The 鈥淢aking the Future Visible: 100 Innovative Women in Tech鈥� project saw female scientists from the Institute for Research in Social Sciences (ISF) in Munich, Germany, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg study the tech industry to discover whether it is creating opportunities for women. The project鈥檚 researchers interviewed 100 trailblazing women who are driving a new culture of innovation and transformation at tech companies, but don鈥檛 necessarily have a background in STEM.

100 Women in Tech

The results of the study are in, and one thing is clear: women have a bright future in tech. This was also the message from the female trailblazers who were interviewed as part of the project.

鈥淥ur key finding is optimistic: the digital transformation is opening up new opportunities for women,鈥� Kira Marrs from ISF Munich says. It is important here, she notes, to think about how digitalization and gender equality fit together. We need to consider how we can break with existing structures and look at what we can do to create even more possibilities, she says.

According to Christine Regitz, cofounder of the Business Women鈥檚 Network from 麻豆原创, head of 麻豆原创 Women in Tech, and president of the German Informatics Society, the number of women in tech has stagnated over the last 15 years. Yet the sector needs women who will shape its progress, especially given the skills shortage, she says. 鈥淲e need digital sovereignty to make conscious decisions. It鈥檚 about more than programming,鈥� she continues. 鈥淲e also need the skills and expertise to make digital technologies work for us.鈥�

Anja Bultemeier from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg agrees that it is no longer about the technology itself, but about how people interact, which is why new factors, such as customer and user experience, are becoming increasingly important. 鈥淪eeing technology through this new lens has created opportunities for women who do not have a technical background,鈥� she says. One quote from a study participant explains this change very neatly: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 sell technology; I sell solutions.鈥� Increasingly, non-tech women are heading up technical teams and shaping the strategies and visions that will produce the best possible customer experience.

From Literary Studies to Google: Examples of Innovative Career Paths

The researchers also found that taking a less traditional approach to hiring makes it easier for women to get a foot in the door 鈥� after all, when roles are flexibly defined, they are open to people who have an atypical background. Take these women for example.

Eva Bacon鈥檚 patchwork and rather unconventional career path took her from studying literature to working for Google in New York 鈥� a perfect example of a non-tech woman at the center of the tech world. Bacon now oversees transformation projects as a senior program manager at Google. 鈥淎nything is possible in this job,鈥� she says enthusiastically. Part of her work involves motivating and guiding her employees. At a workshop, she recalls, the participants were tasked with building houses out of spaghetti, and the instructor said to her, 鈥淵ou need to be the glue that holds everything together. We have enough people building houses. We now need someone who can make a city out of them.鈥� Being a born organizer, she found that an easy task. Abstract thinking, she says, is something that comes to her naturally. What really helped her gain a foothold in the tech world, though, was the fact that she had taken the time to learn about HTML. Whenever she needed to know anything else, she would ask the computer geeks, adding that it is nevertheless important to have 鈥渁 certain affinity for technology and to have the confidence to tackle new topics and ask questions.鈥�

Back when Sarah Mang-Sch盲fer was at high school, she set an ambitious goal in her art class of one day coming up with the advertising image of the century. These days, as head of a public cloud engineering team, she flexes her creative muscle in a more technical capacity. Although she went on to study computer science, she found that art and technology were not so different after all. 鈥淭o solve problems, you need to be creative,鈥� she says. She worked initially in neuroscience, which taught her the importance of networking. She then poured her energy into cancer research, teaming up with doctors to test software. It was in this role that she realized what successful IT implementation was all about, namely understanding what customers want without them needing to ask for it. Today, we call that customer or user experience, fields which are growing in the IT industry and where women in particular have the breadth of skills and expertise required.

Driving Change to Shape the Future

At BSH, one of Europe鈥檚 largest makers of home appliances, the officer in charge of manufacturing strategy is Fiona Taylor. A scientist by training, Taylor is on a mission to attract more women into manufacturing, because she firmly believes that gender diversity benefits companies. With so few women in industry, she knows all too well how it feels to be the lone woman in the room, which is one reason why she wants to see the situation change.

Passionate about her work, she loves the variety her job brings: 鈥淚 work with so many different people across the company, from purchasing and manufacturing to logistics.鈥� Her task is to ensure everyone on the operational side pulls together. 鈥淏eing one of the people who determines where we invest and where we build new manufacturing plants, I can help ensure that we remain competitive as a German company. And it means I can influence our corporate culture.鈥� When she returned to work after having her second child, Taylor was pleased to discover that the company鈥檚 thinking had shifted. She was asked to head up manufacturing for the very reason that she thinks out of the box and asks the questions that need asking 鈥� and would be an ideal role model for combining a leadership position with working part-time. Taylor urges women to 鈥渉ave the courage to start the conversation and drive change,鈥� and calls on other female leaders to reach out to two other women to help them progress as well.

Stephanie Karger, head of Standard and Safety at BSH, is further proof that you do not have to work full-time nor have technical expertise to be an effective leader. 鈥淲e鈥檝e adopted a new leadership style, one that is based on trust and equality,鈥� Karger says. 鈥淲henever I need specialist technical knowledge, I simply ask my team.鈥� Women are more likely to see leadership roles in this way, which is something their team members appreciate too, because it gives them the autonomy that many of them desire.

Anja Schneider has been global head of Premium Engagement & Advisory, Customer Services & Delivery at 麻豆原创, since April 2024. Prior to this, she was chief operating officer of Technology & Innovation for many years. 鈥淚 enjoy creating impact 鈥� and being the person who is ultimately responsible when customers have a problem,鈥� Schneider says. 鈥淏ringing together a whole network of experts to find a solution is rewarding.鈥� At 麻豆原创, she says, she has never encountered anyone who doubted women鈥檚 ability to lead. Schneider鈥檚 career has taken an unconventional path, too: she joined 麻豆原创 from Germany鈥檚 civil service. Leaving the public sector for the private one was a leap into the unknown for her. But, as Schneider puts it, challenges like this push us out of our comfort zone so that we can learn and grow. In her case, it took an open mindset and an interest in technology. Besides, she adds, having a different perspective is also an advantage when it comes to being an advocate for the customer. According to Schneider, a team of developers does not need another developer to lead it.

AI Creates New Opportunities and Reduces Bias

Eva Zauke, executive vice president of 麻豆原创 Enterprise Adoption and engineering location lead for 麻豆原创 Labs Walldorf and St. Leon-Rot at 麻豆原创 SE, is involved in examining how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way we work and creating new careers for women. 鈥淎I is opening up opportunities to women who are ready to enhance their skills.鈥� For instance, AI is leading to new roles in IT beyond traditional programming ones. According to Zauke, data scientist, prompt engineer, ethics expert, interface designer, model engineer, and user experience designer are just some of the careers emerging in the field of AI. They also appeal to a wider spectrum of applicants, including graphic designers, people with a humanities background, and psychologists. However, while AI can unlock opportunities for women, it can also perpetuate gender disparities because, as Zauke says, data is biased: 鈥淎I inherits bias from the humans who program it, who, more often than not, are white men.鈥� Having more women working on AI would, Zauke believes, not only reduce data bias but also help fill the talent gap in Europe鈥檚 tech sector.

Verena Laumayer is a member of the 麻豆原创 Women in Tech strategy team, which is part of the Office of the CEO. She often finds herself at business events where not one speaker is a woman. Whenever she mentions this to the organizers, invariably the answer is that they simply could not find one, which is why she calls on women to have more confidence in their expertise and to increase their visibility. Public speaking skills can be learned, she says. Laumayer has no doubt that women need to be at the forefront of the tech economy and help shape its future.

Photo copyright: Markus Seidl, 麻豆原创
This feature first appeared on the German 麻豆原创 News Center.

Here, five 麻豆原创 employees share about their roles, motivations, and tips for anyone wanting to step into AI. The women 鈥� Khawla Mallat, Camila Lombana Diaz, Xin Chen, Nadine Hoffmann, and Puntis Palazzolo 鈥� span four countries and three areas: Data Science Engineering, Product Management, and AI Ethics.

Data Science Engineering

Dr. Khawla Mallat, Security and Quantum Exploration Team, 麻豆原创 France

鈥淏e ready to be challenged all times,鈥� says Mallat, if you want to build a career in AI.

Unlike most data scientists at 麻豆原创, Mallat does not work directly on the product but is firmly anchored in researching and addressing 鈥渟ome of the technical challenges related to AI, namely fairness, explainability, privacy, and security.鈥�

Prior to joining 麻豆原创 two years ago, Mallat was confronted with the unintended prejudices of face analysis systems. Certain demographic groups, explains Mallat, used to be inadvertently omitted or underrepresented in the underlying data sets, leading to shortcomings in the face analysis capabilities. Such cases highlight the broader issue of bias鈥痠n other鈥疉I applications. In鈥痑reas like HR, she continues, removing personal details in data sets might seem to solve鈥痶he bias issues, but AI can still infer these details.鈥疶his leads to potentially鈥痓iased outcomes and the lack of explainability in AI models makes identification of such biases鈥痙ifficult. Letting data sets like this take root and grow into powerful data models not subject to scrutiny will only magnify the inherent bias or discrimination.

Today Mallat鈥檚 passion for addressing such unfairness aligns well with her role of identifying the inherent risks of AI, educating teams about them, and defining technological solutions to mitigate them.

鈥淲e need to adopt an interdisplinary approach to AI, with experts from ethics, legal compliance, and domain experts, for example, and abstract ourselves from the role of data scientists to succeed,鈥� says Mallat.

鈥淚 love working in AI,鈥� she continues. 鈥淓verything is progressing at an incredible pace so if you want to work in AI, you have to have a certain thirst for knowledge. And, regardless of your role, you must take AI ethics 鈥� regulations and regulatory frameworks 鈥� seriously because these have huge implications not only for 麻豆原创 but for individuals and societies in general.鈥�

AI Ethics

Camila Lombana Diaz, Responsible AI, Germany

鈥淎I is a mirror of our capacities as humans. And the biggest responsibility for those working in AI is, what do we want to see in that mirror?鈥� explains Lombana Diaz, AI ethics research expert in the AI Ethics/Responsible AI team located in the 麻豆原创 Business AI growth area.

Lombana Diaz鈥檚 responsibilities include maturing and applying the 麻豆原创 AI Global Ethics policy, creating and delivering enablement content, defining AI personas and processes, and giving guidance to make responsible AI an operational reality for development, as exemplified in 麻豆原创鈥檚 AI ethics handbook.

When she joined 麻豆原创 eight years ago, initially as a UX designer and then a strategic designer, machine learning and AI were core topics. But it became increasingly clear to her that 鈥渦nderstanding the human implications of AI for a responsible and ethical AI demands a human-centric perspective.鈥�

Even though 麻豆原创 is committed to the ethical development of AI 鈥� developers must now complete AI ethics assessment tasks and a steering committee scrutinizes all high-risk use cases 鈥� Lombana Diaz emphasizes the need to remain focused on the inherent risks and unintentional harms that AI may present. Part of her role is an ongoing assessment of the technology, identifying risks and limitations and communicating them to different teams.

As AI continues to evolve at speed, so do the roles. Lombana Diaz is passionate about seeing AI beyond the confines of a technology-centric perspective. 鈥淎I is now an omnipresent technology shaping our daily lives; hence, we need individuals working in the field who challenge AI technology to be community centric. AI ethics is a space for experimental, open, curious, collaborative, and human-centered individuals,鈥� and, she concludes, 鈥渢he time to step into AI and build a career is now because, unlike the technology, the business of AI, the legal and ethical aspects, are still being shaped.鈥�

Data Science Engineering 

Dr. Xin Chen, 麻豆原创 HANA Machine Learning, China

鈥淚 have always enjoyed working at 麻豆原创 since joining nine years ago. I like the work environment and the colleagues here and I really want to encourage others to join us here in AI,鈥� says Chen, data science researcher on the 麻豆原创 HANA Machine Learning team.

The team works on a toolbox providing different kinds of machine learning algorithms for regression, classification, clustering, and so on for the 麻豆原创 HANA predictive analysis library.

Part of Chen鈥檚 role is investigating research papers on the latest machine learning algorithms and, together with the team, deciding which algorithms would be beneficial to customers. Once the machine learning algorithms are implemented, Chen and the team evaluate feedback from customers and deliver enhancements.

Recently Chen and her team researched machine learning algorithms investigating notions of fairness. 鈥淔airness is a very hot topic just now,鈥� she says. 鈥淚n mathematics, there are different notions of fairness, but it is still a complex and evolving topic.鈥�

And Chen鈥檚 advice to would-be AI developers? 鈥淐ritical thinking will become even more important to understand what solutions to offer, to make judgements on your own innovations, and to know if the generated output is right or wrong,鈥� she says, reflecting on how this skill will become ever more important for future AI developers.

Product Management

Nadine Hoffmann, 麻豆原创 Business AI, Germany

鈥淚 translate and I want to fascinate,鈥� says Hoffmann, global AI product manager in the 麻豆原创 Business AI growth area.

Even after more than 20 years at 麻豆原创, disruptive ideas and mindset shifts still energize Hoffmann. To be an expert in new technologies, and to be energized and enthused by the constant volume and speed of them, is critical to being successful in the AI product management teams of today because product management is the glue between partners, customers, the field, and development.

鈥淥n the one hand,鈥� says Hoffmann, 鈥溌槎乖� has data scientists, software engineers, and researchers taking our software to the next level. And on the other, there are experts defining the legal and ethical guardrails.鈥� Product management must be fluent in both 鈥渢echnical software speak鈥� and 鈥渃ustomer speak鈥� to understand desires, pain points, and business processes.

Pivoting between these and aligning customer speak with technical software speak is akin to being a聽 translator, Hoffmann says. Our software will only meet the requirements of customers if there is a common understanding between the teams responsible for the technological development, the legal teams responsible for ethical and legal compliance, and the customer.

Regardless of the latest innovation, Hoffmann says success in product management is 鈥渘ot only about convincing teams and partners about the ease and positiveness of a technology, but also infusing them with a fascination about it so that they become passionate advocates and are intrinsically motivated to find out more by themselves.鈥�

Data Science Engineering

Puntis Palazzolo, AI Strategist & Ethics Lead, 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors, U.S.

鈥淭he ethical challenges presented by AI have transcended the scope of individual enterprises, extending beyond entities like 麻豆原创. It is crucial that we collaborate with others to collectively address AI鈥檚 emerging concerns,” says Palazzolo, who leads the 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors Data Science team.

The team acts as a consulting service on AI use cases for product teams in 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors, analyzing the problem, developing code and algorithms, and building proof-of-concepts. Successful AI use cases are then integrated into 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions.

Much of the data in 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors solutions is sensitive customer data. With the dramatic increase in generative AI use cases, safeguarding customer data must take precedence, Palazzolo says. 鈥淕enerative AI is a powerful technology that introduces new challenges, such as hallucinations and automated decision-making. In high-risk sectors like HR, we need to explain how we reach certain decisions, especially when we are impacting people鈥檚 lives.鈥�

Palazzolo joined 麻豆原创 11 years ago and has been based in Palo Alto, California, since 2013, where she represents 麻豆原创 on 鈥� a collaboration of academia and companies, such as Google and NVIDIA, dedicated to developing safe practices and industry-standard benchmarks to improve AI models.鈥�

Her advice to current and would-be AI practitioners? Follow your passion, be ethical, and make your voice heard while we still have time.

鈥淟egislators alone cannot write AI regulations for us because they do not have a full understanding of its complexities,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e cannot solve all the problems by ourselves, but we must make our voices heard to shape the future of AI.鈥�

Alexa MacDonald is an 麻豆原创 News editor.

According to a , women representation in C-suite supply chain roles has risen from 19% in 2022 to 26% in 2023. Encouragingly, there has also been an increase in the percentage of women in the supply chain workforce, from 39% to 41%. While these are considered positive shifts in the industry, there is a notable lag in the percentage of frontline roles held by women in this space, ranging from 26% to 34% across various leadership levels.

In a recent panel discussion hosted by the 麻豆原创 North America Business Women鈥檚 Network and EY Women in 麻豆原创, women supply chain leaders shed light on some important trends, challenges, and strategies for advancing women in supply chain.

The discussion was moderated by Lori Foster, managing director for EY 麻豆原创 Consulting. On the panel, I was joined by Etosha Thurman, chief marketing and solutions officer for 麻豆原创 Intelligent Spend & Business Network, Regenia Sanders, partner at EY Business Consulting, and Angelee Tango, manager for EY 麻豆原创 Extended Warehouse Management. Opening remarks were provided by Yolanda Kirksey, 麻豆原创 Alliance leader and director for 麻豆原创 Ariba U.S. Go-to-Market for EY.

A few key strategies emerged from the discussion for how organizations can help to elevate women in supply chain:

1. Support the choice to stay with flexibility

A consequence of the global pandemic was a moment of reassessment for women juggling full-time careers with responsibilities at home. In that moment, many women (and men) chose to shift their priorities outside of work or simply had to make that shift to address the needs at home. What we as business leaders can learn from observing this trend is the need to create environments that support women and accommodate work-life balance.

An important point called out in this panel discussion is that work-life balance looks different for everyone. Organizations must set an expectation of respect and boundaries that allow for all employees to manage the many responsibilities they have outside of work — regardless of marital status, if they have children or grandchildren, or if they are a caregiver in another capacity. A culture supportive of pursuing career aspirations while maintaining a healthy balance in personal life empowers women to effectively set and maintain boundaries as well as seek help when needed.

2. Recruit for top skills to succeed in supply chain roles

The panel named skills like curiosity, customer focus, relationship building, change management, crisis management, and communication as both crucial factors for success in this field and areas in which women tend to excel, citing the . Collaboration was underscored by several panelists as essential. Tango shared, 鈥淔rom determining the technology we want to use to the final stage of implementation, the need to continuously evaluate requires everyone to be on board.鈥�

The panel suggested that having more women engaged in these transformative projects helping facilitate collaboration is a strategic way to support innovation that sticks. As Sanders stated, 鈥淢aking sure [internal stakeholders鈥橾 input is being heard when gathering requirements is a critical difference-maker to having an organization that actually embraces technology versus being intimidated by it.鈥�

3. Provide forums that encourage open discussion

At any stage in your career, it can be helpful to hear of the challenges other women supply chain professionals have faced and how they overcame them. What Foster shared on this topic stood out to me: 鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for people to see where you are today, but not what you went through to get there.鈥� That sense of mutual respect and understanding helps to build confidence.

Role models also play an important role. Thurman spoke to the importance of representation: 鈥淪eeing people who look like you and can manage a life like you is important to how we move forward.鈥�

Of the many valuable individual takeaways from this discussion, a few specific pieces of advice resonated with me for women looking to elevate their careers in supply chain:

1. Set and hold boundaries where they make sense for you

You must be willing to reshape your own conceptions of how you need to be perceived and what your role needs to be. Instead of trying to meet this picture-perfect standard, work from an understanding of what you want and need so you can set and maintain reasonable boundaries with a career that requires significant flexibility.

2. Know that you belong and operate in that way

As a woman working in a male-dominated field, it is likely that you will experience moments where you or your contributions are slighted, discounted, or ignored. While we are working to change that behavior, when this happens it鈥檚 important to remember to focus on what you want to achieve. If you feel that you are not yet at a point in your career to remedy the situation directly, ask for help.聽

3. Use your voice

There is an advantage to being different. If you are one woman in a room of 50 men and you can clearly articulate your point well, you will be remembered. As you build your brand, opportunities will follow. And when you have the chance to support other women in your field, lend your voice to advocate, guide, and champion the next generation of leaders.

There is a lot that we can learn from each other, in and across industries. These leaders conveyed inspiring journeys in their supply chain careers where they have encountered and continue to navigate a wide spectrum of challenges, but also have found fulfillment in this line of work. This open discussion represented a significant stride toward acknowledging the challenges, opportunities, and collective efforts needed to empower and elevate women in supply chain.

As these forums continue, my hope is that they will not only support and inspire women through a vast network of supply chain professionals, but also drive toward a more equitable and inclusive supply chain landscape.

Darcy MacClaren is chief revenue officer for 麻豆原创 Digital Supply Chain.

A Chance Meeting聽

After signing up to a work-and-travel program, Kyzy came to Germany in the summer of 2019. She and a friend worked as catering staff at weddings, festivals, and hotels. But Kyzy soon found the irregular shifts stressful and asked her employer for a job with fixed working hours.

That took her to one of 麻豆原创鈥檚 cafeterias in Walldorf, where she worked as a kitchen assistant. When asked about her first impressions of the company, she said, 鈥淚 just thought, 鈥榃ow! 麻豆原创 is huge and there are so many young, interesting people here!鈥欌�� The company鈥檚 size, culture, and dynamic working environment captured her imagination and planted ideas in her mind about a future career.

She had not been in her new job long before 鈥� completely by coincidence 鈥� she met an 麻豆原创 employee who was also from Kyrgyzstan and who motivated her to study in Germany. 鈥淪he inspired me. She had a similar background to mine. She鈥檇 started out working as an au pair in Germany and went on to study here. She was amazing and she told me, 鈥業 did it, so can you!鈥欌��

After this chance encounter, Kyzy鈥檚 mind was made up: she wanted to follow a work-study degree program in IT in Germany. But she had to learn German first. Little did she know what obstacles lay ahead.

The Pandemic Strikes聽

When her work-and-travel visa ended, Kyzy returned home to Kyrgyzstan to continue her studies. But as she observed, 鈥淐orruption is a problem in higher education in Kyrgyzstan, and it seemed to me that grades were not necessarily awarded on merit,鈥� she said. She had always dreamed of studying abroad 鈥� even as a child. 鈥淚鈥檇 given up on that idea long ago, to be honest, but my experiences in Germany and at 麻豆原创 suddenly made me reconsider. I decided to give it a go!鈥�

She arrived back in Germany as an au pair in 2020. But no sooner had she taken that vital step closer to her goal than reports of the country鈥檚 first case of coronavirus came through. Everything changed in an instant. Lockdowns, masks, and social distancing followed. No one could have predicted that the pandemic would drag on for three whole years.

It was a tough time for Kyzy. Her voice tailed off for a moment as she thought back, though her determined tones soon returned: 鈥淣o matter how hard it was, I was not going to give up. The most difficult part was being stuck at home. But I wanted to protect my host family and myself.鈥�

The Power of a Clear Goal聽

The German course she was supposed to attend was canceled. Undeterred, she told herself that if she wanted to study here, she needed to speak, read, and understand the language well. So, she began teaching herself. With the help of language Web sites and YouTube videos, she learned the basics, getting up at 8:00 a.m. every day to spend three or four hours studying.

She was often troubled by doubts and the fear of failure. 鈥淲ill I get a visa?鈥� she wondered. 鈥淲ill I really manage to learn German? Will I pass the German language test?鈥�

How then 鈥� despite all the difficulties 鈥� did Kyzy stay motivated, day after day, to pursue her dream? 鈥淚 told myself that if the worst came to the worst I would return to Kyrgyzstan and pick up my life there again,鈥� she said. That thought helped relieve the pressure and allowed her to focus on her goal.

During this time she also started learning the Java programming language at an IT academy. Slowly but surely, she was making progress. In 2021, as part of the German government鈥檚 volunteer service program, she worked at the country鈥檚 central agency for continuing vocational education and training in the skilled crafts. There, she learned about the Drupal content management system and developed a Web site with a colleague. This experience fired her enthusiasm for the IT industry and gave her the confidence she needed.

Today 鈥� just like the colleague who encouraged her 鈥� Kyzy does all she can to motivate young people to realize their dreams. 鈥淟ots of people are scared of failure. But you have to take things step by step. You have to be brave and do what you need to do. Follow your passions. Follow your dreams!鈥�

All the effort and sacrifices paid off. In 2021, Kyzy achieved her goal and embarked on a work-study degree program in IT at 麻豆原创. Ren茅 Wohllebe is a vocational training manager and Kyzy鈥檚 supervisor. 鈥淢albina is a fantastic example of a young woman who is passionate about IT and proud to work for 麻豆原创,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are very lucky that she 鈥� and many other young women like her 鈥� want to train with us and shape the company鈥檚 future.鈥�

But even now, in 2023, there are still too few women in IT. The industry needs them desperately 鈥� yet traditional gender-role stereotypes persist. Campaigns such as Girls鈥� Day or cooperation with schools are some of the ways in which 麻豆原创 is trying to get women interested in technology at an early age.

The work-study degree program is structured to allow students to rotate through as many as six different practical phases. This means that they get to work on a wide variety of projects and try their hand at a range of different tasks. Kyzy is currently working in the 麻豆原创 Enterprise Cloud Services organization, which supports companies migrating to the cloud. Here, she has carried out a requirements analysis for the introduction of a new tool. 鈥溌槎乖� is a great place to work. It allows me to try new things and grow professionally,鈥� she said. She鈥檚 already looking forward to the next stop on her learning journey: consulting.

Globally, women are becoming and holding public office for longer than in the past. increased from 33.3% in 2016 to 36.9% in 2022, while between 2006 and 2022 women in ministerial positions increased from 9.9% to 16.1%. Although no country has achieved full gender parity, Iceland leads the top 10 economies in closing that gap at 90.8%.

But there is so much more to do.

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It is estimated that at the current rate of progress, achieving gender parity before the year 2155 is increasingly unlikely. This shocking statistic should concern everyone, not just those interested in women鈥檚 advancement. Investing in diversity is not just a nice thing to do; it is a business imperative. Companies that are focused on diversity outperform their non-diverse competitors, earning per employee. And it鈥檚 no wonder, when we know that diversity helps companies build better products, develop deeper solutions, create valuable experiences for employees, and deliver more lasting results that mirror our diverse world.

Supporting a Diverse STEM Workforce

麻豆原创 is keenly aware of the unique challenges women and girls face worldwide, but particularly women in tech. Women continue to struggle for representation in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, making up approximately 28% of the STEM workforce today. 麻豆原创 has invested internally and externally in programs that help existing and potential female employees grow and thrive in their careers. Some examples include our Business Women鈥檚 Network, which has more than 90 chapters and 17,000 members worldwide; our internal development programs that help women gain visibility to senior leadership in their career journeys; the in North America, which allows us to remove barriers for mid-career professionals returning to workforce through a 20-week 鈥渞eturnship鈥�; and finally our many partnerships, including supporting the , aimed at growing the number of women and non-binary people in technology.

This year’s International Women鈥檚 Day theme, “,鈥� closely aligns with 麻豆原创鈥檚 corporate and business objectives.聽鈥媁e鈥檙e proud that in the last five years, we have made sustained and incremental progress in workforce diversity. We achieved our goal of 35% women in our workforce and increased the number of women in management from 25.5% in 2017 to 29.4% at the close of 2022. In addition, in 2023, 麻豆原创 was reinstated to the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index, which recognizes a commitment to advancing women in the workplace.

Reaching these goals reflects real progress in our recruitment, hiring, and retention practices, as well as in the hearts and minds of our employees and leadership. We鈥檙e dedicated to leading the change when it comes to diversity. And yet we鈥檙e not finished. To get to 50/50 parity, we must continually push for change and encourage other companies, organizations, and governments to do the same.

The Next Frontier

This is an exciting and challenging time for tech. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT from OpenAI are spurring conversations about the future of work and are being leveraged to make business-critical decisions. As these tools become more readily accessible, their usage, as well as potential misuse, will increase. We know is a result of those who develop it but by working together to combat this, we can actually advance D&I goals. Companies like Eightfold.ai, a talent platform and 麻豆原创 SuccessFactors customer, saw a 19% increase in hiring of external female candidates by eliminating bias through AI to help companies meet their diversity goals. This positive outcome is just one exciting example of how we can use tech for good to advance D&I initiatives.

We have 365 days until the next International Women鈥檚 Day. This time next year, what will you have done in your company, community, and even your own family to advance diverse and inclusive behaviors? How can you be the change you want to see? I look forward to hearing your story.

Supriya Jha is chief diversity and inclusion officer at 麻豆原创.

Inclusion is a choice and a commitment, while belonging is a feeling that results from our actions. To strive for inclusion, 麻豆原创 leads with compassion, support, and acceptance for all backgrounds and aims for diversity in all fields.

麻豆原创 is committed to full spectrum diversity, inclusive of gender, age, race, ethnicity, orientation, ability, nationality, religion, veteran status, background, culture, experience, strengths, and perspectives. Living up to this commitment, 麻豆原创 engages in a broad range of initiatives, promoting diversity, inclusion, and equality — including programs that foster more gender equality in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and the tech industry.

麻豆原创 at Grace Hopper Celebration

A recent example of 麻豆原创鈥檚 efforts in the field is the ,聽 the largest assembly of female technologists in the world and a conference that empowers women to pursue STEM careers in the name of Grace Hopper (1906-1992), an American computer scientist, pioneer in the field of data science, and one of the first females to rebuff stigmas attached to womankind. Grace Hopper Celebration 2022 ran from September 16 through 23 in Orlando, Florida.

As proud collaborator of the Grace Hopper Celebration, the Chief Trust office at 麻豆原创 sponsored a skills development lab aimed to equip young women with the skills to succeed, be seen, and be hired in tech roles. The workshop, called 鈥溌槎乖� ElevateHer Pitch Challenge鈥� and held September 21, was a career development skills-building exercise. For one hour, 麻豆原创 worked with approximately 400 attendees on site to masterfully craft their own personal elevator pitches to use in interviews or networking settings. Using the motto 鈥淧itch Us With Your Shot,鈥� the workshop infused gaming techniques with the challenge to further refine the participants鈥� skills.

Why are workshops and skills development labs like this one so important? Only 15 to 22% of professionals in data science-related roles are women, an under-representation in the field. This poses a constraint on talent for companies that are hiring, as data science is susceptible to bias and a wide range of views and expertise is essential for drawing relevant real-life connections. Data science and artificial intelligence (AI) becoming more ubiquitous by the day further fuels the issue.

In response, we need to lay a foundation for the next generation by creating equal opportunities and access to knowledge and skills. Promotion and communication amount to nothing if the status of unequal access is further perpetuated. To create a sustainable and long-lasting impact, aspiring data scientists need to connect with practitioners and role models.

麻豆原创 at WiDS

Dedicated to creating this kind of exchange, in May 2022, . The program was introduced by Stanford University in 2015 and has developed into a global movement inspiring people all over the world. Its efforts include conferences, data-thons, podcasts, educational outreach programs, and workshops, and its goal is to advocate for data scientists worldwide to educate themselves regardless of their gender and despite barriers they must overcome. 麻豆原创 has been a proud collaborator and sponsor since 2016.

This year, participants were taken on a virtual data science tour from Tokyo to Palo Alto. Around 50 female data scientists joined forces and delivered live content on the matter for more than 10 hours. Thanks to the female forerunners鈥� efforts and insights on topics such as AI, machine learning, data engineering, and human-centric data, approximately 700 participants were engaged in all corners of the world.

During her panel discussion, 麻豆原创 Labs India Managing Director Sindhu Gangadharan said, 鈥淒ata is the new gold in the digital economy and businesses are experiencing a gold rush. We need women to play a much bigger role in shaping the future of the data science domain. Women and data science are a perfect match. Data science needs skills that women bring to the table — insights as well as their perspectives.鈥�

When asked about the lack of women in leadership positions in Asia, 麻豆原创 Labs Japan Managing Director Hiromi Hara stated that women should make use of flexible work arrangements and not feel held back by gender roles.

Rising to the challenge, 麻豆原创 has been named one of , but the path to inclusion does not end here. To bring everyone to the table, 麻豆原创 is making a proactive choice to be integrative and going the extra mile through programs such as 鈥淓mpower Her,鈥� the initiative, and the Business Women’s Network.

Another initiative supporting these endeavors is the recent . To level the playing field, 麻豆原创 funds student memberships in Women in Cyber Security (WiCyS) and contributes to creating accessible and affordable experiential learning opportunities for the next generation of cybersecurity professionals.

The barriers for women in STEM careers persist, however. Inclusion is a never-ending job, a never-ending responsibility to be carried by companies. As Mary Shinn, managing director of 麻豆原创 Korea, put it: “Through working in the field, we become role models for our children.鈥� If the outlook of an inclusive tomorrow free from social constructs does not prove the value of a general feeling of belonging in the workplace today, what could?