than climb alone.
At Cloudera and across the industry, leaders like Mary Wells remind us that progress is about using our seat at the table to make space for others and to shape what comes next.
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Want to learn more? Check out our Women Leaders in Tech page
