We want the next Mark Zuckerberg to be female, says Lady Geek CEO Belinda Parmar

However, she said young people’s perception of people whose professional careers are technology-centric is still distorted in a way which is preventing females from choosing courses which can lead to technology-focused roles.

“We work with a lot of young girls who we want to be technologists, but the perception of someone who works in technology is a pizza-guzzling nerd who can’t get a girlfriend. That perception is prevalent in our secondary schools, and that is affecting the pipeline,” she said.

She referred to the fact that only 245 girls took an A-level in technology last year in the UK, compared to over 5,000 who took Spanish. “It just doesn’t have the same status as it does in other countries,” she added.

However, she also said it is important to question whether companies actually offer the kinds of environments in which women in tech roles can flourish.

“Whether it is an environment where women can flourish is a key question, and one many companies don’t really think about. If I ask them ‘is this a great place to work for women?’ And they will often reply ‘actually we have just updated our maternity policy’. But what I really mean is - is it a place where women feel they can get their voices heard and feel comfortable in and can flourish?” she added.

Parmar admitted there are really inspirational women in high roles, citing in particular the former UK government's digital champion Martha Lane Fox, Facebook’s Joanna Shields, and Decoded co-founder Kathryn Parsons. “There are lots of inspirational women, there are just not enough of them and that’s the point – we want next Mark Zuckerberg to be female.”

Parmar spoke on a panel alongside Amy Cutmore, consumer editor of Ideal Home and Girlabouttech.com, and Jonathan Marsh, head of buying at John Lewis, while writer and comedian Sanderson Jones moderated.