Meet our Director of government projects
We prioritize diversity at SamKnows for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is that we want our company to accurately reflect society. Hiring women across all teams and in leadership positions is a part of this! Roxanne Robinson is one of those very important people, as the Director of government projects at SamKnows. (Yes, we have two Roxanne's! How lucky are we?) We spoke to her to find out more about how she happened across SamKnows, her hopes for the future of women in tech, and more!
Where has your career path taken you before SamKnows, and what’s one of your favourite things about your career or what you do?
I’ve done a couple of things prior to being at SamKnows, both of which helped me with my role here! When I first moved to London I was an events manager, organising large scale corporate and private events for people both in the UK and abroad. After that I transitioned to market research where I was analysing data and building panels. And then I started at SamKnows, where I’ve been for the last 9 years.
One of my favourite things about my career has been being able to travel, meeting our clients and getting to understand the global perspective on broadband regulation.
What’s a piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
Be bolder when sharing ideas and feedback.
Ask if you don’t understand something, if you don’t get it it’s likely no one else does either.
What does women’s empowerment mean to you?
Having the freedom to make your own choices.
What is your hope/dream for younger women entering the tech industry now?
That they enter an industry that is more equal in terms of gender (most meetings I’m in even now are often male heavy, particularly when you get to any technical topics) and they feel able to thrive in whatever role they chose - whether that’s in technical development or in something else.
Who’s one of your favourite woman/women role models?
Kirsty Wark from Newnight. She’s a super bright journalist and presenter on the BBC who interviews a whole range of people from various walks of life but mostly focused on the political spectrum. I think she has a great attitude - she’s very no nonsense and doesn’t hesitate to ask the awkward questions but always in a fair and measured way. And she seems like she’d be fun to have a glass of wine with, I can only imagine she has got some great stories!
Do you have any good reads you’d recommend for Women’s History Month?
I’m reading a book called Empire of Pain at the moment, all about the Opioid crisis in America. It’s not the most relaxing read but an incredible devastating review of the impact one family has had on the US.