Lynn Bishop, DTCC
Lynn Bishop, DTCC Managing Director and Chief Information Officer, sat down with Girls Who Code to discuss diversity in the technology space, the expansion of STEM education, and DTCC’s partnership with Girls Who Code.
GWC: What is your job title? What does your role at your company entail (what types of projects do you work on, groups are you involved in, etc.)?
LB: I serve as CDO at DTCC, where I manage application development across the organization and oversee a diverse team of over 1,200 employees and consultants around the world. DTCC is a critical part of the financial services industry and, last year, we processed securities transactions valued at more than U.S. $1.61 quadrillion. Leveraging technology to solve industry challenges is essentially at the heart of what we do - we centralize, standardize and automate the processing of financial transactions to mitigate risk and increase transparency and efficiency for our clients.
My role at DTCC involves designing and implementing innovative technology solutions in support of DTCC’s businesses leveraging emerging technologies including cloud, distributed ledger, robotics, and machine learning. We have embarked on an ambitious and exciting IT “STARS” strategy to improve DTCC’s ability to deliver timely, high quality, and resilient services to address key industry challenges and enable long-term sustainable growth.
In addition to my technology focused objectives, I’m very involved in diversity and inclusion initiatives at the firm, including those that encourage women to pursue technology opportunities.
GWC: Why does your company partner with Girls Who Code? What motivates you personally in your partnership with Girls Who Code?
LB: DTCC partners with Girls Who Code because we are committed to increasing diversity within our firm in general, and especially expanding access to STEM education and training to help diversify the talent pipeline of the future.
For me, I remain passionate about doing whatever I can to help to close the gender gap in technology, including encouraging girls and women to pursue technology careers and helping those already in technology to thrive and overcome challenges they may encounter along the way. I feel fortunate to have had a successful and fulfilling career and want to encourage and support others as they delve into this growing sector. I was struck by the recent Accenture and Girls Who Code study that showed how important it is to begin access to STEM-based areas as young as possible and the difference that exposure at an early age can make followed by structured programs, mentoring and more, as girls’ progress through their high school and college years.
GWC: What would you say is the most rewarding part about partnering with GWC?
LB: I have been very impressed with the Girls Who Code organization, not only the underlying mission, but also the thoughtful, inclusive and results-oriented approach that is utilized. I’ve also enjoyed the ability for DTCC and its employees to directly participate in the program. Last year’s Girls Who Code field trip, hosted at DTCC, really demonstrated how effective the program can be. We held a fun, engaging and creative hackathon to spark interest and create enthusiasm. What was even more exciting was seeing the girls’ build confidence, increase their engagement and feel a sense of accomplishment throughout the day. We are looking forward to our summer immersion program this summer.
GWC: At Girls Who Code we talk a lot about putting the girls first - how do you and your organization embody this “girls first” mentality?
LB: At DTCC, we have several initiatives that help us embody the “girls first” mentality.
First, although we have always been committed to advancing women at DTCC, starting in October 2018, we further strengthened our focus by creating a new function under the CEO to hire and advance diverse talent with an emphasis on women of all backgrounds. We are excited to take our commitment in this area to a new level and view our partnership with Girls Who Code as a key part of this journey. In fact, we’ll be hosting the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program for the first time this year at DTCC, and are excited to provide career exposure and mentorship for the girls, from women working in technology.
Second, we continue to offer our “Global Diversity and Inclusion Emerging Talent Program for Women,” a program is focused on helping women to develop their leadership capabilities as well as gain the senior leader exposure to grow and advance their career at DTCC.
Finally, we have an employee resource group dedicated to leadership and the advancement of women. This group has the largest and most global membership of all our resource groups. It also provides a platform for professional development, networking and senior leader exposure, for women of all backgrounds.
We look forward to continuing to build on these initiatives and in our continued partnership with Girls Who Code.