Many studies have shown that diversity leads to more creative teams and increases total revenue by cross culture backgrounds and views, and the fast-growing world of Industrial IoT is proof positive that women are contributing to innovation and growth in the Industrial IoT.
The Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC) and Fira Barcelona announced last month the Women and Diversity in Industry program as part of IoT Solutions World Congress, and an event taking place on Wednesday, October 30, 2019 featuring women from many international companies discussing the importance of diversity in leadership positions in tech companies.
One of the keynotes, Sheila Ronning, is CEO & Founder of Women in the Boardroom, a professional membership organization providing senior level executive women with the tools, knowledge and connections to prepare them for corporate board service. Considered a pioneer in the industry, Sheila broke the mold in 2002 with the launch of Women in the Boardroom by being one of the first ever to form such an organization.
"The journey to the boardroom is rarely a straight line for women," Ronning said.
Since its founding, Sheila has grown Women in the Boardroom into an organization with international outreach across multiple industries and countless private and public boardrooms, including Fortune 100 companies. Ms. Ronning continues to succeed in her vision of helping women enter and participate in corporate board service with her customized executive training programs and networking opportunities.
In her keynote at IoT World Congress, “Serving On A Corporate Board: Uncover If It’s For You & Where To Start,” Ronning will talk about the journey to the boardroom which can be an overwhelming undertaking. She will discuss types of boards, responsibilities of a director, being an effective board member, the risks of serving, time commitment, compensation, the skills and experience boards are looking for and most importantly what you can do now to work towards getting your seat at the table.
A sought-after subject matter expert, Sheila has been recruited by numerous worldwide corporations and organizations, including KPMG, L’Oreal, Thomas Reuters, the United Nations and the SEC, where she has provided insight and guidance through her seminars. Sheila’s views have been featured in numerous news outlets including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and on Fox business news, among others.
Dr. Sally Saba, Diversity Consultant, is a second keynote speaker. Dr. Saba was recognized as one of the most influential women in business by the San Francisco Business Times. Her expertise lies in strategy development, implementation, managing and re-engineering critical cross-functional processes, and guiding teams in large corporate environments to embrace diverse stakeholder interests.
In her keynote, “Why Diversity & Inclusion Matter to Your Bottom Line”, Saba will emphasize significance of investing in diversity & inclusion teams and initiatives. Diversity by itself creates chaos, whereas creating a culture of inclusion and belonging allows you to reap the benefits of having diverse teams, Saba believes.
The program also includes two panel sessions focused on key issues women face during various aspects of their careers and includes:
- Helena Lisachuk, Global Lead, IoT, Deloitte Consulting
- Leila Dillon, VP Marketing & Communications, Ameresco
- Shannon Lucas, EVP, Head of Emerging Business Global Customer Unit, Ericsson
- Kimberly Kerr, Senior Vice President, Sprint Business Solutions
- Mandy Chung, Co-Founder, Women in IoT
- Nicole Bulgarino, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Federal Solutions
- Sumita Yadav, Vice President, Cardiovascular and Orthopedics Servicelines, Catholic Health Services of Long Island
- Teresa Tung, Managing Director at Accenture Labs
- Jaishree Subramania, Technology Marketing Executive, Microsoft
- Brad Surak, Chief Product & Strategy Officer, Hitachi Vantara
- Egon Hoppe, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Deloitte NL
- Jenn Mann, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, SAS?
- Maria Schwenger, Vice President, DevSecOps & Strategy, Honeywell
The Industrial Internet Consortium is the world’s leading membership program transforming business and society by accelerating the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The IIC delivers a trustworthy IIoT in which the world’s systems and devices are securely connected and controlled to deliver transformational outcomes.
More about the event can be found here.
Juhi Fadia is an engineer, analyst, researcher and writer covering advanced and emerging technologies.
Edited by
Ken Briodagh
