Sometimes a door seems locked, but all it needs is a little push. Sometimes an idea that starts as a “maybe” gains momentum until it’s a tidal wave that carries you beyond imagination’s shore. A smart woman recognizes an opportunity, sees the value she can bring, believes in herself and takes the first step—and the next step and the next, leading to success.
On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2021, we at e2open celebrate women in technology industry roles, particularly supply chain and channel-related positions. Our celebration continues through the month of March, Women’s History Month. Ladies, we applaud you for your great progress and achievements, the value you bring to the technology world and your drive to make great companies even better.
Balance and a Fresh Perspective
A growing number of technology companies are pivoting their cultures and improving work/life balance to appeal more strongly to women. Talented women continue to step up to seize opportunities and develop their abilities. “About 33 percent of the majors in supply chain programs in colleges are women,” said Ken Boyer, the Pathways program creator and the Dean’s distinguished professor of operations management at Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University.
Using their skill sets in a variety of technology roles, women add balance and new, creative perspectives to the workforce—and this includes leadership positions. According to Debbie Smith, Executive Vice President, Human Resources at e2open, “We have made great strides in promoting women to leadership roles along with bringing in new female leaders.”
E2open values equality and inclusion, recognizing the importance of everyone working together across diverse teams to bring innovative solutions to complex problems. Women make up 34% of the e2open workforce, and it is essential to advance their capabilities and reward their successes. Over a recent twelve-month span, more than 15% of e2open’s female employees received a promotion.
Women’s Forum in India: A Great Start on a Big Vision
e2open welcomes and encourages women who seek careers in high-tech, recently launching the India Women’s Forum to support women throughout the region. Various specialized programs bring confidence, camaraderie, knowledge and enthusiasm for the participants:
- Rendezvous with a Leader: This talk series is held every other month featuring a female leader from e2open or within the industry. Topics cover a broad range of interests, such as Success in the Competitive Corporate World, The Challenge of Striking Work/Life Balance and Smart Finance Management.
- E2 Inspire Her: This is a mentoring program launching this month as a pilot. e2open plans to expand it throughout India and beyond.
- Women’s Wellness Wednesdays: This weekly group provides topics and webcasts covering a wide range of subjects that focus on health and wellbeing for women.
- E2 Coach for Growth: This growth-oriented program is designed for tailored developmental coaching.
We plan to encourage women in other regions by creating additional localized Women’s Forums. We also look forward to continuing our participation in women’s conferences like the Women’s Leadership Council Virtual Event on November 5, 2020, where e2open’s Diane Mitchell, Vice President of Corporate Marketing, and Rebecca Nerad, Vice President of Customer Success, served as roundtable moderators and mentors. “Mentoring women, seeing them build confidence and advancing their careers is extremely worthwhile. Knowing I can help make a positive change for someone gives me a sense of fulfillment beyond my usual day-to-day responsibilities,” said Diane.
We’d like to congratulate Rebecca, who was named by SuccessCOACHING in its 2020 Top 100 Customer Success Strategists list. “I appreciate the team at e2open,” Rebecca commented with enthusiasm. “I love being a customer success leader, but what makes the role so rewarding is watching my team embrace challenges and develop into customer-centric, outcome-focused customer success champions themselves!”
Collaborators Extraordinaire
Technology continues to grow increasingly complex, making collaboration absolutely essential. Women bring significant value to the technology workforce with their unique influence, emotional intelligence and amazing ability to multitask and collaborate. As Laura L. Fese, Executive Vice President & General Counsel at e2open, stated, “Women are strongly suited to work in tech as it requires critical skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, inquisitiveness and the ability to communicate well.”
There comes a time when a crisis hits, and immediate action is the only right choice. This is where leadership skills and quick decisions save the day. “As a leader in the tech industry, I thrive on having to take charge fast and rise up to unexpected challenges,” said Subhashini Santhrasekaran, Vice President, Human Resources at e2open.
Technology and People
At the end of the day, technology—particularly e2open’s supply chain and channel technology—is about people and meeting their needs. A broad and critical initiative of this kind would never be truly effective without women!
As each bright, courageous and talented woman forges ahead in a technology position, e2open celebrates you and values your efforts. We’re proud of the way you bring your ingenuity, intelligence, creativity, strategic capabilities and dauntless persistence to drive the value of technology even higher for people. In the words of Geraldine Fusciardi, Vice President, Sales & Strategic Accounts at e2open, “Today, technology makes the world a better place. Women have always made the world a better place. Women being leaders in technology just makes sense.”
If you’re a woman employed in a technology-related role, we’d like to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to Contact Us.
