When a “50+ Influencer” earlier this month took to LinkedIn to hit out at ageism in the workplace and hiring practices, he wasn’t talking specifically about the IT channel.
But Stuart Neilson’s viral post will have struck a chord with many over 50s in our industry, a disproportionate number of whom have been laid off during wave after wave of tech job cuts.
The issue, Neilson argued, is that more experienced professionals are struggling to get their foot in the door, particularly amid suggestions that AI search algorithms may be filtering people out by age.
The inaugural Oxygen Awards seeks to recognise next-generation talent through its Gifted Graduate/Apprentice Award, and rightly so.
But we also wanted to shine a spotlight on those who have quietly mastered their trade over decades through the Senior Superhero category (see more here).
Is the rush to venerate young talent causing tech employers to overlook or even discriminate against more experienced staff? Are their considerable skills being undervalued?
We caught up with four industry leaders to get their thoughts…
“The most effective organisations combine experience and fresh thinking”
Lisa Herbert
MD, Infinity Group
Is the IT channel overlooking older talent?
Yes, but it’s often unintentional. The IT world tends to prioritise pace, innovation and emerging skills; which can translate into a bias towards younger talent. However, that overlooks a critical point: transformation programmes don’t fail because of lack of technology knowledge. They fail because of poor decision-making, change resistance and weak stakeholder alignment. This is where experience is invaluable.
I find that there is as much for experienced professionals to learn from younger colleagues – particularly around confidence, self-advocacy and how they position their value. Younger people are far more comfortable asking for what they believe they deserve, and that’s something the industry benefits from.
The most effective organisations are those that intentionally combine both perspectives, experience and fresh thinking, rather than favouring one over the other.
Have you personally witnessed any examples of ageism in the industry?
Yes, but it presents differently depending on geography and stage of career. Earlier in my career in South Africa, there was a perception that leadership had a ‘shelf life’, and that opportunities narrowed significantly beyond your mid-40s. When I moved to the UK at 48, I experienced almost the opposite! I was seen as being in my prime, with both credibility and relevance. It was heady validation.
What I have observed in the industry is less overt discrimination and more subtle filtering:
Assumptions that experienced candidates are too expensive
Concerns about adaptability to new technologies
There is also an element of self-reinforcement, where individuals who haven’t continued to evolve their skills can unintentionally validate those biases. Which is why staying relevant is so important.
The tech industry has been experiencing mass layoffs since mid-2023, leading to lots of older, experienced staff entering the jobs market. What’s your advice to them?
The key is to reframe experience as an asset, not a timeline, but also to take ownership of staying current. Think of taking on employment as now a series of projects where your experience lends itself to the transfer of skills rather than the building of a career.
My advice is:
Stay visibly relevant. Your education and experience isn’t something you put on the shelf. The industry moves too quickly. Continuous learning is non-negotiable, and it needs to be visible. That could be through certifications, platforms, or how you talk about modern technology.
Translate your experience into outcomes where you focus on the impact that you have made – transformation delivered, teams scaled, revenue improved, risk mitigated – rather than years in a role.
Your differentiator is your ability to make better decisions faster. That comes from pattern recognition, judgment and resilience, which only come with experience.
Also, remain open to different entry points (advisory, programme-based or transformation roles) which can often lead to permanent positions once value is demonstrated.
What’s your company’s policy on ensuring older applicants have an opportunity, and do you have top tips for best practice?
At Infinity Group, we are deliberate in ensuring capability, mindset and adaptability are what matter; not age or career stage. We actively build mixed-experience teams because they perform better, combining confidence and pace with depth and execution discipline.
Some best practice in this area includes:
Focus on adaptability and learning mindset: The real differentiator isn’t age, it’s whether someone continues to evolve. That is the magic anti-ageing elixir!
Encourage two-way learning cultures: We place real value on environments where younger employees bring confidence, new thinking and challenge, while more experienced employees bring structure, judgement and delivery discipline. I have learnt so much that has brought joy to my work life whether its office tunes, tech or just attitude!
Create meaningful roles at all career stages: Experienced professionals often add the most value through mentoring, leadership and complex programme delivery, not just traditional upward progression.
I think that age in tech shouldn’t be a liability, it should be a competitive advantage. But it comes with a responsibility: we need to stay relevant, keep learning, and remain open to what others, especially younger colleagues, can teach you as well.
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