The fact that greater diversity in tech breeds innovation is nothing new, and diversity is something that all firms, regardless of industry, should want to pursue to get ahead of the competition.

However, the past two years under COVID-19 have made tech firms, like all other businesses, focus more on economic survival, leaving internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives on the back-burner.

Why emerging with ‘real impact’ matters

But the time for stalling on equitable change is over as businesses continue the long journey of emerging through the pandemic. Those who emerge while advocating for underrepresented groups, including women, will likely get buy-in from diverse job-seekers and increasingly social impact-minded investors and consumers. Those who don’t will be labelled as tokenistic and shallow in their DEI policies or, worse, even discriminatory.

While all firms will be aiming to emerge economically from the pandemic, which ones will be promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in a real and effective way as they do it?

This is why the Women in IT UK Summit has this statement as its theme this year “Emerging with Impact – prioritising real action in a post-pandemic world.”

The in-person summit, taking place on May 19th 2022, will help firms ensure they emerge from COVID-19 with a real and equitable impact via a series of insightful keynotes, workshops and networking sessions where business leaders can gain first-hand advice from their peers on a myriad of DEI topics and address their organisational pain-points.

What to expect at the Women in IT UK Summit

Attendees can expect an empowering opening presentation from Dr Larissa Suzuki, Technical Director at Google Cloud. Larissa won the Woman of the Year award earlier this year at the Women in IT Awards UK for her exceptional work as a mentor for other women in tech and for her resilience in entering the world of STEM despite the lack of gender equity in STEM education amid her challenges as a person with neurodiverse conditions.

With our finger on the pulse of the latest advancements in the tech industry, Larissa’s opening keynote session will be followed by a debate on the Metaverse and whether true inclusion can be achieved or if existing inequalities will continue.

Staying true to this year’s theme of emerging with real impact post-pandemic, our Solution Room session, delivered by Sonya Barlow at Like Minded Females offers a space for attendees to gain support and real actionable advice about their DEI, tech, and professional development challenges.

Our upcoming summit in London, UK, on 19 May, will have all you need to ensure your tech firm comes out of the pandemic successfully, which must include workforce equity as much as commercial viability.

Click here to register and for more information.

In this article, you learned that:

• The in-person Women in IT UK summit will take place on May 19th 2022.
• This year’s theme is “Emerging with Impact – prioritising real action in a post-pandemic world.”
• There will be a Solution Room for business leaders to get answers to their questions and advice about their DEI, self-development or tech-related issues.