They lead the way: women leaders in the tech world inspire those to come

• A total of 15 leaders and experts in the technology sector, including university professors, senior managers of multinationals and heads of departments of operators and technology companies, sent inspirational messages to the younger generation of women.
• “The female presence in technology careers is still low, at around 12%. And it is a problem of information and culture,” said María José Escalona, professor in the Department of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Seville.
• The eighth edition of the 5G Forum brought together a total of 87 speakers, 40% of whom were women, during the three face-to-face sessions at the Cartuja Auditorium -managed by Yventu- and the two virtual sessions in online format.
• The event concluded this Friday, May 16 with the celebration of ‘Women’s Day’ and is already preparing for the 2026 edition to be held from May 11 to 15 in Seville.

The gender gap in technology, cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence continues to be one of the biggest concerns in the technology sector. The low percentage of women in this industry is not a problem of skills, but of lack of information, fear of failure, stereotypes and a host of circumstances that keep female talent away.

Today, the percentage of women in STEM careers compared to men is still low, and one of the causes that many experts, professionals in the sector and university professors agree on is the lack of information and pre-university training. “There are cultural and social factors that keep girls away from STEM from an early age”, said María José Escalona, professor in the Department of Computer Languages and Systems at the University of Seville, who closed the fifth edition of the 5G Forum with a very inspiring message: “Technology is not an end, but a means. It is an ally to develop any vocation. Approach it without fear, because there is room for everyone”.

And she herself has found a great communication channel: TikTok. As she acknowledged, this professor has even opened a channel on this social network as a window for young women to approach STEM careers. An initiative she decided to take after seeing that “the female presence in technology careers is still low, around 12%. And it is a problem of information and culture. Girls from an early age think that STEM is a man’s world”. In addition, he said that “the lack of gender diversity in Artificial Intelligence can lead to social problems and biases in automated systems. AI is being nurtured by male and not so much female ‘voices’ and that will end up being a problem“.

The fifth and final day of the eighth edition of the 5G Forum was dedicated to highlighting the careers of leading women in the technology sector, with the aim of motivating girls and young women to study STEM careers.

This was the objective of a session in which 15 leaders and experts in the technology sector, including university professors, senior managers of multinationals and heads of departments of operators and technology companies, sent inspirational messages to the younger generation of women who, unfortunately, continue to be a minority in a traditionally male-dominated sector.

One of the most veteran of this list of women leaders in the sector is Araceli García Cuartango, CEO of Axión and Lineox, who, despite having 35 years of experience behind her, acknowledged that “there is always something new to learn” and that “there has always been a lot of female talent, but it has always been wasted”. For this reason, she encouraged young women to study technical careers because “although they may be more demanding, the effort is worth it”.

For many of these women leaders it is crucial to motivate STEM vocations from a very early age. This is the opinion of Alicia Izquierdo, Councilor for Innovation and Digitalization of the City Council of Malaga, who indicated that “society needs women making decisions about the future of the world” and for this it is vital to teach girls to “manage the self-demand” that they have and that, on many occasions, leads them to abandon the study of careers in the technology sector. “We must start reinforcing from a very early age and help girls understand that mistakes are part of the learning process”.

Elena Puigrefagut, project manager at the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), encouraged young women to study technical careers. “It is important to choose a career that you like, as you are going to spend many hours working on it throughout your life”, she considered.

Luisa Bastero, sales director of Viavi Solutions, considered that the lack of women in STEM careers is due to the lack of knowledge about what an engineer really does. “We must explain from an early age the real impact of technology in everyday life”, considers this leader, who encouraged young women to study STEM careers because they can be “the architects of the future, improve lives and transform society” that is to come. “I encourage you to study engineering and be part of that change”.

For Patricia Tejado, Director of Digital Public Services of GMV’s Secure e-Solutions, the most important message she can give to future generations is “not to lose self-confidence”. She also considers it essential to surround oneself with talented people, listen to others and learn from them. “And, most importantly, never lose the illusion”. “In the last decade, especially in the last six or seven years, there has been a great boost and visibility of women in the sector, which is very positive“, she celebrated.

Susana Carillo, New Netwotk Business Opportunities at Endesa Distribución Eléctrica, stressed the need to “awaken a passion for STEM careers from a young age and not wait until the age of 17 to choose a career”. In her view, “women are just as qualified as men”. There are no limits for any woman if you combine qualities, passion and effort.

For Leonor Ostos, manager of Innovation and Strategic Projects at Telefónica, seeing women who are leaders in their companies up close helps motivate her to become a reference. Today, she is the example, as other women have been for her during her career. For this reason, she shared a very clear message to the new generations: “Dare to dream of working in big companies, or in whatever you want. And, when the time comes, dare to do it, even if you are not entirely sure”.

Maura Outeiral, director of business development at Gsertel, pointed out that “you should not be afraid to reinvent yourself”. “Take a step, do the best you can and then decide if you need to change course”, advised the specialist after a successful career that has taken her to work in different cities around the world. For her, there is no success without work: “There is no magic formula. Identify your strengths and put them at the service of what you do. And then work, work, work and work”.

“If there is no quarry in high schools and universities, it is difficult to improve the percentages”, said Fini Irles, Director of Engineering for Vodafone Group, for whom “women are present in the sector, but it is still a long way to go. It all starts with education.

For Myriam Leal, KAM in the AAPP department of MasOrange, “the important thing is to give the best of yourself” and she highlighted a phrase that stuck with her and that she shares with all the new generations: “Not only how we can help you, but how we can help each other”.

A very similar message to that of Noelia López, Solution Marketing Manager for Intelligent Networks at Ericsson, for whom “women have an important role to play in the technology sector”. She also stressed that “technology careers allow you to develop your creativity and solve problems in innovative ways”, something that many women are passionate about, just as she was.

Carmen Pérez, head of technology projects at the RTVE Archive, used her career as an example to encourage those girls who dream of becoming leaders in large companies. For her, “adapting, improving and not being afraid of change” is essential to reach as high as possible and her message focused on the fact that women must believe in their worth: “Women are good in these fields and we must start by believing it”, she said to later launch a very direct message: “Women should not underestimate their potential”.

A very similar vision to that offered by Inés Sanz, manager of space capacity engineering at Hispasat, who asked the young women to believe in themselves: “It is important that they do not let anyone doubt their abilities and that they believe that they are capable of achieving whatever they set their minds to”, she said.

Virginia Teixeira, Principal Systems Architect EMEAR (Europe, Middle East, Africa and Russia) at Cisco Systems, shared a message that has helped her throughout her career: “Good enough is not good enough”. A mindset that has helped him evolve and that he recommends taking as an example. “You have to be persistent, be committed to what you do and don’t settle. Doing your best always pays off”, she added.

Successful participation

A total of 87 speakers, 40% of whom were women, spoke about innovation, projects and 5G deployment both in Spain and internationally. European, American and Asian experts and leaders presented the latest in 5G technology, Artificial Intelligence and cybersecurity, and discussed when the next generation of mobile telephony will arrive: 6G, during five days at the eighth edition of the 5G Forum.

Telephony operators, technology multinationals, institutions, local, regional and national administrations, organizations, universities and leading companies in the telecommunications sector, totaling 70 entities from the national and international scene, made up a top-level agenda. Participants included the country’s main operators – MasOrange, Telefónica, DIGI and Vodafone – together with other leading multinationals in the sector.

All conferences are still available for on-demand viewing through ‘The Observatory’, the digital platform of Medina Media Events, where each intervention will be conference 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge.

The eighth edition of the 5G Forum was organized by Medina Media Events with the support of Orange, Telefónica, DIGI, Netmetrix, Huawei, ZTE, GMV, NTT DATA, HPE – Aruba Networking, Vicomtech, Gradiant, i2CAT, OpenNebula, Ayscom, Keysight, Teltronic, Datatronics, Oracle, Universidad de Málaga, Axión, Wavecontrol, Nokia, Rohde & Schwarz, Hispasat, Circet, Iplus|F, Dihbu, SAPEC, Gsertel, Kenmei, Ingenalia, AIFunded, Opossum, AEVAC and Secmotic, among others.

The 5G Forum will return in 2026 with the celebration of its ninth edition, to be held in Seville from May 11 to 15.