CEO turned away from London tech event because 'she had her baby with her'

London Tech Week is taking place at Olympia this week (Picture: Ray Tang/Anadolu via Getty Images)

A CEO has called for business events to be more inclusive after being turned away for having her baby with her.

Davina Schonle,founder of AI company Humanvantage,was hoping to attend London Tech Week with her young daughter,who was in a pram.

But after a three-hour drive to attend the event,she was disappointed to be refused entry because she had her daughter with her.

Davina said she limits how long she is apart from her baby,and believes she should be able to ‘build my company with her by my side’.

Her post about the experience on LinkedIn sparked a discussion about inclusion in the tech industry.

A 2023 McKinsey report showed women made up around 35% of entry-level tech roles but only 14% of senior leadership positions,demonstrating a clear gender imbalance.

A robot displayed by Meta Loop at London Tech Week (Picture: EPA)

Meanwhile research by Prospects in 2024 found 29% of IT professionals in the UK are female or non-binary.

Davina said: ‘As someone passionate about innovation,tech and the future of work,I was excited to attend,connect,have meetings and contribute.

‘In today’s age shouldn’t we be more inclusive?

‘This moment was more than inconvenient. It was a clear reminder that as a tech industry,we still have work to do when it comes to inclusion beyond buzzwords.

‘Parents are part of this ecosystem. Caregivers are innovators,founders,investors,and leaders.

‘If major events like London Tech Week can’t make space for us,what message does that send about who belongs in tech?

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‘I don’t necessarily mean make it a kid inclusive event in general,or do I? Doesn’t our future belong to the kids?’

The event was held from Monday to Wednesday this week (Picture: EPA)

Davina’s post on LinkedIn has received more than 3,800 reactions and 1,000 comments in two days.

Commenters suggested boycotting London Tech Week unless they change their rules over allowing parents with children to attend.

Others thanked Davina for advocating for parents in the tech industry

London Tech Week told The Independent: ‘We’re aware that one of our attendees wasn’t allowed to enter with their child yesterday.

‘As a business event,the environment hasn’t been designed to incorporate the particular needs,facilities and safeguards that under-16s require.

‘We want everyone in the tech community to feel welcome at London Tech Week.

‘We’ve reached out directly to the person involved to discuss what happened and use this experience to inform how we approach this at LTW in the future.’

Metro has approached Davina Schonle for more information