“Diversity Not a Problem Here,” Says Software Engineer Who Can Count All Female Colleagues on One Hand

In an inspiring example of how far the tech industry has come, veteran software engineer Milton Wallaby says diversity in his place of work is thriving and, what's more; that it has always been.

“I’ve always said, I don’t care if you’re Black, brown, blue, male, female or somewhere in between,” says Wallaby, beaming like the cat who got the cream. “Everyone is welcome here. That’s what makes this such a special place to work.”

Wallaby, who’s been in the industry for over 20 years, says he’s worked with a “surprising number” of women in engineering roles. When your correspondent pressed for specifics, he paused briefly before holding up four fingers and a thumb.

“See? A full hand! You can’t say that’s not something.”

Despite widespread reports of gender imbalance in engineering roles, Wallaby is confident his personal experience speaks for itself. “It’s easy to look at stats,” he says, “but I prefer to look around the office and see the same faces I’ve always seen. And that consistency, to me, is inclusion.”

When asked what steps his company takes to promote diversity, Wallaby pointed to the annual International Women’s Day cupcake giveaway and a badly framed poster of Ada Lovelace wearing a bikini hung in the break room.

“There’s still work to do, of course,” he admits. “But if you ask me, the hard part’s already done.”