Sky has announced its second cohort of Women in Technology Scholars, awarding five talented women a total of £125,000 (€140,000 ) to accelerate a business idea which harnesses technology innovation. Amongst the winners is Mayo woman Mary Murphy (20 ), the youngest Sky Women in Tech Scholar.
Murphy grew up on a farm with her four siblings and she and her twin sister designed and manufactured the Sheep Marking Gun. Unlike the standard option available, the Sheep Marking Gun is a single-handed device, allowing the farmer to hold the sheep in one hand and mark it with the other. As part of the scholarship, Mary plans to continue engineering agritech products, including a GPS tracker system for sheep to prevent them being stolen or attacked by predators.
Commenting on her award, Murphy stated: ‘“Sky is making huge efforts to support women in technology and that encouraged me to apply. Our goal is to use technology to solve simple problems that farmers encounter and make their day-to-day lives easier”.
Sky’s Group Chief Information Security Officer, Elaine Bucknor, said: “I was blown away with the ingenuity of the projects presented and the calibre of talent and creativity. It’s widely acknowledged that attracting women into technology is a challenge, so we have a responsibility to bring about change. Boys are more than twice as likely to be encouraged to work in tech, so it’s little wonder that half the girls we spoke to had ruled out working in the industry by the time they reached 18-years-old. Our Women in Technology Scholars programme enables us to nurture new talent and highlight inspiring role models to encourage others to follow.”
Sky’s Women in Technology Scholars will receive financial investment and have access to an expert network of mentors and leading industry executives to accelerate their innovation. Following the success of previous years, Sky has increased the number of scholars on the scheme from three to five, highlighting its position that female potential must be supported for the successful and inclusive future of the technology industry. For more information: https://www.skywomenintechscholars.com/
