Mums in Tech - feat. Hena Naranbhai
As part of our ‘Mums in Tech’ series, we caught up with Hena Naranbhai, Strategic Development Director at Barclays.
The purpose of our 'MotherBoard’ content series is to highlight incredible working mums within tech & data, as well as individuals and businesses that are supportive and progressive within their approach to creating more inclusive tech & data teams for women.
Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?
My name is Hena Naranbhai, both a Qualified Accountant and Technology Programme Director, of South Asian heritage and diagnosed with dyslexia.
Throughout my career, I have had a range of opportunities from Business Analysis, Test Manager and Programme Manager that have brought me to my current role, Director of Strategic Development.
Essentially, I’ve led a big data program for finance, building a solution to automate data collation and transformation to be able to produce Financial Statements.
If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?
Super Women with new technology toys to challenge the norm and juggle motherhood with a successful career.
Being a working mum in tech to me means you’re a Super Woman with new technology toys to challenge the norm and juggle motherhood with a successful career.
How do you find balance between your career and motherhood?
I’m a mother of two, and I won’t lie juggling a career and motherhood is both challenging and riddled with guilt.
With my first child, my husband was out of work and maternity pay wasn’t great, so I decided to go back to work early after eight months. I had a tough time with sleep regression and teething, so I was completely exhausted often falling asleep when I’d put my daughter to bed. However, I was so fortunate to have a supportive line manager who would let me leave the office at 5 pm no questions so that I could rush home to be with my daughter.
He was flexible, understanding and empathic, and in return, I delivered what he expected of me. After 12 months of returning to work he was such an advocator for me, he sponsored my promotion from Assistant Vice Principal to Vice Principal.
When I had my second child, my son I took the full twelve months of maternity leave. My circumstances were different and my daughter had just started school, so I wanted to be a stay-at-home mum for the year.
On both occasions, my line managers have made a difference. Both had wives return to work themselves, so they understood what it was like and could make reasonable adjustments for me and other women in the team during our return from maternity leave.
Having flexibility has made a massive difference in allowing me to be a mum to my children and deliver what was expected of me, just not always in the traditional 9-5 setting.
“Both occasions I took maternity leave, my line manager made a difference. Both had wives return to work themselves, so they understood what it was like and could make reasonable adjustments for me and other women in the team. ”
What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?
From experience and observation, women underestimate their ability, often termed “imposter syndrome”.
If you’re fortunate, you’ll be part of a team where leadership provide you with opportunities to grow. I’ve been lucky and have had managers who have provided opportunities in roles where I have had no experience, such as Programme Test Manager, these opportunities require sponsorship and can be rare.
I’ve found the more senior you become, and dependant on the team dynamics, your line manager doesn’t always know how to create those opportunities for you. You can have direct conversations, but sometime they fall on deaf ears. As some may not want to discuss what opportunities are possible, especially if you are hot on the heels of their role. The role of technology may actually introduce even more uncertainty.
Therefore, I would say my greatest challenge has been being in the wrong team and environment, were my confidence has been eroded over time and self-doubt setting in.
“The key to my successful return to work has always been a supportive line manager. Without their support, I would have really struggled with the juggle.”
What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?
Organisation and planning. Both being a parent and managing a project you need to be able to replan and adapt to achieve your end goal. Whether that’s managing a project’s RAG status and redeploying resources, or asking other mums for help and rearranging play dates if they no longer work. There is always more than one way of achieving your end goal.
When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?
The key to my successful return to work has always been a supportive line manager. Without their support, I would have really struggled with the juggle.
Their opinion has a massive impact on your performance at work, and you need them to continue to advocate for you and the opportunities you’re put forward for, and to have your back.
You can no longer put your hand up for everything, you need to make informed selective decisions on which your line manager has insider information to be able to progress your career.
“Don’t feel afraid to venture into the unknown. What do you have to lose? Believe you can, and you will ”
What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?
More needs to be done from a policy perspective. I was very fortunate to have empathic bosses who understood with personal experience, but not everyone does.
And this needs to apply to both Men and Women if we want equality.
More childcare support would be the other incentive, childcare costs in London are nearly as much as a mortgage paying on average £2k for private nursery fees each month for care for a full working day.
This is a massive financial investment, which many would say ‘Well you’ve chosen to have children’, however, this is disproportionate to other investment opportunities.
Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?
Don’t feel afraid to venture into the unknown…
Make a list of skills you have and those that you want to develop. Use this to benchmark job specs and don’t look at the title.
Make sure you have a mentor and identify your sponsors.
Find your tribe – the women and male allies that support you, encourage you and pick up you when you need it. As you will do the same for them
Finally, what do you have to lose? Believe you can, and you will.
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