While the world has made great strides toward gender equity in the workforce in the last few decades, it is no secret that there is still a fair way to go. Women remain underrepresented in the C-suite and executive branches, especially within the tech and software industries.
This is why it is remarkable that Matilda Sarah played a key role in building the software company Displayr. The road from startup to a stable successful company is tricky and full of obstacles. Matilda and the team at Displayr have not only managed to navigate these obstacles but crucially, did it without sacrificing the same mission and values established on day one.
It’s been a long journey, however, which all started with some majorly stressful projects:
“Displayr started as a data science consultancy about eighteen years ago. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way by working many late nights and even frequently adding the finishing touches on client presentations in the cab on the way to meeting them, that there was a major need in the data analysis industry for faster and easier options.
“So much time was being spent on tedious, manual tasks. There was little time left to work on the important strategic implications of each project. And that’s where the idea for Displayr was born. Today, we have around 100 people globally, working on the two leading survey analysis and reporting platforms in the world – Q and Displayr.”
Working with data, not prejudice
Displayr is one of those rare companies where the mission extends beyond just a simple statement but forms an integral part of how the whole company operates. And because Matilda has been there since the birth of Displayr, she has played an integral part in shaping its core values and mission.
In her current role as Vice-President of Growth Marketing, she ensures that this mission is communicated not just to clients, but also employees.
As she tells us, “I love our vision and mission because they keep me on track about why we are here and what we are aiming for.
“Our mission – making it easier for anyone to discover and share stories in their data – keeps us focused on the customers and stops us from slipping into self-promotion or going on tangents. And keeping this focus on our vision – a world where evidence, rather than guesses, prejudice, and ‘experience’, drives decision-making – helps everyone understand what we are trying to do.
“We believe in evidence and that the data holds the answers. So, we work off that approach ourselves while we help bring those answers to people’s fingertips.”
Always getting better
And when it comes to employee excellence, Matilda knows that hiring people who reflect the company culture plays a key role in pushing forward growth. She explains, “The core of what we believe at Displayr, and how we work, is the desire to roll up our sleeves and get stuff done – I see this attitude reflected in everyone who joins the company”.
“We all have a drive to focus on what matters and see our work come to life. Everyone at the company makes an impact and we love working in an environment where we know that our colleagues are always looking for ways to improve and be excellent.
“Just as the company consistently seeks to make improvements to their software in order to make the lives of researchers and analysts easier, so does each employee build upon the efforts of and improvements of each other.
“It is an iterative thing that pushes and encourages everyone to keep growing.”
A great place to work
When employees are aligned on a common mission and values, it flows through the organization without needing to be said.
“It took a while to find the right language to describe what we value, but looking at them now, our value statements are really simple and true to the way we work.”
This sense of staying true to how they work, contributes to an overall feeling of belonging and shared values. It means that small gestures and ways of staying connected often run deep.
Employees are able to connect outside of specific work tasks, through company-organized group lunches, social runs, and a yoga club.
As Matilda says, “I think it’s the little things that matter the most and that make people feel like they are valued and belong”.
Find out where your story fits in at Displayr.
Growing as a leader
Even a brief discussion with Matilda is enough to very quickly see that she is thoughtful and intentional about her role as a leader. She’s clear about how leaders themselves aren’t perfect but can represent how to make mistakes and grow.
“For me, it is important as a leader to have empathy and the courage to speak up, fix wrongs (especially your own) and call out rights. I think it’s important to admit when I’m wrong or have failed.”
An important facet of Matilda’s people-based leadership style is to meet each colleague as an individual.
In terms of her own growth as a leader, she explains, “I’ve moved from doing lots of things myself to having a team, to working with lots of teams.
“Working at scale hasn’t come naturally to me. I’m pretty good at working with people but I’ve had to learn the discipline of quarterly plans, setting and achieving goals, systemizing processes, and giving feedback. I now have a coach to help me be better in these areas.”
Leading the way for gender equity at Displayr
As a woman in a high-powered leadership role in an industry that sometimes falls short in terms of gender diversity, Matilda is keen to use her skills and experience to drive positive change in the workplace. She believes that this is changing at a ‘grassroots’ level as more women enter the tech space.
Matilda states, “I am proud of Displayr for playing a role in that from the beginning.
Having more women in the industry has also pushed the level of the industry to new heights.”
“It has introduced more creativity, stronger problem-solving, and a different way of looking at things. It is amazing to see how future generations of women are now inspired to get into tech.”
The human impact
The experience of rushing to finish presentations in the cab while en route to a meeting, well in Matilda’s past. But the impact of that on the customers of Displayr today, can’t be underestimated.
As she recounts, “I was talking to a researcher the other day and she told me how she had set aside a whole day to do an analysis, but with Displayr it took less than an hour. As a result, she was able to spend the rest of the day on a long bike ride with her daughter.”
With four kids and a busy household, Matilda knows how priceless getting that time back is.
“My kids are the ultimate negotiators and entrepreneurs, and I love watching them grow in this area. I feel very proud of all of them.”
