International Women’s Day (IWD) is coming up, which is a fantastic opportunity to reinforce what we at Dell Technologies know to be true every day: gender equality is a business imperative that requires our collective action and shared ownership.
That’s why I love the theme of this year’s IWD, “Each for Equal.” It’s a call for every person—male or female—to take personal action. Personal action from our 165,000 Dell Technologies team members is the only way we’ll meet our diversity moonshot goal of having 50 percent of our global workforce and 40 percent of our people leaders be those who identify as female by 2030. And because it’s so important to us that our workforce and world are places where ALL people can succeed, by 2030, 25 percent of our U.S. workforce will be Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino minorities.
While we just announced these goals in November, I’m proud to say we’re making progress and are focused on expanding opportunities for women— starting from the very top. In fact, at a recent leadership meeting, our Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke asked every senior leader at the company to make a list of five people he or she would commit to investing in this year. Once everyone had finished their lists, he asked them to revisit those names and ensure at least three of those five people were women. I encourage all people managers to follow Jeff’s lead and commit to mentoring and advocating for one or more women, including people of color.
This is just one example of how we are opening doors for equality within the walls of our company. Because gender equality is a global opportunity, we at Dell Technologies are making investments in our workforce, our communities and around the world.
Investing in our workforce
Reaching our 2030 gender diversity goals will require closely examining how we build, develop and retain female talent in our workforce. Through strategic partnerships with organizations like Girls Who Code and programs like STEMAspire, we’re building tomorrow’s talent pipeline by enabling girls and female university students of all ethnicities to see the path to a career in technology.
We’re also opening doors through initiatives like Dell Career Re-Start and our Diversity Leadership Accelerator Program that ensure women at every stage in their careers can build their tech and business acumen—whether they are re-entering the workforce after taking time away or looking to take on a management role.
Investing in community
We know the impact small businesses have on building a thriving community and inclusive economy. Given that women reinvest 90 percent of their earnings in their families and communities, we recognize one our greatest economic opportunities is to advance women business leaders. The Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network (DWEN) contributes to our communities by providing our 5,000 members with access to capital, technology, networks, and knowledge needed to scale their businesses.
We’re also committed to building a pipeline of women entrepreneurs through our partnership with the Kendra Scott Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership (KS WEL) Institute at The University of Texas at Austin. By providing technology and mentorship to female entrepreneurs on campus, we are excited to join the KS WEL Institute in its mission to boost the number of women-owned and women-led businesses.
Investing in systemic change worldwide
Driving cultural change in gender equality also requires opening doors through public-private partnerships globally. Our WE Cities research illustrates the best cities for women entrepreneurs worldwide and exposes the areas for systemic improvement. By arming city leaders and policymakers with the findings, we can collectively accelerate the success of women-owned businesses by removing financial, cultural and political barriers.
For example, Mexico City showed the greatest improvement between 2017 and 2019, improving its ranking from No. 45 to 29. To help drive that improvement, we partnered with the city to increase women in education, at top business schools, and in its legislature. The city also increased access to capital for women entrepreneurs via crowdfunding campaigns.
Join us in driving measurable change
We are all accountable for creating a world where all people can succeed. I’m inspired by Dell Technologies’ leadership in driving the industry toward change. We are setting aggressive 2030 goals and holding ourselves accountable. There is a lot of work still left to do to reach equality, and we hope to be an example for all businesses to set and track similar goals.
For International Women’s Day and beyond, I look forward to discussing ways we can all open doors. I invite you to join this conversation with me by using the hashtags #EachforEqual and #IWD2020 and sharing the ways you’ll invest in women this year.
