PIN-UP Global is an international ecosystem of businesses in various segments covering the entire cycle of products and services for the gaming industry, including software development, customer service, management, marketing, legal and financial support, etc.
It is essential for women building careers in the technology industry and beyond to feel that equality works and that stereotypes are outdated and do not represent the actual situation. Supporting projects such as Women in Tech, launching appropriate educational and mentoring programs and community clubs, and providing suitable work and professional development conditions are crucial to making this possible in any country. This will increase the number of women experts in IT and boost the whole industry.
In addition, we should remember that women bring their vision to technology, which, through a complex approach, offers a variety of solutions. Working in synergy, men and women view the operational processes and development more comprehensively.
In the technology industry, there is still a trend toward salary and career advantages for men. We at PIN-UP do not support such traditions — for us, candidates of both genders are equal, and we value professional qualities. Therefore, we want to highlight this fundamental rule with our support of Forbes Cyprus Women in Tech.
The second strong motivation for supporting such an initiative was to show women who aspire to IT that it is realistic to unlock their potential and realize their professional ambitions here. The international ecosystem PIN-UP Global, founded and further developed by our CEO, Marina Ilina, is the best proof of this. We want to demonstrate by our example that this is not luck or something impossible. The norm for a developed society is the fact that expertise in technology, constant accumulation of experience, and labor bring such a result.
How do we boost the growth of female entrepreneurship in Cyprus and beyond? Female executives from PIN-UP demonstrate by example the reality of achieving success in the technology industry. Being a role model means talking about the complexities and challenges, sharing experiences, learning from others, and being open-minded — all done by women who hold C-level positions in the PIN-UP ecosystem.
We are in the process of launching a significant initiative that will enable small startups and motivated teams, including those led by women, to take their products to the next level and to scale — the new direction of PIN-UP.INVESTMENTS will stimulate the development of technologies and products for different markets by providing them with financial resources, expertise, and industry contacts for their independent development, entry into new markets, and integration into the PIN-UP Global ecosystem. This way, those with promising technology ideas and a team of their own can get all the support and PIN-UP resources they need to build a successful business.
HR processes within PIN-UP Global have never had advantages/bonuses tied to an employee’s gender — neither at the stage of selection to the team, nor in terms of financial remuneration, nor further career growth. We have criteria by which we assess the suitability of the expertise for the position, as well as the soft skills of each candidate. Therefore, everyone has an equal chance of receiving an offer, salary, and career advancement. To influence the figures globally and eliminate the current bias in the technology labor market, it is crucial to dispel women’s fear of working in this technology to tell them that there is equality and real prospects here. We can’t artificially double or triple the number of women sending us CVs. This is a long way, and changes in education, culture, and society must work in synergy.
Female executives from PIN-UP regularly attend tradeshows, act as speakers and judges at various meetups, give magazine interviews, and write columns in business publications — their example is always vivid and credible. Within the ecosystem, we offer mentoring programs, which allow employees to gain the necessary managerial expertise and strengthen their confidence in their leadership abilities.
Women are excellent managers, creative and executive employees, innovators, founders of startups, and heads of large businesses. And it is enjoyable to note that every year, there are more and more women in technology. I’m sure that in the future, the number of women involved in the tech industry will grow even more, and companies that still pay men more than women will take the example of PIN-UP and make rewards fair to employees’ professional qualities, not their gender. Also, many emerging and available courses, mentoring programs, and clubs will cover the shortage of training and experience, and common sense will somehow overcome stereotypes and prejudices.
I advise strengthening your leadership skills, expanding your expertise, being proactive, and always being result-oriented. Initiative and a proactive attitude are essential characteristics for career and professional growth. As a CHRD PIN-UP Global, finding the right, promising workplace is also critical in building a career. Our ecosystem appreciates ambitious employees and helps them in every way possible, and we are very excited to build our PIN-UP community in Cyprus. By the way, we have a lot of technical positions open, any of which can quickly be filled by a woman.
