Most industry leaders agree that to be agile and innovative in the world of STEM, you need to foster a workplace where people of all backgrounds and perspectives can bring their ideas to the table. Even so, Vertiv recognizes that women today remain underrepresented across the various STEM fields. While there is still work to be done, we believe we are making significant progress in changing the landscape by appointing more women to leadership roles across the business, providing more diversity in the opportunity to lead, develop and bring positive change to our organization — and to the industry at large.
Vertiv supports the International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, 2023 by sharing key advice from some of our company’s female.
Push Boundaries, Especially Your Own
Being a female leader in a male-dominated space like technology takes courage and confidence. Set high expectations for yourself and your team. Foster an environment of collaboration and trust. This will lead not just to customer satisfaction but also to job satisfaction.
Donna Carter
Director, End User Services, Information Technology
Inspire, Enable, Empower
Women have made important gains in representation at work, especially in senior leadership, proving that we can be inspirational leaders, stronger people managers and active champions of diversity, equity and inclusion. This is deep cultural work to create a workplace where all women feel valued and appreciated. We need to enhance the recognition of women and uplift women leaders who are driving progress. This visibility can help reduce bias, inspire and empower other women, and shows that there is a support network for women in technology workplaces.
Melannie Del Angel
Product Offering & Services Manager CIMS
Be OK with Feeling Uncomfortable
You may often be the only woman in the room; be OK with that. You have earned your way there. Be present, be confident, and actively contribute. Remember, better decisions are made with a diverse team; your voice is vital.
Find a mentor. She can help you to develop the grit you need to take on the challenging, continuous learning of a STEM career and to learn to be comfortable with discomfort and to learn from your failures. Even if you’re not early in your career, it’s never too late for women in tech to develop these relationships.
Sheryl Haislet
Chief Information Officer
Make Diversity Your Strength
Competencies, knowledge, experience, and confidence are all pillars and prerequisites of any successful manager, but women’s diverse views, attitudes, and mindsets can be an added value when creating a heterogeneous team. A STEM career for women often means being ‘one of the few,’ but this is not a barrier or a limit if we are not afraid to be ourselves and to define our own management style. We can succeed and drive more inclusion and social innovation. Make diversity your strength, your plus.
Flora Cavinato
Global Service Product Portfolio Director, EMEA
Be an Advocate for Other Women
I have learned in my career that you can never be completely prepared for a new role, so when you are given the opportunity, accept the challenge and start the journey. For me it was very important to be surrounded by smart, capable, creative, trusted people, and to be able to lean on them for help. I have managed to create strong female bonds, which is very important for me. My advice for other women is to be fearless and strong, work hard, and don’t give up. It always pays to be professional and strive for excellence, but not perfection. Look for mentors and listen carefully to people whose opinion you value. Constantly keep learning. Be human, advocate for other women, and help them grow in their careers. Keep a sense of humor even in hardest moments.
Aleksandra Djurickovic
Application Engineer Manager, EMEA
Vertiv’s internship program and ongoing hiring initiatives help women build their technology careers. Explore current opportunities at Vertiv.
