The Extraordinary Women in Tech Global Conference 2022 took place in San Francisco, CA, on October 3-4.
In October, more than 300 executives and technology leaders gathered in San Francisco, California, United States, for a two-day global conference focused exclusively on women. The first edition of Extraordinary Women in Tech (EWiT) was organized and promoted by Avenue Code, a North American software and IT consultancy headquartered in the same city.
Creating a platform for women in the IT sector to network with peers and mentors, the event attracted more than 40 speakers from major companies, including Gretchen O’Hara, VP US AI and sustainability strategy at Microsoft; Petek Utku, VP technical operations Oracle cloud infrastructure at Oracle; Jin Zhang, director of engineering at Meta; and Monica Lenart, senior staff software engineer at Google.
Networking activities, experience rooms, and career advancement were some of the special sessions that complemented the three conference tracks: Technology and Innovation, Leadership and Strategy, and Inspire and Be Inspired.
SVP and Chief Information Officer at Teranet Inc., keynote Fariba Rawhani, was one of the highlights of the event, with a speech focused on cooperation and the end of the culture of competition among women. “When I look out at this audience, I see sisters. We may not all have the same role or story, but we have similar experiences, opportunities, and challenges. We are a sisterhood,” she said.
Tips and tactics on how to manage teams and grow businesses, success stories, and daily habits of inspiring female leaders permeated every conversation.
In addition to representatives of large technology landscape companies, the program also made room for top female entrepreneurial leaders, such as Gail Mercer-MacKay, from Mercer-MacKay Solutions Inc., with a special lecture on the ten steps to start a successful business. “I believe there is no such thing as failure if you’ve learned something. Sometimes we take two steps forward and one step back. Life is rarely a horizontal line. Your past does not equal your future. When the setback comes, pause and write down what you learned. When you are ready, share it. Your breakthrough will unleash a breakthrough in others,” stated Gail.
In the view of Ulyana Zilbermints, CRO at Avenue Code and creator of the initiative during the Covid-19 pandemic, the mission of EWiT was not only achieved with the event, but surpassed. “We created a unique platform for women to feel safe and empowered, and we shared personal stories about how to support other women, juggle things at home and climb the career ladder, and move forward despite the voices in our heads.”
In addition to preparing for a 2023 edition of the conference, organizers also stated that regional events are already planned for 2023, both in locations where Avenue Code is deeply established and also in countries new to the consultancy and its Extraordinary Women in Tech initiative.
For more information on how to participate in ongoing talks and events, visit: extraordinarywomenintech.com.
