Susan O’Connor, Shift Left Limited

I help organisations develop, promote, and retain mid-career women in technology who are at the team management level by building their confidence, strategic influence, and networks so they are ready to progress into senior leadership roles.

About section

These women are often some of the most dependable people in the business. They manage teams, deliver consistently, handle complexity, and are frequently relied upon to keep work moving when pressure is on. From an organisational point of view, they look like obvious future senior leaders. Yet many remain at the team management level for years, or begin to disengage when progression does not happen. Over time, this creates a real risk. Leadership pipelines stall, succession plans weaken, and experienced women leave just as they should be stepping up.

In most cases, the issue is not technical ability or commitment. What I see far more often are women who underestimate their readiness, struggle to influence beyond their immediate team, or lack the visibility and relationships that matter when senior leadership decisions are being made. They may be strong managers, but less confident operating at a more strategic level or navigating the informal dynamics that shape progression.

The expectations change significantly between team management and senior leadership. At the team level, success is largely about delivery, reliability, and keeping people focused on immediate priorities. At the senior level, success depends on judgement, influence, visibility, and relationships across the organisation and externally. Many women are expected to make this shift without ever being clearly supported to do so. Organisations are then surprised when progression slows or confidence drops.

When this transition is left to chance, organisations tend to see one of two outcomes. Some women hold back from applying for senior roles, are described as “not quite ready”, or leave to find progression elsewhere. Others are promoted but struggle to make the shift. They overwork, stay too close to delivery, find delegation difficult, and lack the strategic relationships needed to influence effectively at a senior level.

Both outcomes carry a cost. Organisations either lose experienced women before promotion or retain them in senior roles where they are under-supported and at risk of burnout. Teams lose continuity, delivery suffers, and confidence in internal promotion weakens. Over time, this undermines retention and erodes both the leadership pipeline and the leadership talent pipeline organisations rely on for future senior roles.

I bring over 30 years’ experience working in technology, including operating at a senior leadership level as a UK & I Operations Director within a global paytech organisation. I understand first-hand what changes as responsibility increases, particularly the shift from managing delivery to influencing direction, working with senior stakeholders, and being accountable for outcomes at scale.

Alongside this industry experience, I am an accredited and licensed leadership coach with many years’ experience supporting businesses and their women in technology to transition successfully into leadership roles. This combination matters. It means my work is grounded in the realities of tech environments, delivery pressure, and organisational dynamics, rather than abstract leadership theory.

For organisations, the benefit goes beyond building a stronger leadership talent pool. When women are properly supported through this transition, they step into senior roles able to contribute earlier, make better decisions, delegate effectively, and build the relationships that influence outcomes. Just as importantly, they are far more likely to stay. Confidence, influence, and clarity at this stage reduce burnout, increase engagement, and create a clearer sense of future progression.

The result is not only successful promotion, but higher retention of experienced women in technology, stronger continuity in leadership roles, and leaders who add value from day one. This protects both delivery and leadership capability at a point where organisations can least afford to lose talent.

If you are responsible for talent, leadership development, or technology teams and are seeing capable women plateau at the team management level, I encourage you to get in touch using the contact form below.