Over the last few months, Cloudera has been traversing the globe hosting our EVOLVE24 event series. It has been a time full of excitement, innovative ideas, and connection with our partners and customers. It also provided a moment for us to launch an important initiative for Cloudera: our Women Leaders in Technology (WLIT) initiative.
WLIT is a global initiative developed to create a forum wherein women and allies in tech leadership roles can connect with and demonstrate to women and girls that it is possible to enter, grow, and thrive in the tech industry. It aims to shine a light on the gender imbalance in the industry, provide insight into policies and programs that help foster a stronger more diverse workforce, and create networking opportunities for women. This program goes beyond the critical work of our Womens+ ERG which aims to cultivate among Cloudera employees an inclusive environment that supports and encourages women to advance their skills and leadership potential through connection, mentorship, collaboration, recruiting, retention, and discussion. WLIT is industry-wide and seeks to connect, inspire, and elevate Clouderans as well as cross-sector leaders.
During EVOLVE New York, the WLIT group came together for a luncheon panel designed to kick off a conversation among the women—and allies—in the room and in the tech space more broadly about the challenges faced by women in tech and how to overcome them. The panel discussion included: Manasi Vartak, of Cloudera, Nichola Hammerton of Deutsche Bank, and Melissa Dougherty of AWS. Moderating the conversation was Forbes Reporter, Zoya Hasan. Zoya edits the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists, including U30 U.S., Europe, and Local, co-authors a weekly newsletter, and writes features on young founders.
Let’s dive into the panel discussion and a few of the biggest takeaways from our participants.
Building Inclusive Data-Driven Organizations: Leadership Strategies for the Modern Workplace
As it stands, women currently account for approximately 25% of the technology workforce. And that number only gets smaller the further up you advance in your career, with women holding just 11% of executive roles in the technology space. But, it’s about much more than a number. As Zoya pointed out in her opening remarks, women in technology are not just a statistic and we should be doing everything we can to flip prevailing assumptions to demonstrate that it’s not women in technology, instead, it is just people in technology who happen to be women.
As we started the discussion, our panelists covered several pressing issues surrounding how women leaders find success in building inclusive and data-driven organizations. The speakers covered everything from different leadership approaches to overcoming systemic barriers and driving organizational transformation and inclusion. Here are a few key takeaways:
It’s never too early (or late) to enter into a STEAM field. This was one of the key points raised during the discussion. There is tremendous value in encouraging women to get involved early, whether that’s in technology, mathematics, or other STEAM-related subjects. Likewise, while getting started early is important, it’s also not the only way to get into these disciplines. When it comes to carving out a career in technology, it’s never too late to take the first step.
Find a mentor who can help you grow in your career. For women looking to succeed professionally in technology, having a mentor can be incredibly impactful. Mentors, both women and men, bring plenty of experience and insight from their own lived experiences that can help you better understand how to handle various situations, deepen your networks, and provide trusted guidance in a competitive field. Cultivating a company culture that prioritizes and facilitates mentorship and sponsorship is imperative.
Don’t put limits on what you’re capable of. We’re all susceptible to second-guessing and self-doubt. But it’s important to recognize that feeling and work on overcoming it. Whether it’s thinking a project or task is too challenging for your skills or that you’re underqualified for a job you want (or maybe even already have), imposter syndrome is a feeling all the panelists could relate to but agreed it is rarely, if ever, justified.
“As women leaders in this space, it’s so important to share our experiences and learnings with other women to help encourage them in their own careers. Our first WLIT event has been incredibly rewarding and having the opportunity to connect with so many people throughout the luncheon goes to show just how important this community is.” – Manasi Vartak, Chief AI Architect, Cloudera
Our first WLIT event was an incredible experience, and we were so thrilled to see how engaged attendees were throughout the luncheon and how active the Q&A portion was. With the launch of our WLIT group, we hope to grow this community and support women throughout their technology careers—at Cloudera, our partner organizations, our customers, and beyond.
Find out more about Cloudera’s Women Leaders in Technology initiative and join our LinkedIn group to get involved.
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