At Lenovo, Diversity Equity & Inclusion is at the heart of everything we do, which is why Lenovo’s team in EMEA is proud to announce its new partnership with everywoman, an organisation that is committed to the advancement of women in business. Fiona O’Brien, EMEA DE&I Executive Sponsor and Chair of the EMEA DE&I Board, outlines what the partnership means to her and how it forms an important part of Lenovo’s mission to foster a diverse and inclusive workplace for all.
The partnership with everywoman is hugely exciting for us. We know that in order to create Smarter Technology for All we need to practice what we preach and have a diverse workforce that contributes to every part of our business.
One such area of focus is women in technology, as our field has historically been male dominated. When I started out in the workforce in 1996 the lack of female representation was discouraging. Not only were there few female colleagues working alongside me, but it was rare to find female leaders that I could aspire to be one day. Whilst as an industry we’ve made huge strides towards closing the gap between male and female representation, and every day I strive to inspire young female talent at Lenovo, we understand there’s still a long way to go.
We searched hard for a partner organisation that would help us to support women advance in their careers and one that had representation throughout the EMEA region. Additionally, we wanted a partner that offered resources both for men and women, so we could equip our male colleagues with the tools to become allies. We were thrilled to find everywoman, a partner that fits just this.
everywoman is an inspiring organisation that works diligently to support women in the workplace as they look to progress in their careers. With a presence in over 100 countries and a successful active network of over 45,000 members, everywoman is recognised globally as the professional organisation that drives the development of women at all levels. The organisation connects women, businesses, and organisations all over the world, using a combination of inspiring, informative and educational content. Through its highly acclaimed online development tool – the everywoman network – it also provides access to a suite of engaging digital tools, brilliant role models, community members and quality learning resources in a wide range of easy to consume formats including podcasts, quizzes, regular webinars, workbooks and more.
The partnership will give our Lenovo EMEA employees access to the everywoman network and Tech Hub, an open-to-all online destination that encourages career growth and women in technology roles as well as attendance at the 2023 everywoman Tech Forum. I hope as many colleagues as possible, both male and female, within the EMEA region will grab this opportunity with both hands.
We’ve had great feedback since we announced the partnership internally. Speaking of the partnership, Kati Rook Lenovo EMEA Sales Transformation Program Manager said: “I think it’s really encouraging that Lenovo EMEA has signed this partnership with everywoman to demonstrate its commitment to supporting female talent. I joined Lenovo in 10 months ago and have been part of the Women In Lenovo Leadership community since early 2022. We meet regularly to discuss and understand pain points within the business for our female employees and to think of new initiatives that can relieve some of these tension areas. The everywoman partnership will be key to this. I, alongside my colleagues, look forward to networking with other women in business and understanding the journeys of female leaders across Europe and how they got to where they are today. I’m proud to work at Lenovo and even prouder of the work the business puts into making the workplace more diverse.”
The partnership with everywoman is a great moment for our business and sets out our intentions not just in supporting female talent, but also on our quest to grow a more diverse workforce. I look forward to working with everywoman in the next 12 months to see what lessons we can learn as a business. We know there is still a long way to go but we are committed to listening to our colleagues and working closely with partner organisations that will help us meet these needs.
