Mums in Tech ft. Angharad West
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Angharad West, VP Marketing, Global Strategic Alliances at Kyndryl.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ interview series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech teams for women.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
Hi, I’m Angharad West, VP of Marketing for Global Strategic Alliances at Kyndryl. I’m also a mum of three, so I like to think I’ve become fairly skilled at balancing a few priorities at once. I’ve spent more than 20 years in technology marketing across field, regional, and alliance roles, with the last decade focused on strategic partnerships. In my current role, I work with a curated ecosystem of leading technology partners—including major hyperscalers such as Microsoft, AWS, and Google Cloud—to help shape and bring to market solutions that support customers in cloud, data, AI, security, and modernisation. It’s a role that sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and partnership, which is exactly what I enjoy most.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
Being a working mum in tech means constantly balancing big career ambitions with the people I love most—and learning every day that both matter deeply to who I am.
“Being a working mum in tech means constantly balancing big career ambitions with the people I love most—and learning every day that both matter deeply to who I am.”
How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?
For me, finding a balance between career and motherhood is less about perfection and more about purpose—being clear on what matters most, staying present in the moment, and accepting that some days work needs more of me while other days my family does. It’s a constant juggle, but it’s also incredibly rewarding, because both roles have shaped me in powerful ways. Motherhood has made me more resilient, more empathetic, and more intentional with my time, while my career has shown me the importance of ambition, growth, and setting an example for the next generation. I’ve learned that balance doesn’t always look neat, but with boundaries, support, and a lot of self-belief, it is possible to build a meaningful career and be the kind of parent I want to be.
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
One of the greatest challenges has been learning to navigate the constant pull between two roles I care deeply about, while reminding myself that I don’t have to choose between being a devoted mother and an ambitious leader in tech. It hasn’t always been easy, and there have been moments of doubt, guilt, and exhaustion, but those moments have also strengthened me. They’ve taught me resilience, perspective, and the importance of giving myself grace. Over time, I’ve come to see that the challenge is also part of the growth—it has shaped me into a stronger professional, a more present parent, and someone who can hopefully show other women that it is possible to build a fulfilling career without losing sight of what matters most.
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Motherhood has sharpened many of the leadership skills that are critical in the workplace—resilience, adaptability, empathy, sound judgement, and the ability to prioritise effectively under pressure. It has made me more intentional, more efficient, and more capable of balancing multiple demands with clarity and focus. There is real truth in the saying, ‘if you want something done, ask a busy person’—because mothers develop an exceptional ability to manage complexity, deliver outcomes, and keep things moving with discipline, perspective, and purpose.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
What helped most—and what I believe is critical for any woman returning to work—is having genuine support and strong allies, both male and female, who recognise that this transition is about far more than logistics. Motherhood can fundamentally shift how you perceive yourself, and in that moment it is invaluable to have people around you who not only remember the professional you were before, but who also help you recognise the strength, perspective, and capability you bring back with you. That reinforcement matters, because it helps restore the belief that you are still ambitious, still capable of progression, and still very much the career woman you were before—now with even greater depth and resilience. I was fortunate that having children did not hinder my career progression, although I know not everyone in the industry had that same experience at the time. That is why allyship, trust, and a culture of genuine flexibility are so important: they do not simply ease the return to work, they shape whether women feel empowered to continue growing and leading with confidence.
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
The top priority for employers should be to stop treating support for working mothers as a benefit and start treating it as a business imperative. If organisations want to retain and progress talented women, they need to create environments where flexibility is real, allyship is active, and career ambition is not quietly penalised once motherhood enters the picture. Too often, the challenge is not capability but perception—how women are seen, how they are supported, and whether they are still viewed as leaders with momentum. Employers that get this right do more than support working mothers; they unlock experienced, resilient, highly capable talent that drives stronger leadership and better business outcomes.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
My advice to other mothers in the tech industry is to remain confident in your ambition and clear in your value. Motherhood does not diminish your leadership potential; if anything, it strengthens it through added resilience, perspective, judgement, and empathy. Seek out environments and allies that recognise your contribution, be intentional about the support you need, and do not allow outdated perceptions to define what is possible. A meaningful career in tech and motherhood are not mutually exclusive—it is entirely possible to lead, grow, and succeed in both.
“My advice to other mothers in the tech industry is to remain confident in your ambition and clear in your value. Motherhood does not diminish your leadership potential; if anything, it strengthens it through added resilience, perspective, judgement, and empathy.”
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