Women Who Lead, Do, and Change: Natasha Barker
Natasha Barker is a Chartered and TOGAF‑certified Domain Architect at Matalan, with around a decade of experience in IT architecture and digital transformation. A passionate advocate for diversity in tech, Natasha mentors through platforms, partners with universities, and is a frequent speaker and thought leader at industry events, championing inclusive representation in IT.
Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your current role.
I’m Natasha Barker, Domain Architect at Matalan, where I work as Lead Architect on multi-million-pound projects, lead our IT strategy, and oversee architectural governance –driving innovation across a wide-ranging technology portfolio. With 10 years of architecture experience, I shape solutions for a range of transformation programmes, helping to align business and technology with a long-term, sustainable vision.
My journey into tech began in school when I chose IT as a GCSE. At first, it was just a subject I enjoyed, but my interest grew during college when I discovered the IT Management for Business degree – a course that blended technology with real-world business impact. That, combined with the influence of my dad (an IT Director) and a family of tech enthusiasts, sparked something lasting. I knew I wanted to be part of something strategic, problem-solving, and future-focused. One month after graduating, I landed my first IT role and I’ve never looked back.
Biggest win, biggest lesson
One standout achievement was leading the digital transformation programme at Matalan, a large-scale, fast-paced project that re-platformed our website, rolled out new in-store tech, and launched new customer and colleague apps. Traditional architectural processes weren’t suited to Agile delivery, so I adapted our approach to strike the right balance between governance and flexibility. I treated design as a living, evolving blueprint, aligning it to delivery sprints, introducing a “design gaps” log, and chairing a new Design Authority to sign off key decisions. This allowed us to move at speed while protecting long-term architectural integrity.
The biggest lesson? Architecture and design governance doesn't have to be rigid. Processes can evolve and comes from listening, adapting, and empowering others to lead – getting the best end outcome for all.
Have you faced any career challenges?
One recurring challenge has been feeling the need to “prove” my credibility, especially when working with third parties or new teams. Like many people – I get imposter syndrome and, in the past, have worried that my age or lack of years in the industry means I have less knowledge than others, when actually this isn’t always the case. Sometimes assumptions about what my role is, how much technical knowledge I have or how senior I am, have been made by external third parties too, which are inaccurate.
Rather than let that discourage me, I’ve worked on being more direct and unapologetic about my experience and seniority from the outset. I also now actively speak up when I see similar behaviour toward others.
I’m fortunate to work in an organisation where I’m respected and supported. My male allies have played a crucial role in challenging this behaviour when it happens and I do the same for others.
Where do you still see gaps or barriers for women in digital, and what one action would accelerate change?
Representation. We still can’t name a modern-day female equivalent to Steve Jobs or Elon Musk and that matters. We need more visible, relatable women in digital who are known not just for being women in tech, but for being brilliant at what they do. The one action I’d push for is normalising women in senior tech roles. That means hiring them, promoting them, showing them on stage and in boardrooms – and spotlighting modern success stories that young women can look up to today, not just historic ones from decades ago.
If you had five minutes with a woman who is just starting her digital career, what would you tell her to focus on first?
Focus on three things:
- Build a development plan – even just a mind map or bullet list.
- Seek role models – online, in your organisation, or through mentoring schemes.
- Know your worth – you deserve to be in every room you're in. You don’t need to be technical to be valuable in tech, you just need to bring your unique perspective and be willing to learn. And don’t underestimate just how important the soft skills are! We can’t teach these skills and in tech, they can be hard to come by so they’re definitely an asset!
What do you think companies can do to support career progress for women working in digital roles?
- Champion diversity in hiring, promotion and leadership opportunities.
- Create inclusive environments (e.g. rethink "default male" activities like golf events or admin expectations on women in the team).
- Offer part-time/flexible roles at all levels — not just junior ones.
- Ensure women have a voice, and allies know how to use theirs.
- Provide clear escalation channels for when things don’t go well Representation is powerful. If women see others like them leading, innovating, and thriving, they’re far more likely to stay, grow, and lead themselves.
What three digital tools or platforms could you not run your work without?
- Microsoft Teams – Essential for collaboration across geographies and third parties. It's how we communicate, run meetings, share demos, and keep pace across departments.
- SharePoint – Our architectural knowledge base and the heartbeat of our architectural delivery. I use it to track design gaps and decisions, share designs, and collaborate across teams. It is our reference point.
- LinkedIn – A platform I use to share knowledge, grow my network, and advocate for women in tech. It’s where many of my public speaking and mentoring opportunities have come from.
In the next 12 months, which emerging trend or shift should our community keep on their radar?
The convergence of business strategy and IT. IT is no longer a support function, it’s a driver of innovation and growth. Tech leaders are becoming boardroom voices, and business stakeholders are becoming more tech-literate.
Alongside that, AI adoption and neuroinclusive leadership are huge. As we innovate rapidly, we must ensure ethical use of technology and create workplaces where everyone can thrive. I’m especially excited about the growing push for product-centric delivery models, where IT works hand-in-hand with the business, not just to execute, but to shape and lead.
