Community Spotlight: Brittany Van Dyk
Brittany Van Dyk
Seven years ago, Brittany Van Dyk moved from Canada to Sweden with a master’s degree in public health and zero plans to work in technology. Today, she manages complex workflows, healthcare data products, and customer-centric digital solutions.
Brittany’s journey is a masterclass in why you don't need an engineering degree to build a thriving career in tech. Driven by an endless curiosity for how quickly the industry evolves, she has navigated the challenge of not being "tech-trained" by becoming an absolute learning machine. Her story reminds us that if technology is driving our collective future, women must be at the table building the solutions.
One of the foundational volunteers at Women in Tech Gothenburg (WITGBG), Brittany is one of the key members of the Rewrite the Code team that helps organisations understand their current inclusion practices and make tangible changes to build more inclusive workplaces.
This is the first interview in our community spotlight series where we celebrate the local champions driving the Gothenburg tech ecosystem forward.
Tell us a bit about yourself and your role in tech.
My name is Brittany and I moved to Sweden seven years ago from Canada. I studied health sciences and have a master’s in public health. I started my career working for an international NGO and never imagined I’d one day work at a tech company.
I was drawn in through a job where I was responsible for digital transformation projects at a children’s hospital. Handling everything from change management practices and board reports down to service design and configuring the systems themselves, I loved how tech drove everything forward.
When I moved to Sweden, I ventured into the private sector, working in customer-facing roles in medtech and with healthcare data. Though I do not hold an engineering role, everything I do is centred around technology; ensuring data products and offerings remain customer-centric, systems and workflows are deployed effectively and efficiently with customers, and that we leverage the right tools at the right time to bring it all together.
What has helped you stay and grow in tech?
Pure fascination and curiosity. I think it’s an important space to fill and I am endlessly fascinated by how quickly tech evolves and how quickly society and business move right alongside it. How could I not be curious about such a force?
What challenges have you faced, and how have you navigated them?
The biggest challenge I have faced is not being “tech-trained” from the start. I often lack the vocabulary to have the discussions that I’m interested in and that can be intimidating, and I’m often worried that I’m just not “doing it right”. However, I listen to a lot of podcasts, read a lot of newsletters and articles, and my TikTok algorithm feeds me some great content around it all. I’ve also asked my company to help me upskill so that I can keep my knowledge and skills sharp; I’m currently taking a course on AI-driven Healthcare Transformation by Harvard Executive Education, which is such an amazing opportunity!
What is your connection to WITGBG and what drew you to this community?
I was one of the first volunteers when WITGBG opened up at the end of 2020. I joined a Covid-era lunch webinar where the guest speaker was the president of WITGBG at the time. I messaged her on LinkedIn and the rest is history! The perspective that women’s exclusion from tech is a public health issue resonated with me. If tech is driving our collective future, women have to be involved in building the solutions meant to serve them.
Brittany conducting an internal workshop at WITGBG
How would you sum up your perspective towards tech?
The future of tech is shaped not only by engineers, but by everyone committed to showing up and contributing to progress.
What change would you like to see in the tech industry?
I want to see more women building and growing great careers within the tech sphere, and I also want women with great ideas getting their businesses funded! Inclusion at every level of the chain is an absolute must.
What advice would you give to others building a long-term career in tech?
Never stop learning! Always be curious.