Women who lead: A spotlight on Unisys' trailblazers
March 23, 2023 / Unisys Corporation
Short on time? Read the key takeaways:
- Women’s History Month serves as a catalyst for people at Unisys to embrace and support women year-round.
- While there’s no significant difference between math and science ability between girls and boys, women are just 34% of the STEM workforce.
- Women at Unisys share insights on the importance of representation, the people who inspire them most and how to encourage future generations.
- In 2022, Forbes ranked Unisys in the top 20 of the 400 companies on its America’s Best Employers for Women List.
During Women’s History Month, Unisys is honoring the vital role of women in technology while also rededicating ourselves to empowering and supporting women in tech year-round.
As thrilling as what women in technology have accomplished, the work is ongoing to achieve gender parity. There’s no significant difference between the math and science abilities of girls and boys, yet women are just 34% of the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) workforce (vs. 48% of the total workforce), according to The State of Girls and Women in STEM report. Of that 34%, Latina, black and indigenous women comprise less than 10% of the STEM workforce.
We have been celebrating women’s social, economic, cultural and political achievements, especially on International Women’s Day. It’s an excellent time to recognize the accomplishments and contributions made by women throughout history and a chance to reflect on the trailblazers who lead the way forward at Unisys.
This year’s thematic hashtag is #EmbraceEquity — a message that resonates with Unisys Deputy Chief Information Security and Global Privacy Officer Jennifer Raiford. In technology and in life, “the more diverse you are, the better the results will be, period,” she says.
Let’s explore the stories of a few of the many women accomplishing amazing things at Unisys and their insights on how everyone can help ensure more diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Remember the accomplishments of technology pioneers
Women have been advancing technology throughout history. Augusta Ada Lovelace, an 1800s mathematician, was called the first computer programmer. Grace Hopper was a computer programmer who wrote the first computer manual in the 1940s and later helped develop a compiler that was a precursor to the popular COBOL language. Katherine Johnson was one of the mathematicians, called human computers, who were the subject of the book and movie Hidden Figures and whose mathematical calculations helped plot spaceflight paths for NASA in the 1960s.
These accomplished women — and all who followed — have shaped the evolution of technology through their achievements and led girls and women to consider STEM careers. When you dream of working in a field, seeing someone who looks like you expands your worldview.
Internal Audit Director Ishani Gandhi, who lives in the U.S., appreciates all the technology groundbreakers and enjoys collaborating with changemakers from around the world to chart the path forward. She’s also a Unisys’ Women+ Associate Impact Group (AIG) member because she believes “cheering on and supporting women in achieving their potential should be an everyday occurrence.”
“In a world striving to push boundaries and question the status quo, Women's History Month embodies the idea that a single step is enough to make ripples,” Gandhi says. “Throughout the month, we rediscover stories of women and men who changed the course of history simply by refusing to accept limitations. This month is as much a celebration of women as it is a reminder to use your voice to advocate for what you believe in.”
Mentor tomorrow’s technology groundbreakers
Jennifer Raiford chairs Unisys’ Global Diversity AIG. Connecting with groups like this to support other women can be powerful. “Not only does it make a difference today, but it also makes a difference for people tomorrow,” she says.
In 2022, Raiford was nominated for and appointed to serve as Unisys’ point of contact for the President’s National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC), an industry advisory board offering guidance on information assurance, cybersecurity and information and communications technology. In January 2023, she was nominated and appointed to an NSTAC sub-committee that meets two or three times a week and will produce a report by late 2023 containing national government and industry recommendations for President Biden.
Early in her career, Raiford, “a woman of many colors,” recalls often walking into rooms and not seeing anyone who looked like her. Each time, she reminded herself, “You belong.” Recently, she was visiting a university with Unisys partners. While meeting students, a female African student approached her and said, “You know something? This has changed my life because I walked in the room, and I saw you sitting there.”
Raiford continued, “There are people who just need to see you and what you’ve accomplished to know it’s possible and think: ‘If she can do it, I can too.’ Representation matters. Why is there such a deficit between men and women when it comes to leadership roles and board positions? I feel a responsibility to set an example for my daughters and other women. Any chance to celebrate or demonstrate what women can do helps tip the needle to accelerate progress.”
Raiford’s journey has been shaped by the guidance and support of others, including her Mom, who was appointed to the America Reads program by President Clinton. Beginning in college and throughout her career, executive sponsors have seen Raiford’s potential and mentored her. As a result, Raiford understands the power of mentorship and has made it a priority to pay it forward.
“That mentorship has been instrumental in my life, and it’s meant so much to me that I’ve turned around and done that myself to give back and mentor others,” she says.
Celebrate the incredible women in your life
Some of the most inspiring women you’ll ever know can be found down the street, in the next cubicle or even in your home. Global Vice President, DWS Delivery, Patrycja Sobera volunteers as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion leader and EMEA Women+ AIG chapter leader at Unisys. As a Lean In ambassador for EMEA Women in Tech, she helps unite women for peer mentorship and skill-building. At home in the U.K., Sobera spends time with her two daughters, 15 and 4, jumping in muddy puddles (literally!), going on long walks, enjoying weekend adventures and eating out.
Women’s History Month reminds everyone to recognize women who have impacted our lives, including “strong, hard-working women whose presence have shaped who we are.” For Sobera, that’s her mother. She grew up in Poland behind the Iron Curtain — the political barrier intended to separate the Soviet Union and its satellite states from Western influence — and was just five years old when a general established a military dictatorship and imposed martial law in December 1981. Her father was forced to serve in the military, and her mother struggled to raise Sobera and her sister alone.
“We didn’t have much then, but she made us appreciate the value of hard work, education, supporting each other and, most importantly, never ever giving up,” Sobera says. “I was 13 when Moscow finally resigned from its control of Poland in the summer of 1989, and it was my mum who suggested I learn foreign languages (previously only Russian was allowed) and travel the world through various school or university exchanges. I owe her my hunger for success and my love for diversity, culture, travel and, most importantly, for what I have achieved and who I am today.”
Give women a positive job start
The beginning of a new job sets the tone for everything that follows. When the talent acquisition team communicates the hiring process clearly and interview team members are friendly and respectful, job candidates imagine future colleagues possessing these same qualities. They’re far more likely to keep your company at the top of their list as they consider jobs and offers.
Unisys’ talent acquisition team members strongly believe in the power of an inclusive hiring process that makes everyone feel welcome and appreciated. Talent Acquisition Senior Manager Jennifer Tovar, who lives in Colombia, is especially proud of the work she’s done to broaden the talent pool for leadership and technical roles, which men have traditionally dominated, and cultivating an inclusive environment for women, such as by attending events for ONU Mujeres, a United Nations group that advocates for gender equality.
“I enjoy supporting my team members to build a positive candidate experience from beginning to end – addressing the overall journey, walking in their shoes, making them feel valued and ensuring regular communication. I also enjoy demonstrating our company values,” Tovar says.
Talent Acquisition Director, APAC, Seema Rani, who lives in India, says she never tires of seeing the smiles of college graduates when she offers them their first job. And she loves that her role gives her a platform to advocate for diversity. This includes promoting Unisys programs in India such as UReboot, an initiative that supports women returning to the workforce, and UMélange, an initiative that celebrates the power of diversity by offering a stepping stone for people from varied backgrounds, abilities, experiences and perspectives.
“Bringing more women into employment will not only shape their family but also their community and society for the better,” Rani says. “The percentage of women in formal employment in India is low, and through programs like UMélange and UReboot, we are able to significantly increase women’s share of the workforce at Unisys.”
Encourage more women in senior leadership and board roles
Just one in four C-Suite leaders is a woman, and only one in 20 is a woman of color, according to McKinsey & Company’s Women in the Workplace 2022 report. For every 100 men promoted from entry-level to management positions, only 87 women are promoted, resulting in fewer women in managerial positions that can be promoted to senior leadership positions. In the boardroom, women represented 29% of board seats at North American and European companies in 2022. While higher than the 24% from 2020, we still have work to do.
Organizations can help expand female participation and representation at the top by being inclusive during meetings – such as by sharing an agenda everyone can contribute to and minimizing interruptions when people are speaking – and encouraging women to take leadership roles. We’ve made a strong effort to do this at Unisys. In fact, in 2022, Forbes named Unisys to America’s Best Employers for Women List, with Unisys ranking in the top 20 of the 400 companies on the list. Forbes evaluates companies on how much they support female employees’ personal and professional development and whether they have women at the executive and board levels.
“Fostering an inclusive environment is at the core of who Unisys is,” said Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President Katie Ebrahimi when the Forbes recognition was announced, “and we continue to empower women in every aspect of our business.”
Celebrate women this month and every month
While March is Women’s History Month, you can support women year-round. Remember the pioneers that changed history, mentor others to support their career ambitions (and find a mentor to encourage yours), recognize the women who’d impacted your life, support women in the workplace, and boost women in manager, director and C-Suite roles as well as board positions.
These efforts will create a more vibrant workplace with diverse perspectives that help advance the enterprise and ensure the positive representation that inspires the next generation to dream bigger and brighter.
