Vanessa Vallely is an author whose work is grounded in real experience, honest reflection and a deep understanding of what it takes to build, navigate and sustain a successful career.
Drawing on over 25 years in corporate and more than a decade working with thousands of women across industries, her writing goes beyond theory. It reflects the realities of modern careers, the challenges, the opportunities and the often-unspoken dynamics that shape progression.
Vanessa is the author of Heels of Steel, her first book exploring ambition, resilience and the realities of building a successful career as a woman in demanding industries, and 404: Women Not Found, a powerful exploration of the broken systems, biases and barriers that continue to shape the experiences of women in technology.
Her work combines research, lived experience and practical insight in a way that resonates deeply with readers. She writes about confidence, visibility, leadership, workplace politics, allyship and the pressures many women silently carry while trying to build meaningful careers, always with honesty, warmth and a conversational tone that makes readers feel understood rather than lectured.
Whether sharing lessons from boardrooms, reflections from her own journey, or insights gathered through years of supporting women across global organisations, Vanessa’s writing is focused on one clear aim, helping women not just to succeed, but to be seen, heard and recognised.
404: Women Not Found
The Broken Link. How Women Can Survive, Thrive and Shape the Future of Tech
Available to pre-order on Amazon – Official launch date: 1 October 2026
404: Women Not Found is both a wake-up call and a practical playbook for women navigating the technology industry.
Building on the findings of the Lovelace Report, alongside Vanessa’s own lived experience and years spent supporting thousands of women across business and technology, the book explores the systemic challenges that continue to shape women’s careers, while offering clear, practical strategies to help them move forward with greater confidence, visibility and intent.
This is not simply a book about the problems women face in tech. It is about understanding the realities of modern workplaces, learning how to navigate them more effectively and helping shape something better for the future.
Through honest reflection, personal stories, real-world examples and straight-talking advice, Vanessa explores the often-unspoken dynamics that influence progression, from confidence, profile and visibility through to politics, power, sponsorship, allyship and organisational culture.
The book tackles the questions many women quietly ask themselves throughout their careers:
- Why does progression sometimes feel harder than it should?
- Why do talented women still feel unseen or overlooked?
- Why are so many women leaving the industry despite capability, ambition and performance?
Alongside Vanessa’s own perspective, the book also contains the expertise and insight of more than 40 contributors from across the technology, leadership and business landscape, bringing together a powerful collection of voices, experiences and perspectives from women and allies who are actively shaping the future of industry.
Together, these contributors share practical wisdom, honest reflections and actionable advice designed to help women navigate their careers more confidently, while helping organisations build more inclusive and equitable environments.
At its core, 404: Women Not Found is about shifting the narrative, from being overlooked to becoming visible, from waiting for opportunity to actively shaping it, and from simply surviving in the industry to helping redefine its future.
The book is written for women at every stage of their career, from those just entering the industry through to senior leaders navigating the complexities of leadership, influence and visibility.
Practical, honest and deeply relatable, 404: Women Not Found combines research, lived experience and actionable insight in a way that helps readers feel both understood and empowered.
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Heels of Steel (2013)
Vanessa’s first book, Heels of Steel, is a candid, practical and deeply personal guide to navigating the workplace and building a successful career.
Part memoir and part career playbook, the book traces Vanessa’s journey from growing up on an East London council estate and leaving school at 16 with just a handful of GCSEs, through to building a successful career across nine banks and ultimately reaching the C-suite.
Written with honesty, humour and straight-talking realism, Heels of Steel explores the lessons, setbacks and turning points that shaped her journey, offering readers practical insight into what it really takes to survive and progress in demanding corporate environments.
Structured across 13 chapters, the book covers topics including confidence, resilience, visibility, networking, career planning, workplace politics and learning how to navigate environments that were not always designed with women in mind.
Rather than presenting a polished or perfect version of success, the book openly acknowledges the self-doubt, mistakes and challenges that so many women quietly experience throughout their careers, making it both relatable and reassuring for readers trying to find their own path.
At its core, Heels of Steel is about recognising that career progression is rarely linear. It is about learning to back yourself, finding your voice, building meaningful relationships and understanding that success is often shaped as much by resilience and visibility as it is by technical capability.
The book also reflects Vanessa’s belief that careers should not simply happen to us. They should be actively shaped, navigated and owned.
Although the book is currently out of print, its messages continue to resonate with readers who have applied its lessons to their own careers and leadership journeys.
The Lovelace Report
In 2025, Dr Vanessa Vallely OBE co-authored The Lovelace Report alongside Deborah O’Neill of Oliver Wyman and Karen Blake MBE, former Co-CEO of the Tech Talent Charter.
The report was created to better understand the experiences of women working in technology and to provide the industry with evidence based insights into the barriers preventing women from entering, progressing and remaining in the sector.
Drawing on the strength of the WeAreTechWomen community, one of the UK’s largest communities for women in technology, the research gathered insights from more than 500 women across the industry. This was complemented by senior leader interviews, roundtable discussions and extensive analysis of the technology talent landscape.
The Lovelace Report was launched at the House of Parliament in July 2025 and has since become one of the most referenced reports on women in technology in the UK. It has informed conversations among employers, policymakers, industry leaders and diversity practitioners, helping to shape the national debate around gender equity in technology.
Following its launch, the report was shared with ministers and policymakers across government and contributed to growing discussions around the future of women in technology. Since then, the UK has seen the establishment of a Women in Tech Taskforce and the announcement of significant funding from the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to support more women into technology careers and digital skills pathways. While no single report can claim sole responsibility for these developments, The Lovelace Report has played an important role in ensuring the experiences and voices of women working in technology remain firmly on the national agenda.
The findings revealed a stark reality. Women account for just 20% of the UK technology workforce and are leaving the industry at more than twice the rate of men. The report estimated that between 40,000 and 60,000 women leave technology roles every year, costing the UK economy between £2 billion and £3.5 billion annually.
Perhaps most importantly, the research challenged many long held assumptions about why women leave the sector. Contrary to popular belief, childcare was not identified as a primary driver. Instead, women cited a lack of career progression, limited recognition, pay inequality, unclear pathways to leadership, workplace culture and restricted access to influential networks and opportunities as the key factors impacting their careers.
The report also highlighted significant delays in promotion and progression. Women reported waiting substantially longer than their male counterparts to advance, with many becoming stuck in what the research described as the “sticky middle” of their careers. The findings showed that talented women were often overlooked for high visibility projects, sponsorship opportunities and leadership pathways, creating barriers that compounded over time.
Beyond identifying the challenges, The Lovelace Report set out a series of practical recommendations for organisations, policymakers and industry leaders. These included increasing transparency around promotion and pay, creating clearer career pathways, improving access to sponsorship, investing in future skills and AI readiness, and holding organisations accountable for the progression and retention of female talent.
The report has become an important resource for organisations seeking to understand not only why women continue to leave technology, but also what can be done to create environments where they can thrive, progress and lead.
For Vanessa, the findings became the inspiration for her second book, 404: Women Not Found. The stories, experiences and data uncovered through the research highlighted the urgent need for practical guidance to help women navigate careers in technology while the industry continues its journey towards greater equity and inclusion.
To download a copy of The Lovelace Report and explore the full findings, insights and recommendations, click below