It’s International Women’s Day! A time to celebrate the achievements of women and girls around the world and right here in Canada.
This year’s theme of #BreaktheBias is particularly resonant. It's a subject that affects us directly as we operate at the intersection of tech and automotive—both traditionally male-dominated spaces. “We are certainly in the tech and automotive business but we are also in the disruption business,” says our CEO Dan Park. “As a result, our goal is to not only disrupt the industry but also disrupt the industry's reputation for being male-dominated. Currently we have equal representation of female-identifying individuals on our senior management team – not by design or intention, but by the consequence of hiring the most qualified individuals for each role. Bias is harder when metrics and data are the pillars of an organization and you'll be evaluated on results, innovation, creativity, and problem-solving and not by your gender or background.”
To celebrate and reflect on IWD 2022, we reached out to some of the incredible women in leadership positions across Clutch to talk about challenging hidden biases, navigating traditionally male-dominated spaces, and what it’s like to be a woman at Clutch.
So here’s to the women at Clutch, in Canada, and around the world.
Kelsey Getson - Sr. Manager, People and Culture
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
Breaking the bias means rewriting the narratives and combating the traditional ‘boys club’ mentality. Your success shouldn’t be based on your gender, but rather your output. We need to move past the narrative of male and female-dominated industries, to focusing on the output of work.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
Being in the People & Culture function at Clutch, we place an emphasis on ensuring we have diverse candidate pools when recruiting for roles across the company. Although we have some work to do in closing the gender gap at Clutch, we are making strides toward ensuring gender equality across the organization, while also seeing women take on traditionally male-dominated roles.
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
It’s not a secret that the automotive industry is heavily male dominated. However, in order to build your career in an automotive tech space, I think it’s important to stop looking for the approval of your peers, and not to focus on the industry being male dominated, but rather focus on yourself, and the outcome of your work. In doing this, the outcome will show your capabilities. Women will always struggle to integrate into male-dominated industries, however what’s important is to focus on yourself and not allow the gender breakdown to question your confidence and capabilities.
Allie Freeman - Fleet Inspector
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
To me, #BreaktheBias means breaking down gender stereotypes and kicking ass at every task, regardless of social and political barriers.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
As an auto-body technician by trade, it was an everyday struggle to prove my worth, dealing with the “women don't belong in the shop” mentality, and not getting the same opportunities as my male co-workers. After 7 years in the trade, I made the hard decision to step back—and that’s when I found Clutch! Here, I’m able to continue my passion for the automotive industry and use my expertise every day as a Fleet Inspector. I am so grateful to be part of such a talented team that constantly builds each other up. We all share a passion and it shows in the work we produce. They truly care about your well-being and help you thrive on a personal and professional level. I am so happy I found Clutch!
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
My advice is to fight for your passions and what makes you happy in life. Pursue what sets your soul on fire! There will be good days and bad days but your success is worth just as much as that of your male counterparts. Nothing is out of reach: you are strong, you are a badass, you’ve got this!
Maggie Mo - Head of Business Operations
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
To me, it means letting go of both externalized and internalized notions of what women should or shouldn’t be.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
If I look around me at Clutch, it’s hard to say that we conform to the stereotype of the traditional tech or auto company. We recruit based on merit, with diversity and inclusion in mind. That means we have strong human capital, and benefit from a variety of perspectives, backgrounds, cultures, and attitudes. Even among the teams that tend to be male-dominated—vehicle operations and engineering, for example—our recruitment ideology has made it so that we have significant female representation on these teams, and these women are highly respected for their skills, talent, and ideas. Furthermore, we celebrate these differences by tailoring our investment in training and development to fit the individual; it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Finally, we have diverse senior leadership. 40% of our board members and 50% of our executive team are female, and the men in leadership are true allies and supporters in empowering their female counterparts and other womxn in the organization to “break the bias.” This tone trickles down to the rest of the organization.
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
Usually, women (myself included) in the early stages of their career in a male-dominated industry are afraid to fail or make mistakes—much more so than their male counterparts, because they think it can be perceived as a weakness that others will associate with their gender. I highly encourage them to shed this notion, because it does them a great disservice. You learn by iterating, and you can’t iterate if you never reach out of your comfort zone. And for sure, a discriminatory or inequitable person can penalize you for that mistake and blame your gender for it, but the fastest way to break that bias is to become very, very good at your job, and you can’t do that if you don’t learn. Skill never lies, results never lie—you don’t stop bias by telling someone to stop discriminating; you make it so that they can’t ignore the proof.
Becca England - Operations Supervisor, Photography
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
#Breakthebias to me means that we are pushing towards living in a world where women don't need to worry about facing bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. It gives me hope to live and work in a world where diversity is celebrated, inclusivity is promised, and equitability is demanded. A world where women are treated 100% equally. I wish for a world where the girls currently growing up don't need to worry about glass ceilings or wage gaps. I believe that this is achievable if we all work together to support women and break down barriers.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
Working at Clutch has been amazing. I am ex-Canadian Armed Forces, so most of my working life has been spent in industries that are very much male dominated. Clutch celebrates diversity and inclusivity. They support women in leadership roles and promote growth and autonomy. Never once working at Clutch have I felt that my gender has limited me in my professional growth, within the work environment, or in my specific role. Everyday I look forward to coming into work and being able to be myself and I love it!
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
I am sure this is cliche, but I'd say DO IT! There's nothing more satisfying than striving in a career that is out of the norm for women. Also, let’s change the fact that these careers are male-dominated! Being a car enthusiast myself, I make it a goal everyday to make women feel more comfortable getting into automotive hobbies or careers. It was scary at first but being able to make the choice to begin sharing my passion in automotive with other women and help them feel more comfortable and confident in themselves has pushed me everyday to be a better advocate for women in any male dominant field. Just do it, don't let the pressure or the stigma change your mind about what you want to do with your life! Your gender doesn't control you, your choices as a woman do.
Stacey Cayea - Operations Supervisor
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
Breaking the bias is something every woman in the auto industry does everyday. In generations past, women struggled to be respected in this industry. And in some places, unfortunately, they still do. But good companies realize that passion trumps gender and allows women in these roles to thrive.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
I have been with Clutch for 2.5 years and I have never felt like I was put in a box because I am a woman, either in the office or with our vendors. I am proud to be a woman who is very hands-on in the company. Though my passions haven’t historically been cars or tech, I’m passionate about growing a business and being a key player on a successful and happy team and I am constantly indulging those passions at Clutch.
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
I think the best advice for a woman in any industry is to stay strong, there will always be folks who challenge you. Be confident, you know where your skills lie. Do not hesitate to flex when the opportunity arises. Most importantly, do what women do best—empower. Empower yourself, empower your team, and empower women with similar aspirations. You are a role model, and as unfortunate as this is, how you represent women in the workplace will impact how male-dominated workplaces think about the women they hire.
Whitney Bell - VP of Marketing
1. The theme of IWD this year is #BreaktheBias. What does that mean to you?
To me, #BreakTheBias means confronting antiquated views about gender in the workplace and in society. The automotive and tech worlds have traditionally been male-dominated, so it’s important to break the stereotypes that come along with that, and in particular to emphasize that women can succeed in leadership roles and deserve a seat at the table as much as anyone. As a new mom, the future of gender equality and women’s rights has newfound meaning for me. It’s important to me to show my son that I don’t have to take a backseat in my career. I can be a great mom and a great professional at the same time.
2. The tech world has a reputation for being male-dominated. The automotive world even more so. How is working at Clutch different?
When I first joined Clutch, I expected it to be pretty male, if I’m being honest. But as soon as I arrived, I was happy to see women in many non-traditional roles, from vehicle inspectors to software engineers to car detailers. It was evident that Clutch’s workplace culture celebrates diversity of thought and promotes women.
I also started my role at Clutch coming off of maternity leave, and I was nervous about this new working mom life. But the company was great about ensuring that I felt supported.
3. What’s the one piece of advice that you would give to women or female-identifying folks who are looking to build careers in this industry?
I think my biggest piece of advice would be not to feel intimidated about entering the auto-tech space. Just go for it! There are a lot of inspiring women leading the way in the industry and a growing network to reach out to for support and mentorship. And that includes me :)
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Interested in joining our team of incredible women at Clutch? Check out our careers page and come build the future of us 💪🏿💪🏾💪🏽💪🏼💪🏻💪
