Currently,women are only nine percent of IT leadersaround the world.
The figure has barely changedin the past few years despiteone third of organizations claiming to have implemented diversity initiatives.
By following Reids career, I learned more about the challenges the beauty industry faces, tech-wise.
But theres another part of this crucial discussion that often gets sidelined.
Im talking about tech entrepreneurship.
Allyson Kapintries to address this problem.
She is a vocal and powerful advocate for women-led startups, and a mentor to female entrepreneurs.
Shes the boss, basically.
So far the promotional blurb.
I dont think Ive ever heard a woman applaud herself and her work in such a wonderfully unapologetic manner.
Quite the opposite, actually, shes funny, charming, and charismatic.
At some point, Ezra Klein asks her if her personality has always been so…., Obnoxious?
I wanted to say confident, he answers.
Oh, I would call it obnoxious.
And yes, she says.
Youll thank yourself later.
This is exactly what Vestager brings to tech.
She first founded the company when she was just eight-years-old when the companys first board game was released.
When offered a position toworkat Google straight after university, Samaira declined to become an entrepreneur herself.
You know, like the Bronte sisters world-building and story-creation skills making them perfect for movies.
Or how Tracey Emins autobiographical art would flourish on YouTube.
Or, as Kathryn Parsons stated, Leonardo da Vinci being attracted to the world of technology.
Kathryn Parsonsis a co-founder and co-CEO of Decoded, a company that teaches people to code.
Not only was that right down my alley, but shes completely right.
Decoded now operates in 85 cities across the globe and reaches hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people.
She actually spoke about the importance of getting the world to code at2017s TNW Conference.
Parsons hasnt just been creating the foundation for a code-driven world though.
Rising up the ranks and pulling up the ladder isnt Parsons style.
Fei-Fei Li
Abhimanyu Ghoshalspick:Few people have singularly impacted an industry as deeply asFei-Fei Li.
Through her career, shes also championed the cause of encouraging more gender and racial diversity in STEM.
Tech can, at the same time, be both dry and threatening.
Its for precisely this reason why her blog is one of the few I get email notifications for.
Dr. Mae Jemison
Bryan Clarkspick:Dr. Mae Jemisonwas the first African American to travel to space.
Dr. Jemison went on to study chemical engineering at Stanford before attending medical school at Cornell.
Without solving this problem, cryptocurrency will struggle to achieve global adoption.
EnterElizabeth Stark, co-founder and CEO of Lightning Labs.
This makes her kind of a badass.
