Annertech’s Stella Power features in video series honouring agency leaders

‘Common Ground: Three Tech Agency Leaders Offer a Masterclass in Forging Your Own Path’ is series of interviews that shines a spotlight on successful digital agency leaders.

Annertech’s Managing Director Stella Power was delighted to be invited to take part.

“The intent of the video series was to highlight women agency leadership within the Platform.sh Partner Program network,” says dj davisson, head of partner marketing at Platform.sh, an Annertech technology partner and PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) provider.

dj knew that finding a good number of participants would present a challenge, given that in the European Union alone, women make up only 19.1% of the ICT (information and communication technology) sector. In fact, when it comes to C-suite level roles across all industries, only 26% of senior executive positions are held by women.

A European Institute for Gender Equality study found that harmful stereotypes and a lack of digital confidence on the part of women are the greatest barriers to gender equality in ICT.

So dj collaborated with Platform.sh agency partner managers to identify potential participants based on these criteria: agency owners or those with higher-level agency responsibilities, varying business models, successful in their own rights, a demonstrated commitment to Platform.sh and to the Platform.sh partnership.

Other leaders who have taken part in the series are Baddý Sonja Breidert, co-founder of 1xINTERNET, and Kirstie Buchanan, growth and partnership director at CTI Digital.

The series

With this collective data and the ICT industry’s massive gender gap in mind, dj was pleasantly surprised by what the interview participants’ experiences had been.

“We went into the project with the preconceived idea that participants would have experienced the well-documented tech industry gender gap, but have been hugely successful in spite of it,” dj explained.

“In fact, the original title for the series was ‘Broken Glass: Rising Above the Tech Leadership Gender Gap,’ but in conversations with our interviewees, we found none had those experiences. Rather, while each of them had taken different paths, we learned they’d all achieved great success, seemingly unimpeded by the broader industry’s biases and barriers.”

Based on the findings, the series name was changed to: Common Ground: Three Tech Agency Leaders Offer a Masterclass in Forging Your Own Path.

Stella’s journey

Stella has been in the ICT industry since 2001, when she started working as a software developer, and started Annertech in 2008. Today, Annertech – one of very few digital agencies that are headed by a woman – has an expansive client base, employs approximately 50 staff members, expanded into the UK in 2022 and continues to grow.

“I didn't have barriers (that I perceived) because of my gender, but maybe that’s just perception, though,” said Stella.

“I can’t identify any experiences where I went ‘oh that wouldn’t be an issue if I were male.’”

However, when Stella studied physics in college she was the only female – “I was well-used to male-dominated areas, so didn't really know any differently,” she shared.

In the video interview, Stella said she learned by doing – and by not being afraid of vocalising her skills and expertise. She also isn’t nervous about saying, “I don't know this.”

One way to help women advance their careers in a male-dominated industry such as tech is to build a strong culture of support with mentors who can encourage and advise others based on their experience. Stella took part in the video series because it was an opportunity to show other women that it is possible to thrive, even in an industry like ICT.

“I hope that anyone who watches the video will be inspired, that it shows them that they can take the plunge and start their own business, too,” she said.

Fun facts we found out about Stella

1. She studied computational physics and computational chemistry.
“I really wanted to be an astrophysicist, and I even did some internships in the US, in astrophysics working in the Space Telescope Science Institute.”

2. The thing she loves most about her job is that every day is different. 
“I think the other thing, and possibly what I love more, in fact, would be the team that I work with. Even if the job is difficult, any job becomes easier if you work with good people and supportive people. I think we built something really nice here at Annertech.” 

3. She forgoes micromanagement in favour of trust.
“I much prefer to be a listener rather than a micromanager; to give people autonomy. And trust that they know how to do their jobs, and they can deliver.”

4. Best advice she’s been given? 
“Don't spin too many plates. Because the more plates you spin, the more likely things are going to be done badly or crash overall. “I’m terrible for stretching myself too thin, or trying to do too much and trying to please everybody. And sometimes you just have to say ‘no.”’

5. The thing she’d say to anyone wanting to follow a path like hers?
“Go for it. Don't hold back. Don't question yourself and don't let that nagging doubt get in your way.”