Innovation UnderCover had an awesome conversation with Laurie Conner, the President and CEO at The Detection Group. The Detection Group is the leader in wireless water leak detection for commercial buildings with its cutting-edge, FM Approved Trident technology.

Though the share of women in leadership is increasing according to the World Economic Forum´s 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, there are considerable variations by industry. Industries with a high representation of women like NGOs and Education have a considerable leadership share (47% and 46%, respectively) than traditionally male-dominated industries like Manufacturing (19%) and Energy(20%). In this context,  Laurie shared her experiences as an executive in a male-dominated industry and building a tech company in Silicon Valley.

Some of the topics we discussed:

• Switching from French to Engineering at a young age
• Reading Brotopia by Emily Chang and how things haven’t changed that much
• Being the only woman on the executive team until she started her own venture
• Speaking up for oneself and owning it as a woman
• The tipping point when she could care less about what people thought of her

Other titles we considered:

1. There Are More Women, but Not at the Top
2. Culture Happens at the Top
3. Do I Tell Them the Truth?
4. I’m Wearing Pinstripe Suits and Bowties to Fit In
5. More Women Need to Be in Power

This episode was produced by Isabelle Goh and Khrystyna Khmilovska.