International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day to recognise the cultural, social, economic, and political achievements of women. IWD is a day to raise awareness about the inequalities women face around the world.

DC Alliance (DCA) is proud to have a great group of women working at its data centre, both in the sales process and behind the scenes. In honour of IWD, we interviewed three exceptional women in the DCA team about their careers, working for DCA and what this date signifies to them.

Natalie Parker

DC Alliance’s Sales Lead Natalie Parker has had a long and varied career, predominately in ICT. Working at two large Telcos Telstra and Optus, Natalie has spent majority of her career at Telstra. Natalie believes working for both corporate and small businesses has allowed her to build her business acumen, find common ground with DCA’s Enterprise and Government Customers as well as boutique MSP partners.

In 2021 Natalie was nominate for the Women in Technology WA (WiTWA) Tech (+) 20 Awards. Natalie said: ‘It was an honour to be nominated and a privilege to represent DCA. WiTWA is a fantastic organisation promoting women in IT. They have programs spanning from STEM inclusion for girls in high school to leadership and coding training for women wanting to progress in their careers’.

When asked what IWD means to her, Natalie says:

“IWD is a day to be grateful, reflect and celebrate - as a society we have come a long way to achieve equality and events over the last 12 months show we still have a long way to go. My focus throughout my career has been to be a role model to my daughter and show that women can contribute and achieve and to break stereotypes”.

Ni Zeng

Ni Zeng studied a Double Degree in Commerce and Social Science, majoring in Accounting and International Relations before completing her Masters of Commerce in Finance.

Ni welcomed her first in 2021. In the transition to being a working mum Ni says she has been very lucky to have been surrounded by supportive colleagues and family throughout her motherhood journey, which enables her to still work whilst having a seven-month-old. Ni says: ‘Having a strong desire to work is a start but having the strong support in the workplace and family is what makes it happen!’

When asked about influential women in her career, Ni reflects on her mother, an inspirational woman who built a business and was very active in the community and politics.

“Because of her, I know women can be very empowering and can achieve a lot if they want to”.

For Ni, IWD is ‘A celebration of difference and achievement in women’.

Urusha Shrestha

Urusha Shrestha joined DCA in January this year, with a Master’s in Engineering specialising in Computer Systems. Before joining DCA, Urusha worked at Global College Australasia, a registered training organisation as an IT System Officer and Student Support Coordinator.

Urusha says most of her direct supervisors have been women, who she has learnt something from and helped her grow. Even now at DCA, Urusha says:

“I am being mentored by Natalie who is exceptional at what she does, having seen her great work attitude and her ability to handle tough situations gracefully aspires me to grow every day’.

When asked what IWD means to her, Urusha replied ‘It’s about celebrating women across the globe and acknowledging how far they have come and how far they can go!’