International Women’s Day 2021: Quotes from Powerful Female Tech Leaders

1. Zendesk

“The pandemic has further accelerated the need to address gender equity within organisations – and it starts with businesses ensuring the fair treatment of women in alignment with their needs and ensuring they feel valued at their workplace. The reality is that the tech industry still struggles with representation. At Zendesk, women make up 37% of our workforce in the APAC region and 31% of our global leadership teams. While we’ve made great strides, we know there’s always more work to be done.

Wendy Johnstone, Zendesk
Wendy Johnstone, Zendesk

Change can only happen when gender equity is one of an organisations’ core corporate values and where supporting policies are agreed at the top and rolled out across the entire organisation. That’s why at Zendesk we have a broad range of practices and policies that focus on intentional hiring, interview bias training, talent management and development programs and employee community groups. The goal is to empower our workforce to collaborate with each other, seek out qualified women for roles across the company, and create a space where women can be themselves, form supportive relationships and reach their full potential,” Wendy Johnstone, SVP & COO, Asia Pacific, Zendesk.

2. Esper.io

Vineetha Vijayakumar, Head of Product & Program, Esper.io.
Vineetha Vijayakumar, Head of Product & Program, Esper.io.

“Numerous articles have been written about dealing with the pandemic and how we evolved work & management principles. Especially in the field of technology, women have led the effort in making empathy a key enabler in adjusting to remote work – empathy among colleagues, families, friends and the society at large. Let’s shine a spotlight on these stories of leadership, strength and resilience shown by women all over the world. Let’s internalize, amplify and celebrate these stories to spread more hope and empowerment.,“Vineetha Vijayakumar, Head of Product & Program, Esper.io.

3. Acuver Consulting

Sahiba Singh, Chief People Officer at Acuver Consulting
Sahiba Singh, Chief People Officer at Acuver Consulting

“There is so much stereotyping. Women are good at tech, women are good managers, women can drive and can read maps. But still there are plenty of societal preconceived notions that are imposed on us. Women are constantly being compared to their male counterparts. Thus, I choose to challenge all those who think like this. Stereotyping needs to stop! Corporates should be gender neutral and responsibilities should be assigned based on the skill set,” Sahiba Singh, Chief People Officer at Acuver Consulting.

4. Tenable

“The theme of International Women’s Day this year is #ChooseToChallenge. It’s more important than ever for us to challenge the status quo within the technology industry. Perhaps most especially this is true for cybersecurity, as a lack of diversity is a threat to our collective success.

Jacquie Young, Senior Director of Channels, APAC, Tenable
Jacquie Young, Senior Director of Channels, APAC, Tenable

“Innovation sits at the core of cybersecurity and failing to innovate would mean we’re not delivering new solutions to keep people and businesses safe in the changing threat landscape. If everyone on a security team thinks the same, the race has already been lost with attackers. A diverse workforce is a prerequisite to unlocking the full potential of any team or organisation. Only through increased inclusion and diversity – of race, gender, perspective and thought – can our industry achieve greater creativity and innovation, think outside the box, and outmaneuver our adversaries.

The fight for more diversity and inclusion in the industry doesn’t start or end with International Women’s Day. We must continue to champion women in the industry, lift each other up and give each other opportunities so that we can help create a more inclusive world for us all.” – Jacquie Young, Senior Director of Channels, APAC, Tenable.

5. Shoptimize

“At Shoptimize, we firmly believe in equal opportunity for women, and building an inclusive, bias-free organization has been our topmost priority.

Sathya Ramaganapathy, VP Marketing at Shoptimize
Sathya Ramaganapathy, VP Marketing at Shoptimize

The rise of Indian eCommerce has not only boosted India’s economy but has also opened up many opportunities for women. From entrepreneurs building and scaling businesses to increased representation across functions, be it in leadership, tech, or sales & marketing roles – we have been privileged to have a ringside view of the women fueling the eCommerce boom,” Sathya Ramaganapathy, VP Marketing at Shoptimize.

6. Hocomoco

“Women are breaking every stereotype and excelling across sectors, including real estate which is predominantly considered male-dominated. It’s also interesting to note that women are also amongst the fastest-growing group of consumers in terms of purchasing land/house.

Ritu Pusti, Brand Manager- Hocomoco
Ritu Pusti, Brand Manager- Hocomoco

At Hocomoco, we have always believed in giving weightage to talent/skill over gender, and to build a bias-free organization. Our project management team has close to 50% women employees, and some of the crucial departments (interior and marketing) in the company are headed by women,” Ritu Pusti, Brand Manager- Hocomoco.

About Neel Achary 21046 Articles
Neel Achary is the editor of Business News This Week. He has been covering all the business stories, economy, and corporate stories.