At the heart of Thoughtworks is a shared mission to be proactive agents for progressive change in the world. We are deeply committed to creating a more inclusive IT industry.
To that end, for the fourth year in a row, we were gold sponsors at the game-changing event, the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing Conference. Thirty-seven Thoughtworkers from North America, Brazil, India and South Africa were in attendance: sharing ideas, making connections, and presenting their findings and innovations.
At the conference, we met, got to know, and learned from hundreds of women technologists from around the world, proving once again that Grace Hopper is one of the cornerstones in our ambitious mission to change the face of IT.
We challenged visitors that stopped by our booth to share their bold approach to changing the face of IT. Here are just a few of the responses:
- “Stop defining your own limits.”
- “Remove barriers to create equal access for technology and education.”
- “Make programming mandatory in high school.”
- “Define technology as fun.”
- “Develop the connection between mathematics and computer science.”
- “One girl at a time.”
- “Hire people from non-IT backgrounds.”
Joanna Parke, managing director of Thoughtworks North America, explains, “As part of our mission at Thoughtworks, we are committed to changing the face of IT. Having the privilege to participate in the Grace Hopper conference energizes us in knowing we are not alone. Meeting so many brilliant women in the field of science and technology reinforces my belief that we can change our industry to make it a more welcoming place for people from all different backgrounds and enjoy the benefits that a diverse industry will bring.”
Looking for more inspiration? Read Thoughtworker Jez Humble’s recent blog post, How to Create a More Diverse Conference, about his experience creating a tech conference that emphasizes diversity.
He and his fellow FlowCon organizers set the following goal: “Diversity: We believe the technology community – and thus the conference speakers and participants – should reflect the demographics of our customers and the wider world.”
How are you thinking big to change the face of IT? Join the conversation via @thoughtworks or share with us in the comments section.
View our album on Facebook to see additional photos from Grace Hopper.
Disclaimer: The statements and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Thoughtworks.