Konstantina Kyriakopoulou nominated to win the "Young ICT Lady of the Year" award

She Goes ICT

Every year, Roularta, the official publisher of Data News, organises She goes ICT, an event to honor women who have distinguished themselves in the ICT sector. During this event, 2 women will be awarded "ICT Woman of the Year" and "Young ICT Lady of the Year".

Sopra Steria Benelux didn't want to miss the chance to also honor some of our own outstanding women, and we are very pleased that one of our ladies, Konstantina Kyriakopoulou, was shortlisted for the "Young ICT Lady of the Year" award. Read more about Konstantina below and don't forget to vote.

A word from Konstantina

Birth year: 1991
Job title: Senior Manager in EU Public Sector (Consulting and Cybersecurity)
Length of career:

Total work experience: 8 years (of which 5 years in IT)
Work experience at Sopra Steria: almost 1 year

Reason of nomination by Sopra Steria:

Outstanding feedback from her management
Excellent delivery quality
High analytical and comprehension skills
Overperforming and evolving faster than average

VOTE FOR KONSTANTINA

About Konstantina

Konstantina Kyriakopoulou has a multidisciplinary background in Experimental Psychology and Social Neuroscience (Ph.D.). Her Ph.D. focused on judgment and decision-making and she was awarded the Early Career Researcher award for her work on how people use their judgement to forecast, monitor and control their behaviours. Her work has been published in peer reviewed journals and it was featured on the Bolton News and York Press. The quality of her work was recognised with by the British Neuroscience Association and the UK Research and Innovation body.

Konstantina has worked extensively on projects with commercial and industrial partners as well as other academics, focusing on user centered design and ICT. Her research on how people interact with ICT/technology products and services they use, led her to the realisation that there is a great need to provide actionable recommendations that would impact the wider public. This opened up the door for coordinating the full life cycle of large-scale IT projects on behalf of the British Government and the European Commission, focusing on the digital transformation of public administrations.

As a Project Manager for EU Public Sector, Konstantina is involved in the effort of the European Commission to shape the strategic aspects of the Commission´s IT landscape and effectively implement the EU-wide digital transformation agenda. To address these high stakes, she is coordinating complex large scale IT projects by ensuring alignment between European digital policy and government initiatives, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and experience with other governments and European or international organisations.

In parallel, Konstantina provides original contribution to knowledge in the field of digital innovation and open government through groundbreaking research which is published via the Publications Office of the European Union and presented at national (Samos Summit on ICT-Enabled Governance) and international conferences (ICEGOV: International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance). At the same time, she is supporting Sopra Steria to build the EU Public Sector Agency by setting the foundation for new IT framework contracts, organising continuous learning opportunities, supporting the recruitment process, and building strong and sustainable partnerships with stakeholders in the ICT ecosystem (Belgian Government and European Commission). Through her professional capacity, Konstantina was interviewed for the Sopra Steria Cybersecurity & Consulting Community podcast, was featured on the Annual 2020 Report of the NRB Group as a specialised IT Consultant, was invited to host the TEDx University of Bolton event in 2017.

Knowledge sharing transcends Konstantina's professional journey. As such, she contributes extensively to Sopra Steria’s Cybersecurity & Consulting Community via the ‘House of Consulting’ where she shares best practices on running IT projects and writing blogs for the Sopra Steria Newsroom. Finally, she mentors young professionals as a Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy as well as Randstad's RiseSmart contemporary global talent mobility initiative.

2022: Leading the Analysis and design of the European Health Data Space infrastructure for secondary use of health data (HealthData@EU). DG SANTE, European Commission.
2022: Led the study for the development of an EU Applications Catalogue that would host Free and Open Source Solutions for European Public Services. DG DIGIT B3, European Commission.
2020-2022: Co-led the development and launch of the first Pan European eLearning Academy on Interoperable Europe. The Academy aims at contributing to advanced digital skills of civil servants in the area of interoperability to support policy, service delivery and impact evaluation. DG DIGIT D2, European Commission.
2020-2022: Co-lead the conception and launch of the European Interoperability Framework Toolbox which is designed as a guidance for national public administrations to equip them with the tools necessary to align their National Interoperability Frameworks (NIFs) with the European Interoperability Framework (EIF) in order to promote interoperability at national and European level. DG DIGIT D2, European Commission.
2020: Featured on the Rapport Annuel de group NRB, Belgium
2022: Coordinated the development of a demonstrator website to provide mapping of Innovation Facilities and Actors across the EU. DG GROW, European Commission.
2019: Supported the wholistic revamp of the UK Visa and Immigration System. Home Office, UK Government.
2019: Co-authored the successful bid proposal for Low Temperature Heat Recovery and Distribution Network Technologies worth £5,388,928. Awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.
2016-2017: Supported the design and launch of the largest, national energy follow-up survey (EFUS2017). BEIS, UK Government.
2017: Early Career Researcher Award, British Neuroscience Association (6 awards for ~ 1000 applicants)
2017: Press interview with Bolton News. Covered by the York Press.
2017: Co-Organiser and Co-Host of the TEDx University of Bolton
2014: Ph.D. Research Studentship, Chancellor’s Award, University of Bolton: 3-year full time studentship for postgraduate research in the field of social neuroscience, award based on excellence and potential research impact (amount awarded: £60,000).

"Thinking ahead for my career plans, I have a keen desire to focus on two particular areas in order to be successful in sustaining growth in the coming decades. These are Digital Innovation and Education. To achieve this, I follow two pieces of contradictory advice: persistence and adaptability.

Digital Innovation

Technology improvements is not about generating cultural degradation and a disorienting level of fear. Instead, it is about highlighting the value of critical thinkers and providing an unprecedented level of opportunities to just about anyone who can afford it. As such, my plan is to continue pushing the boundaries of ICT/IT digital transformation via groundbreaking digital projects that revolutionise the way public administrations share information and interact with citizens. Information on European ICT initiatives is fragmented. Therefore, the following years, my desire is to promote a social welfare in terms of technology by focusing on projects that drive Digital Transformation at National and European levels and enabling decision making through data analytics in secure and agile environments.

Education

According to a report by The World Bank, women make up less than 40% of the total global workforce. Considering that, there is a lack of representation for women in ICT which can hinder a woman’s ability to succeed in the industry. But also, it can put limits on women’s opportunities for mentorship and foster ‘unconscious gender bias in company culture’, leaving many women ‘without a clear path forward’. My multidisciplinary background as well as the challenges I faced during my career transition from Academia to ICT Consultancy, fueled me with passion to inspire and encourage women and girls who want to embrace a career in this industry. For this reason, I strive to act as an ICT Woman Ambassador committed to acting as a role model of the well-known moto ‘Imagining She can be anything is just the beginning. Actually, seeing that she can, makes all the difference’. After all, only a generation of thinkers that are serving a worthy purpose will spawn a generation of doers for social good.

Sopra Steria's commitments to equal opportunities

Diversity is our strength - At Sopra Steria, we believe that citizen engagement is everyone’s business and is built on our collective actions. Diversity is a source of wealth for our Group. This is why we are committed to fighting all forms of discrimination and ensuring equal opportunity by adopting ethical practices.

Gender equality - Digital technology is at the heart of the transformation of our society. Women are under-represented in this sector, and it is not just a question of professional representativeness. It is also a broader societal issue. As a major player in the digital sector, the Group is pursuing its commitment to gender diversity.