The telecoms sector is a highly dynamic, ever-changing industry – but unfortunately one thing is not changing fast enough. There are not enough women working in the telecoms sector, and certainly not at the most senior levels. Research shows companies with a gender-diverse workforce are better able to innovate and outperform their competitors.
“The gender gap is a critical issue that we must address, and programmes such as Women4Tech are helping us to move in the right direction. There is a positive correlation between the percentage of women in management and companies’ profitability, according to a study conducted earlier this year by the Peterson Institute for International Economics: Companies with 30% of women in leadership roles expect a net margin of 6% higher than in an average company”, says Mats Granryd, Director General of the GSMA.
Women4Tech is a new Mobile World Congress programme designed to address the persistent gender gap in the mobile industry. Over the four days of the Congress, Women4Tech events and activities will give attendees – women and men – insights into best practices and industry action for female leadership in the digital age. Women4Tech supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
A central element of the programme is the Women4Tech Summit, scheduled for Thursday, 2 March with Accenture as the official sponsor. At the summit, senior leaders will discuss integrating gender equality into the mainstream of our work environments and will share strategic advice on how to empower gender diversity in mobile and related industries.
Other activities include the Women4Tech Speed Coaching and Networking session sponsored by SAP; the Women4Tech Glomo Awards for “Outstanding Achievement in Mobile Industry Leadership”; specialised MWC tours; a Women4Tech panel on Mobile World Live TV; and Women4Tech initiatives at 4YFN, such as the W4T Hack_D_Gap Global Challenge, interactive workshops and panel discussion.
Pave the way for gender diversity in the global mobile industry by joining Women4Tech at MWC17. More information about the programme is here.