- [Cecelia] I'm Cecilia Harvey.
I work in technology.
And I'm the CEO and co-founder of Hyve Dynamics.
- Hello Cecelia.
- Hi Edward.
- How are you?
- I'm good. How are you?
- Good to see you.
- You too.
- Who were your role models growing up?
- Oh gosh.
Well, first it's definitely the women in my family.
I had kind of like this Wonder Woman type of a background
where I grew up in a household with my mother,
my grandmother, my grandmother's older sister,
and my two aunts.
So from a very early age,
all I saw was women supporting other women.
I saw these strong,
hardworking,
independent women
doing it for themselves.
I equated that to a freedom and a power.
And I knew that I wanted that for myself.
TV was a bit of an escapism for me growing up,
Dominique Deveraux, Diahann Carroll,
and Phylicia Rashad.
And they were headliners.
In so many cases they were the first or the only,
and that's a heavy crown to wear.
When you are that role and you are a first or an only,
you definitely have a responsibility to pave a path
for those that are following you.
So one of my favourite sayings is,
"You need to lift as you rise."
- So you're one of our foremost tech trailblazers,
but you started your career in finance.
Tell us about the journey
that took you from finance to being a tech CEO.
- Mm well, yeah,
'cause if you would've told me
that I was going to be the CEO of a tech company,
I would tell you you're absolutely crazy.
My first year at university,
there was this trip called the Wall Street trip.
That was the first time that I was even ever exposed
to banking at all.
When I got on the floor,
I remember seeing this tall, beautiful black woman,
and I thought,
"Okay, now this is possible for me."
[laughs]
- If you can see it...
- If you see it, you believe it.
And I think that's why representation is so important
because we do need to see more examples of ourselves,
where traditionally we haven't been seen.
And we need to be viewed as being not an exception,
but exceptional.
- You're CEO of Hyve Dynamics.
- Correct.
- Tell me, what does that entail?
- There's the day-to-day of managing the team,
directing our technical vision,
and dealing with investors and clients.
And then there's the part of the job
that I truly enjoy the most.
And that's really leading the vision.
Imagine where we had a world
where you did have the technology
where it could create equal opportunities in healthcare,
through better sensor technology.
And that's what really excites people.
That's what really gets me up
because you're doing technology
that is impacting the lives of the masses
and improving the lives of the masses.
But also another aspect of the job that I recognise
is that you're a leader in technology.
And as such, you know,
I realised that I have a responsibility to be a role model,
especially for those groups that are underrepresented.
- You're also the founder of Tech Women Today.
Can you tell me a bit about it
and why you wanted to start?
- I got tired of going to yet another conference
where they were just talking about
how there's not enough women in technology.
And then I thought,
"Okay, well, what are you going to do about it?"
I didn't want to create just another women in tech group.
And I thought this is something where I saw
like a gap in the market,
not only an organisation that can provide women
with the resources to help them grow within their careers,
but also creating resources
for non-technical female entrepreneurs
to grow their businesses.
- What are some of the biggest misconceptions
about working in the tech industry?
- You have to be an engineer,
or you only have to...
you have to be a coder,
or you have to have studied computer science,
which isn't true.
When I think of my background, you know,
I didn't come through that.
I don't even know how to code.
So I really want people to understand that
one, there's so many different opportunities
to work in technology.
- What do you think holds women back
from getting into the tech industry
and how do we resolve those matters?
- For me, it's always been three things:
mindset, your identity,
knowing who you are and knowing your worth.
My career path hasn't been easy.
And when I look back on that,
I am so grateful.
I look back on that with gratitude,
every single challenge or difficult opportunity,
because...
there is absolutely no question in my mind
that I earned my spot.
And I think that that's important
because no matter what room I walk into,
I know I belong there and I walk in there boldly.
- So in 10 years time,
what do you hope the tech industry will look like?
- Definitely more diversity on all levels.
One of the great things that I love about working in tech
is that it's such an enabler for positive change.
That's what wakes me up.
That's what keeps me going.
You know, I hope that we continue to see
more of those positive stories
around what tech is doing to the world.
- Cecelia, thank you for joining me,
and for being a real force for change.
- Thank you so much for having me, Edward.
[rhythmic electronic music]