At the end of 2021 we at TechFace started discussing, what shall we do for International Women’s Day 2022. Every year, being part of the campaign was important for us and the companies we are working with. We want to celebrate the women in tech who have inspired others and encourage other women to choose and lead a career in tech. However, in 2022, we agreed that we need to do more than a Social Media post on one day. We wanted to understand, what is really required to make tech more inclusive and diverse. And in the course of the discussion it became clear; doing something in one day is just not enough. Thus, the Role Models in Tech campaign was born.
Change doesn’t happen in one day
As with many things, change does not happen overnight. As such, we came up with the idea of a campaign, which enables companies to define clear commitments to increase diversity in their tech teams. These commitments were then translated into actional plans, which can be fulfilled within a year. We didn’t ask or look for big numbers that need a lot of time to be reached. We asked companies to define small steps that will help them to become a game-changer and disrupt the status quo of diversity in tech.
Cross-company collaboration
Furthermore working with different companies, we knew that everyone is facing the same challenges of getting more women and as such more diversity into their tech teams. Therefore, our goal was to bring these companies together and ensure a cross-company collaboration. In this way, we can share best practices, learn from each other and provide solutions together and adapt them based on their different needs.
If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together
African Proverb
Four leading companies were soon confirmed. With Axa, Cognizant, Novartis and Siemens, we had four committed teams on board. But not only did we need commitment from their employees, but also from their leaders. For the kick-off meeting, we not only welcomed their diversity but also their leaders as well as Female Tech Communities, who reported from their experiences.
Real actions and tangible results
After the kick-off meeting, the companies started defining their commitments for the campaign. Despite having lots of ideas and opportunities, they soon were able to agree on clear and measurable goals. Find their detailed commitments here. In a second meeting, we share the commitments, helped each other out with ideas on how to realize it and plan the next steps. While the companies started working on their commitments, our team introduced the first Role Models. Inspiring women from the four leading companies talked about their careers, why they are working in tech and what they advise others. We packed their empowering stories into videos and share them here.
Over the course of the following month, we worked with the leading companies to help them achieve their goals. As such, we invited knowledgeable leaders for diversity such as Valentina Coco and Sarah Meier from Parents@Work. They talked about their experiences and share insights.
Was the campaign a success?
The campaign came to an end in March 2023, just in time for International Women’s Day. It was time to look at the commitments and what the companies have achieved. Was the campaign a success?
In the last meeting, we looked at the commitments of the companies and if they have been fulfilled. While some of them have been achieved beyond expectation, others were difficult to meet. However, even though they have not been able to reach the goal of the commitment this year, they lay the fundamentals to work on it going forward. Presenting the results, we invited role models who have been part of the campaign and had experienced firsthand, to talk about how these commitments made a change. Listen to what they had to say here. Simultaneously we talked about the result on our social media channels. Read more about the results of Axa, Cognizant and Siemens.
And what comes next?
The Role Models in Tech campaign was only a start! With this website, we want to keep growing and showing more role models in tech. Role Models in Tech are people who impact with their actions the status quo of diversity in Tech. These are women and men who have been able to inspire others to have an impact and change the face of tech.
If you want to be part of the Role Models in Tech campaign, send us a message!