only technically so. I'm not hatin', but I mean, this person did not go through the process of living an entire life as a woman, thus overcoming the particular obstacles presented to women in the field so...sounds to me like a poor choice. Oh sure, they(awkward grammatical choice, I know, but consider the context) may have conquered their own issues and whatever, but being a guy up till 2005....definitely made it statistically easier for him/her to make it that far. How about a real female business leader like Indra Nooyi, the woman who is on top of PepsiCo?

So the winner of the award and role model for women in IT used to be a man? Riiiiight....

... Carlos Tevez!

They really haven't thought this through.

To be a successful woman you first need to be a successful man?

Couldn't this be seen as yet another slap in the face by male domination, perhaps?

I was expecting some comments like these. ;) What most people fail utterly to understand is that transexualism is an innate biological condition, in other words I have always had a female brain even though I was born a boy (see http://www.gires.org.uk/ for more info and research on the subject).

Further, I openly admit that I feel I have been advantaged by my male upbringing since i was encouraged towards computing, whereas my sister was not (see http://kate.craig-wood.com/girls-into-it.php ). I could be regarded as what you get if you take a girl and socialise them towards stereotypically male interests.

The fact that I am now winning business awards merely shows that women can do well when given equal opportunities!

Kate.

PS. @AnonymousCoward#1 The award is for entrepreneurial women, not those who have risen through the ranks of a mega-corp.

I was expecting some comments like these too, but I thought they'd be mixed at least 50/50 with well-wishers. This reflects pretty damned poorly on the Reg readership. FWIW, congratulations on the award Kate, and thanks for everything you're doing for women in the industry.

Honestly said and does you credit.

However one must look past the individual, as worthy as you may be, to the natural perception this particular award engenders.

With all due respect, and you'll probably agree, this isn't about you, it's about those who may, or now may not, follow as a result. We are all only human.

It does raise some interesting questions and should provoke discussion. Which in some ways makes her a good choice.

I heard her interviewed on the radio and was impressed by how well she talked about both the difficulties facing women in IT and also the wider issues around gender and gender reasignment.

She pointed out that as she has got more "feminine" in appearance post op. she has found it increasingly difficult to be taken seriously in technical discussions. I bet a lot of female engineers out there can relate to that.

"She pointed out that as she has got more "feminine" in appearance post op. she has found it increasingly difficult to be taken seriously in technical discussions."

I guess that's why gurus have beards.