NASA, Citi, Cubbie, BBC, EY, PwC, Workhuman and more have been shortlisted as some of the world’s most diverse workplaces.
The Diversity in Tech Awards 2020 are taking place next Tuesday, 10 November. Run in collaboration with Microsoft for Startups, this year’s ceremony will be virtual.
The awards acknowledge and celebrate diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace. They give organisations and advocates for these areas a platform and recognise the contributions they have made towards fairer working environments.
More than 300 nominations from 24 countries – such as Australia, China, Nigeria and the US – were received this year. The winners will span 14 categories; women in tech, LGBTQ inclusion, cultural inclusion, tech leaders, trailblazers, digital transformation and more.
The winners have already been announced for two additional special awards. The first is the Grace Hopper Award, which recognises a leading woman in STEM whose work has made a “lasting impact on technology, society and their profession”. The winner was Kriti Sharma, founder of AI for Good UK and vice-president of product at GfK.
The second is the Diversity in Tech Impact Award. This acknowledges a not-for-profit organisation that has shown “exceptional initiative to promote diversity across the technology industry”, which was awarded to Gary Goldman, senior programme director at Out in Tech.
This year’s judging panel comprises 15 digital thinkers, creators and diversity and inclusion experts. They include NASA datanaut Fig O’Reilly, Shinjini Das, CEO at Das Media Group, and Sarah Cunningham, vice-president at Mastercard’s Dublin Tech Hub.
Diversity in Tech Awards 2020 shortlists
In the Tech Leader category, shortlisted companies include Citi, EY, Tenable, Trinity College Dublin and Chevron. At Future Human last week, Gartner’s Rob O’Donohue specifically mentioned Chevron as a company making waves in neurodiversity, so it’s no big surprise to see it on the list.
EY has also been shortlisted for the Data Scientist and Cultural Inclusion awards. Citi appears in more than one category too; it has also been shortlisted for the Diversity Role Model and LGBTQ+ Inclusion awards.
Those shortlisted for the Trailblazer Award include Microsoft, NASA, Johnson Controls and Hewlett Packard Enterprise. PwC and Irish Girl Guides made it to the shortlist for the Mentorship Award, and Workhuman and Fiserv appear on the list for the Cultural Inclusion Award.
Other categories include disability inclusion, for which Cubbie, BBC and Akari Solutions are among those shortlisted, and health and wellness, which has been narrowed down to Wrike and Riot Games, among others.
A big draw will be the International Diverse Company of the Year Award. Its shortlist has Anthemis Group, Bethnal Green Ventures, Cubic Telecom, Liferay and Version 1.
Amplifying underrepresented founders and companies
Managing director of the Diversity in Tech Awards, Tracey Carney, said that receiving so many nominations has been a “fantastic acknowledgement of the passion and persistence of diversity, equality and inclusion advocates everywhere”.
“One of the nicest parts of our job is letting someone know they have been nominated,” she added. “It means so much to them to get this recognition.”
Andrew Macadam, managing director of Microsoft for Startups Europe, described the awards as a means of “amplifying the voices of founders and companies that are underrepresented at the moment”.
“The most successful companies are ones that embed diversity and inclusiveness into their culture from the start,” Macadam said. “These awards help everyone understand the opportunity and impact of a diverse and inclusive culture.”
Learn more about attending the awards ceremony here.
