Meet the Speaker — Helen Horstmann-Allen
Why is speaking at WITS important to you?
When I started working in technology in the 90s, there were fewer women present. I had just graduated from Wharton Business School, and I knew so many women who excelled in business. It was shocking to find so few women in tech. While things have changed since then, there’s still work to do. As COO of Fastmail, I work with a group of stellar women who I’ve hired or promoted on our team, and I feel incredibly lucky. The Women In Tech Summit shares my values by bringing more women into the technology sector, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it.
What or who inspires you?
My mother is an absolute icon! She had a big career, served on many non-profit boards, raised six kids, and still prioritized having a hobby, which is her garden. She’s so impressive, yet she always showed me she was lucky to spend time with me! When people tell me I remind them of her, I am massively flattered.
In my personal time, I serve on the boards of Emerge PA and Represent PA. These organizations get more women elected to hold political offices, and the women who run bring powerful change to the communities they serve and our political system. People’s capacity to do more — to take where they are, and go further — inspires me every day.
Most useful article you’ve read / video you have watched in the last month?
I recommend watching the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. It clearly describes why your privacy should matter to you and the world!
I just finished Tools and Weapons by Brad Smith, who has served as a longtime general counsel at Microsoft. As a lawyer, he focused on the impact of technology on people and, really, society, which is something the tech sector should center around more.
Favorite thing you have learned or did during quarantine?
It’s a quarantine cliche, but I went from “non-baker” to making 2–4 loaves of sourdough a week. I have spent more time in my house than ever before, and it has made me feel like there’s some value in being here.
At work, fortunately, we already had procedures to support remote work, so we adopted pretty quickly. But as people went into lockdown around the world, our customer support volume nearly tripled. It made sense that as face-to-face interactions dropped, the desire for human interaction online went up. Technology’s ability to keep us connected helped people cope during a difficult time, and we all saw that virtual connection is essential.
When you were a kid what was your dream job?
In some ways, I was a kid when I started the work I still do today, and I’d call this my dream job. I was a college freshman when I helped a classmate clean up checks on his dorm room floor. The checks were payments to Pobox, his email forwarding business that I would later lead as CEO. Pobox was acquired by Fastmail, which is how I landed my job today. So for whatever your dreams might be, my advice is to keep your eyes open for opportunities and don’t hesitate to jump in!
Tell us something about your session.
Sometimes digital privacy can be painted in extreme terms, as if it’s too difficult to obtain and that there’s nothing you can do to make a difference. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed or even turn away from trying. But if you close your shades at night, you believe in privacy. And like pulling down your shades, privacy is closer within reach than you think. I hope people will walk away feeling empowered by practical ways you can reclaim control of your privacy. Better digital privacy doesn’t require perfection. It takes thoughtful steps that matter.
What other sessions or speakers are you most excited to see?
Privacy is core to everything we do, but I’m a planner at heart. Andrena Sawyer’s session on strategic planning and Meghan Kelly’s session on Post-it Notes are at the top of my list. Subhasree Chatterjee also enticed me by promising to help quantify products’ visual appeal, so you’ll find me there, too!
Helen Horstmann-Allen is COO of Fastmail. Fastmail is an email service that puts you and your privacy first. Your email is kept away from advertisers who would want to monetize your data or annoy you with ads. You get thoughtful productivity tools that help you get more done and spend less time on email. WITS attendees can save 10% off the first year of Fastmail by signing up at fastmail.com/wits.
