Global financial services firm FinTrU has announced a new partnership with Women in Business, Northern Ireland’s leading business network for women in the workplace, to support female opportunities in the local tech industry.

The three–year partnership will see FinTrU and Women in Business explore the barriers facing women in the tech industry and how best to overcome them, with a particular focus on the sector’s longstanding gender imbalance.

Despite investment in Northern Ireland tech firms crossing £100m in 2021, an all–time high, women are still largely underrepresented, with STEM workforce statistics revealing the percentage of women employed in the UK tech industry today is just 17%, up from 15.7% in 2009.

In becoming a Women in Business partner, FinTrU is reinforcing its commitment to attract, retain and support women working in Northern Ireland’s tech industry and, in so doing, further build on successful campaigns such as the Women in Business Press Refresh programme.

Commenting on the three–year partnership, Lorraine Acheson, Managing Director at Women in Business, said: “Northern Ireland’s thriving tech sector is a key priority for the Women in Business Group moving forward. By creating accessible tech opportunities, we can not only address NI’s current skills shortage, but also work to generate economic prosperity.

“Our inaugural Women in Tech Awards served as a pointed reminder of the world–leading tech talent here on our doorstep and we’re delighted to welcome FinTrU, an indigenous NI company, as our latest partner. Having collaborated closely on the innovative Press Refresh programme, this is an exciting next step that will see FinTrU continue to open doors and unlock opportunities for women in tech locally.”

Sinead Carville, Chief Human Resources Officer at FinTrU, added: “Encouraging and supporting women to fulfil their potential in business is something that we, at FinTrU, are incredibly passionate about.

“As a tech firm with deep roots in Northern Ireland, we’ve seen first–hand how quickly the sector has grown, after investment in NI tech firms reached record highs in 2021. By harnessing this rapid growth, we can continue to enable women across the broad spectrum of technology. We’re proud to support the great work being carried out by Women in Business within this sphere.”

FinTrU now joins a roster of Women in Business partners which includes Allstate NI, Amazon, Danske Bank, Glandore, MCS, NIE Networks, Pinsent Masons and Virgin Business, as well as educational partners Ulster University, Queen’s University and Belfast Met.