Anita Moss, managing director, Edunation

Posted on 16 Jun 2008 at 17:35

Anita Moss has a background in venture capital start-ups, and was the sole female employee at the first company she worked at until the firm grew and women accounted for almost a third of all employees.

Interaction with developers has featured pretty heavily during her career and, as Moss confirmed, based on her own experience, this is certainly one area of the tech world that remains dominated by men. "I could count on one hand the number of female developers that I've come into contact with," she said.

It certainly didn't put Moss off making her mark. "IT is like the new Wild West for women. It's genuinely interesting because everything is new," she said. "Innovation allows you to break through boundaries and traditional norms. It's certainly an exciting place to be right now, particularly with so many new opportunities surrounding Web 2.0 technologies."

Despite the sexist rap the industry often faces, Moss believes it's actually her age that's been more of a barrier. "At just 27 it's sometimes perceived that I'm too young to be running a successful business. Sometimes being the only woman in a room can be advantageous. Often we're commended for our ability to leave our ego outside the boardroom and praised for rational input to discussions."

Moss is shortlisted for BlackBerry's Women and Technology Awards in the category of Best Use of Technology by an under 30-Year-Old Female.

Why IT really is women's work