Non-profit organisation STEM Sisters has won the Business Award at TechDiversity Awards 2022.
This year’s edition of the Tech Diversity Awards was held at the Sofitel in Melbourne and welcomed more than 470 attendees.
“The awards recognise and put a spotlight on those who are leading diversity and inclusion (D&I) initiatives across gender and minority groups in the tech sector.”
Unveiling a new program called the ‘TechDiversity Academy,’ TechDiversity’s Director Luli Adeyemo said in a statement:
“We fundamentally need to change the mindsets within tech organisations. We are going to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a number one priority. It’s not about individual actors or activities, it’s about changing the systems. The academy is about providing the actual support, the education, and the frameworks and methodologies to do that.”
STEM Sisters, founded in 2017, is home to a diverse group who are deeply committed to an intersectional approach to empowering women of colour in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields (STEM). Their website observes:
“Gender Bias is a massive contributor to the issues women face in trying to secure a STEM job. Additionally, racial bias plays an equally trying role for people of colour in Australia. The difficulty is elevated with the combination of the two, therefore Women of Colour in STEM need more support.”
Dr Ruwangi Fernando, the Founder and Director of STEM Sisters, has won many awards for her academic and professional contributions to the field of IT technologies. With over 16 years of experience, she aims to help culturally and linguistically diverse women in STEM through a range of initiatives.
Under her leadership and guidance, STEM Sisters which has around 100 volunteers and a network of over 700 women runs nine structured programs addressing key challenges for women of colour in the field of STEM.
Hosted since 2016, TechDiversity Awards are supported by the Victorian state government, Avanade, REA Group, the Australian Computer Society, and Salesforce.
