In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with two amazing individuals from the world of tech events and community building: Karen Katz and Stephen Wallace from BeerOps.
This episode of our Web-TV show includes:
- Meet Karen Katz and learn about her journey.
- Meet Stephen Wallace and the story behind BeerOps.
- Karen explains KK Consulting and the impactful work of Her Tech Circle.
- Stephen shares the history and current focus of BeerOps.
- Exciting news! Stephen reveals the 2025 BeerOps event dates and locations.
- A look into a typical day for Karen Katz.
- How BeerOps provides value and opportunities for Her Tech Circle.
- What members of Her Tech Circle can gain by attending BeerOps.
- The valuable contribution of Her Tech Circle’s involvement in BeerOps 2025.
- A discussion on the importance of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) in the tech industry and BeerOps’ efforts in this space.
- Where you can find more information about Karen Katz, KK Consulting, Her Tech Circle, and BeerOps (including 2025 event details and registration!).
Karen Katz is the Founder and Director of KK Consulting, a Melbourne-based HR company that celebrated its 7th anniversary. Karen’s expertise spans generalist HR, career coaching, executive team building, and recruitment, with a sweet spot in the technology and professional services sectors. Beyond KK Consulting, Karen is also the Co-Founder and a Board Member of Her Tech Circle. Born from the passion of the former board of Girls in Tech, which operated for nearly eight years, Her Tech Circle is a 100% volunteer-based, not-for-profit organisation empowering women to unlock their potential and advance their tech careers through a supportive community. Their values center around empowerment, intentional bravery, and unconditional trust, delivered through various sponsored events across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth.
Joining Karen is Stephen Wallace, the Co-Founder and Event Director of BeerOps, Australia’s largest tech networking event. What started in 2014 as a way to break down technical silos between data, DevOps, and security professionals (among others) has grown into a thriving community with over 50,000 members across various meetup groups. BeerOps hosts events in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne, and Sydney, fostering connections over beverages and pizza. Stephen shared the upcoming 2025 event dates: Brisbane (June 19th), Perth (July 1st), with Melbourne and Sydney events later in the year in October.
We discuss the synergy between BeerOps and Her Tech Circle. Stephen highlighted the decade-long commitment of BeerOps to improving female representation at their events, proudly noting over 30% female registration at their recent events, thanks in part to their collaboration with Karen. Karen shared that BeerOps provides invaluable exposure for Her Tech Circle, creates connections with sponsor companies, and offers networking and job opportunities for their community members. She emphasized the importance of networking, a key focus within Her Tech Circle, and how BeerOps offers a larger platform for their members to grow their professional connections.
We also discussed the critical role of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in the tech industry, with both Karen and Stephen sharing how their respective organizations are actively working to create a more balanced and inclusive environment.
Want to learn more and get involved?
- Find Karen Katz and Her Tech Circle on LinkedIn. Visit their website: https://sociaall.short.gy/her-tech-circle-website
- Discover more about BeerOps and their 2025 events at https://sociaall.short.gy/beerops2025. To volunteer, email volunteer@beerops.io, and be sure to follow BeerOps on LinkedIn and Twitter for regular updates.
Stay tuned for future episodes where we’ll dive deeper into the work of Her Tech Circle and the exciting developments at BeerOps!
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