The onset of the coronavirus pandemic presented new challenges in 2020, which also emphasized widespread disparities. Organizations had to quickly adapt to new ways of working and engaging employees and consumers. The outbreak followed by racial unrest allowed CTA and DIWG to reimagine how to use varied platforms to bring the community together in a meaningful, yet engaging way.
The DIWG brainstormed how to continue engaging employee resource groups (ERGs), adjusting to remote work, and maintaining a commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive tech sector. We invited other CTA member groups to learn more from DIWG members on a number of D&I subjects including allyship, accessibility, and launching a diversity and inclusion strategy. We launched a quarterly newsletter to highlight member initiatives and share D&I news from across the sector. Collaborating with allied organizations, like the Female Quotient, CTA has highlighted the successes of our DIWG members in their endeavors to create a tech ecosystem that is welcoming to all.
The CTA DIWG has made massive strides in sharing best practices, cultivating data and collaborating with allied organizations to tackle the business challenges related to building a diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem.
In 2021, the group plans to continue to engage member companies on sharing best practices and creating innovative solutions to help move the dial on diversity and inclusion in tech. With the leadership of Chair Sherida McMullan, lead, Inclusion & Diversity, Lyft; and Vice Chair Carman Blanco, director, Global Diversity & Inclusion and Talent Management, Harman; the group will set benchmarks and initiatives to transform the tech industry.
“The CTA D&I Working group has become instrumental in providing a Think Tank for companies to come together and discuss critical topics affecting our industries. My goal is to listen, learn and continue to build, in collaboration with my colleagues, upon the strong foundation that CTA established,” says McMullan.
Blanco adds, “I hope to build on the tremendous success that the CTA D&I Working Group has had in building a true community of practice across technology organizations. Together, we have the power and influence to accelerate progress toward more inclusive and equitable workplaces on their own — imagine the outcome if we continue to use that power collectively, the possibilities are limitless.”
The Innovation for All program will return to CES 2021.
I3, the flagship magazine from the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, focuses on innovation in technology, policy and business as well as the entrepreneurs, industry leaders and startups that grow the consumer technology industry. Subscriptions to i3 are available free to qualified participants in the consumer electronics industry.