Mums in Tech ft. Cass Tague

Firstly, can you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current role?

Hey, I’m Cass.

I’m the Marketing Director at Zoonou, an employee-owned B Corp specialising in digital quality assurance. I lead our marketing team and sit on the Operational Board, helping shape both our brand and the wider direction of the company.

I’m also a mum to two children who are ten years apart in age. I had my son when I was 18, so I’ve never really known adult life without balancing ambition, work and family in one way or another.

If you could sum up what it’s like being a working mum in tech in one sentence, what would it be?

 It’s a constant exercise in adapting – just when you feel like you’ve got one stage figured out, everything changes again.

How do you find the balance between your career and motherhood?

I don’t really think balance exists in the way people often describe it.

For me, it’s about showing up well in the places that need me most at that moment. Sometimes that’s work, sometimes that’s family, and sometimes neither gets the absolute best of you because life is full and you’re human.

I’ve learned to be a lot kinder to myself about that over time.

What has been your greatest challenge as a working mother in tech?

Probably the pressure we put on ourselves.

I’ve experienced motherhood at very different stages of life and career.

There’s often an unspoken expectation to be brilliant at work, brilliant at home, and completely on top of everything all at once. It’s just not realistic.

The biggest shift for me has been accepting that doing a good job doesn’t mean doing everything perfectly.

What skills have you developed as a mother that have helped your work life?

Perspective, without question.

You become much better at working out what actually matters and what’s just noise. That’s made me more decisive, more grounded, and better at prioritising.

It’s also made me more empathetic. A lot of marketing is really just understanding people, and parenthood gives you a constant reminder that everyone is carrying something you can’t see.

And despite what people say, I don’t think motherhood teaches multitasking – I think it teaches focus. You learn to put your energy where it’s needed most.

When you were returning to work, what one thing helped you / would have helped you the most?

‍Feeling trusted as an individual.

‍When I returned from maternity leave, what made the biggest difference wasn’t a specific policy – it was knowing I didn’t need to start from scratch again.

‍One of the things I’ve always valued about Zoonou (and my previous employer Rhopoint Instruments) is that support isn’t fixed. The support I needed ten years ago is different to what I need today, and that difference is recognised.

‍Life changes, children grow up, priorities shift – and the best workplaces understand that support has to evolve with you, not stay static.

What do you feel should be the top priority for employers who want to support working mothers better?

Recognising that people change.

It’s easy to design support around a single moment in time – returning from maternity leave, for example – but people don’t stay in that moment.

The most effective support is ongoing. It comes from listening, checking in, and understanding that what someone needs today might be very different in a year or two.

Any final words of advice for other mothers in the Tech Industry?

Don’t let anyone else’s timeline become your benchmark.

I became a mum at 18, built my career alongside raising a family, and found my way into tech through a route I never planned. None of it followed a neat or predictable path.

But careers aren’t meant to be linear. Life isn’t either.

You don’t need to have it all mapped out – you just need to keep going, and trust that there isn’t only one “right” way for things to unfold.