Pioneering women in the digital industry (and wider world)

From uplifting LGBTQ+ icons to leading pioneers in SEO and programming – for International Women’s Day, we discuss the women who’ve had a profound impact on our lives and perspectives.

Last week, the Splitpixel team came together to discuss the many strong women that we find most inspiring. Today, we’re sharing some of the best mentions with you.

Despite being a digital agency, it felt wrong to limit this discussion to the tech industry alone. After all, amazing women are present in every element of what we do here at Splitpixel. From the musicians on our Spotify playlist, to the thought-leaders we follow on LinkedIn – here are our personal picks for International Women’s Day.

Ell: “Incorporating the experience of queerness and chronic illness into her art, Frida Kahlo really inspires me.”

Kahlo lived an incredible life, and she is such an important queer, disabled, leftist figure (as well as a woman of indigenous Mexican heritage). She inspires me continuously in my creative work and my feminism.

My paintings are the most frank expression of myself, without taking into consideration either judgements or prejudices of anyone. – Frida Kahlo

Carlos: “Aleyda Solís is the perfect example of why I love the SEO industry.”

Search engine’s algorithms are always changing and we can only keep up by sharing our accomplishments, our tests and our knowledge. The willingness to share knowledge in our industry is simply unrivalled and a beautiful thing to see.

Aleyda goes above and beyond in demystifying SEO and shaping our industry, as a pioneer in her field. Her recent roadmap for learning SEO with free resources is absolutely brilliant and something that I will be using to help train Junior SEOs in my team.

I have been following her work since 2017 and it has definitely shaped who I am as an SEO manager today.

When you are doing something that you love and that you are really passionate about, you’ll become simply the best. – Aleyda Solís

Ren: “Sarah Kirsch was ahead of her time and completely uncompromising.”

Sarah made truly forward-thinking and creative political punk music that was as chaotic as it was compassionate, and sounded like nothing else out there.

Hugely influential in spirit and message – not that anyone’s ever been able to match her sound – she was unashamedly herself in every possible way. She sadly passed away in 2012.

I believe in people. That deep within the most beaten down of us, there is a will to survive. An instinct to rise above. – Sarah Kirsch

Ash K: “Well how could I not mention Reshma Saujani today?”

I learned about Reshma Saujani a few years back when I saw the “Girls Who Code” popup on Twitter.

I think encouraging young women to ignore the bias in tech and computer based fields and to get involved regardless is really important! Although I know female web developers myself, things still have a long way to go and Reshma is a pioneer for the cause.

Computer science is not just for smart ‘nerds’ in hoodies coding in basements. Coding is extremely creative and is an integral part of almost every industry. – Reshma Saujani

Charlie: “Charlize Theron has been a woman I’ve admired over the years!”

As an actor, she’s taken on some really powerful roles! But Charlize is also a passionate human rights activist and has set up her own foundation to help fight HIV and support disadvantaged kids.

If that isn’t enough, she’s a fierce ally for the LGTBQ+ community and jumps at the chance to help other charities and charitable causes too. She’s a mother and a businesswoman which I can definitely identify with!

“You can be feminine, independent and strong all at once – they are not mutually exclusive. – Charlize Theron

Rob: “Rosetta Tharpe invented rock and roll!”

Sister Rosetta Tharpe expertly combined gospel music with rhythm and blues to create the sound we’d call rock and roll while Little Richard was still a baby. She’s so influential, but hardly ever gets her dues! Why not give her a listen today?

Can’t no man play like me. – Rosetta Tharpe

Max: “Verity Lambert was a pioneer of time and space.”

Verity Lambert wasn’t just the first woman to be a producer at the BBC, she was also the youngest when she first started – and she went on to make Doctor Who! She’s one of the many women who really shaped sci-fi as we know it.

[Doctor Who] didn’t have the sort of format that any other running serial had. Every time we changed the serial, we made our own rules – Verity Lambert

Jon: “Greta Thunberg gives me hope for the future.”

Sure, it feels weird picking Greta as an inspiration because she’s literally half my age – but she’s utterly fearless and to me, that’s awe-inspiring.

I love that she’s been able to stand up and make the world really listen to her! She’s raised so much awareness around climate changed just by doing what she thinks is right. Not just that, she’s motivated people to get involved. That’s something to be so proud of.

I have learned you are never too small to make a difference. – Greta Thunberg

Which women inspire you?

Would any of our mentions appear on your list? Find us on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn) to join in the discussion.