The theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024 is Inspire Inclusion. Over the centuries, women have been challenged to be included in various roles, decision-making processes and such. While the situation has definitely improved, there is still a lot more room for inclusivity especially in roles and industries that are primarily dominated by men.

IWD this year aims to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion to forge a better world. Simply because when women themselves are inspired to be included, there’s a sense of belonging, relevance, and empowerment.

IWD 2023: FIVE MOST INFLUENTIAL WOMEN IN TECH

Dashveenjit Kaur | 8 March, 2023

In the tech industry, inclusivity is still one of the biggest challenges. Generally, most roles in tech are dominated by men. This not just includes developers and data scientists but also the leaders who make the key decisions about tech.

According to a report by The World Bank, women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields. In the US, women make up 28% of employees in STEM. In major tech companies, such as Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Google, and Microsoft, the proportion of female staff is 45%, 37%, 34%, 33%, and 29% of their entire workforce, respectively. When it comes to leadership positions, these figures are 29%, 34%, 31%, 28%, and 26%, respectively.

Tech companies realize the need to have more women in the industry and have continued to offer programs and training to increase representation. For example, Microsoft, AWS and Google all offer programs to help train and develop not just the skills of their female employees but also those in the community.

IWD this year aims to inspire others to understand and value women’s inclusion to forge a better world. (Image generated by AI).

IWD 2024: successful women in tech

As technology continues to innovate the future of work, roles are being redefined as well. And there have been an increasing number of women who are addressing these challenges and taking them by the horns.

Tech Wire Asia highlights ten women in technology who have not only been phenomenal in their roles but have made a huge mark in the industry and are capable of inspiring inclusion for everyone.

Note that the list is in no particular order.

Lisa Su, CEO of AMD

Lisa Su, an accomplished American business executive and electrical engineer, currently serves as the CEO and chair of AMD. Under her leadership, AMD has made significant strides in the semiconductor industry. Su’s background includes work at IBM and Freescale Semiconductor, where she contributed to semiconductor technologies. She joined AMD in 2012 and has received numerous awards for her leadership. Her remarkable contributions have solidified her position as a respected leader in the tech world, especially in the male-dominated semiconductor industry.

Wendi Whitmore, senior vice president for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks

Wendi Whitmore is the senior vice president for Unit 42 at Palo Alto Networks. With two decades of experience, she leads a team of elite incident responders and threat researchers. They tackle intricate cyberthreats, from ransomware to state-sponsored espionage. Wendi advises executive leadership teams on security programs and teaches cybersecurity courses. She previously led IBM’s X-Force incident response and threat intelligence teams and is an appointed member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersafety Review Board. A globally recognized cybersecurity leader, Wendi plays a pivotal role in solving major breaches.

Dr Si Hui Tan, chief science officer at Horizon Quantum Computing

Dr. Si-Hui Tan is the chief science officer at Horizon Quantum Computing. With over 18 years of experience in quantum information science, she has been an active researcher in the field. Si-Hui holds a BSc in Physics from Caltech and a PhD in Physics from MIT. She joined Horizon Quantum Computing shortly after its launch, driven by the ambition to make quantum computers a reality for everyone. Si-Hui leads research and development, overseeing daily operations. Her extensive publications include contributions to top physics journals and renowned conference proceedings.

Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X

Linda Yaccarino serves as the CEO of X Corp (formerly – and probably forever – Twitter). With a career spanning Turner Entertainment and NBCUniversal, she modernized ad sales strategies and played a key role in launching the Peacock streaming service. Yaccarino’s appointment at X Corp aims to create a trustworthy, accurate, and real-time information source. Despite the scrutiny, she navigates the complexities of social media under the watchful eye of the public and Elon Musk himself.

Safra Catz, Oracle CEO

Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle Corporation, has been a key figure in the tech industry. With roles including president and chief financial officer, she has steered Oracle’s success. Catz is recognized as one of the most influential businesswomen globally, with an estimated net worth of US$1.6 billion. Her leadership continues to shape the company’s trajectory.

The most successful women in tech continue to push for more inclusivity in the industry. (Image by Shutterstock).

Mira Mutati, OpenAI CTO

Mira Murati has been the chief technology officer (CTO) of OpenAI since 2018. Her remarkable contributions include leading the development of groundbreaking AI technologies such as ChatGPT, DALL-E, and GPT-4. Murati oversees OpenAI’s research, product, and safety teams, pushing the boundaries of machine learning while advocating for responsible and ethical AI use. In November 2023, she briefly served as interim CEO of OpenAI. Her ability to assemble teams with technical expertise and a deep mission appreciation has been instrumental in OpenAI’s success

Raja Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz, CEO of Aeon Islamic Digital Bank

Inclusion in financial services is key for communities to be fully developed. Digital banks play a strong role in enabling this as they are capable of catering the best products and services to those who are unbanked in rural areas. Raja Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz is no stranger to the financial industry in the region. Having held several senior roles in various banks in the region, Raja Teh is now the CEO of Aeon’s Islamic Digital Bank in Malaysia. The Islamic Digital Bank is also the first in the country.

Catherine Lian, general manager and technology leader at IBM ASEAN

Catherine Lian has been in the world of tech for several years and is widely recognized in Southeast Asia for her capabilities in helping companies adopt the best technologies available from IBM. In 2023, Lian was honored with the Women in Tech Award for the private sector and NGOs at the prestigious World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards. In inspiring inclusion, Lian’s triumph is a testament to the resilient spirit and continuous efforts of women in the tech industry to break barriers and forge a path for increased representation and inclusivity.

Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder of Grab

Tan Hooi Ling, co-founder and COO of Grab, is a Malaysian businesswoman. Alongside Anthony Tan, she founded Grab in 2012, creating a mobile app connecting taxi seekers with drivers. Under her leadership, Grab has raised over US$9 billion and expanded across Southeast Asia. Tan’s determination and innovation continue to shape the region’s transportation and technology landscape. While Tan stepped down from operating roles at Grab at the end of 2023, she remains in the company in an advisory role.

Lucy Peng, Co-founder of Alibaba Group

Lucy Peng, a Chinese billionaire businesswoman, co-founded Alibaba Group. Her entrepreneurial spirit shaped Alibaba’s success. She served as a director at Ant Group and held key roles within Alibaba. After a brief stint as CEO of Lazada, Peng is currently the executive chairwoman of Lazada Group where she drives its expansion within Alibaba’s ecosystem. Her journey exemplifies resilience, innovation, and leadership in tech.

“We can only hope.” And, you know, instigate positive changes in the industry’s culture and society on a wider level, to boost inclusivity at every level. That too…

The post IWD 2024: Women in tech appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

According to a report by The World Bank, women make up less than a third of the world’s workforce in technology-related fields. Additional studies show that the numbers declined temporality during the pandemic however are now rebounding.

On International Women’s Day, SnapLogic celebrates its team of bright female tech employees and the following remarkable women that we are fortunate to call partners and customers. They are revolutionizing the future of data.

Female tech leaders to watch in 2023:

Nisha Clark, CIO at Abano Healthcare
With over 20 years of experience leading technology teams for companies like TOWER, Vodafone, Mercury and Downer NZ, Abano Healthcare CIO Nisha Clark is a force to be reckoned with. Upholding an open-and-humanistic leadership style and a proven ability to take on significant challenges with ease, Clark leads the trans-Tasman Technology function to enable Abano to achieve its aspirations as a strategic enabler across all elements of the organization. Clark places a strong focus on improvement across the entire technology environment as well as supporting the business on a journey of growth.

Sunny Azadeh, CIO at GlobalLogic
With more than two decades of experience in information technology and business, Sunny Azadeh is a leader in driving technology innovation to enable scale with operational efficiency. She is a true powerhouse, revered for her cunning abilities to transform organizations into world-class technological leaders. An entrepreneur at heart, she also founded her own business intelligence startup and has held IT leadership roles at a number of software and services companies. Her extensive knowledge of how to innovate with these technologies enables her to repeatedly drive success for her clients.

Carrie Craig, Director, Enterprise Business Systems at WD-40 Company
Carrie Craig has an impressive track record of implementing successful technology solutions and driving business transformation. As the Director of Enterprise Business Applications at WD-40 Company, a global consumer products company, she has been instrumental in implementing an enterprise-wide digital transformation strategy. Her expertise in enterprise systems, project management, and change management has led to significant improvements in operational efficiency and business performance. Craig is also an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry and has actively promoted women in tech through mentorship and networking.

Jennifer Fite, Ph.D, Lead Technical Architect at USAA
Jennifer Fite is one to watch in the tech space. With her innovative approach to technology and leadership skills and as the Lead Technical Architect at USAA, a financial services company, she has been responsible for driving digital transformation and data analytics strategies. Fite has a wealth of experience in technology and data management and has been recognized for her innovative solutions and exceptional leadership. A champion for diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, she is helping to forge a better path forward for women through mentorship and leadership.

Shyamala Chalakudi, Head of Enterprise Data Analytics & Digital Technology, HPE
Shyamala Chalakudi is a powerful force in the tech industry due to her exceptional leadership, technical expertise and dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion. Formerly the founder and CEO of the successful technology consulting firm 6YESS, she has not only broken barriers as a woman in a male-dominated industry but also paved the way for other women to succeed. Chalakudi has been a vocal advocate for equal representation of women and minorities in tech; and through her work, she has shown that it is possible to create a more inclusive and equitable industry. Her commitment to empowering women everywhere has made her a role model and a true pioneer in the field.

Nancy Mustachio, Director Enterprise Applications, Barnard College – Columbia University
Nancy Mustachio is ‘one to watch’ with her extensive experience and notable achievements in the tech industry. As the Director of Enterprise Applications at Barnard College, she has spearheaded numerous innovative projects and initiatives aimed at advancing the use of technology in education, including the implementation of a comprehensive learning management system and the creation of a digital media center. In addition to her work at Barnard, Mustachio has been recognized for her contributions to the broader tech community through her involvement in organizations like EDUCAUSE and the Association for Computing Machinery along with her advocacy for diversity and inclusion in tech. Her leadership, expertise, and commitment to leveraging technology for social good make her a role model and inspiration for women in tech.

“International Women’s Day marks an important opportunity for companies everywhere to amplify and reinforce their commitment to women’s advancements,” said Gaurav Dhillon, CEO of SnapLogic. “At SnapLogic, more than 30% of our global employees in engineering or technical roles are women – higher than the industry average – and we’re working hard to drive this number even higher by fostering a work environment that is focused on inclusiveness and continuous career development. The benefits are clear, from increasing innovation potential to achieving a stronger culture and boosting overall business performance, organizations can’t afford to not have more women on their teams.”

About SnapLogic

SnapLogic powers the automated enterprise. The company’s self-service, AI-powered integration platform helps organizations connect applications and data sources, automate common workflows and business processes, and deliver exceptional experiences for customers, partners, and employees. Thousands of enterprises around the world rely on the SnapLogic platform to integrate, automate, and transform their business. Learn more at snaplogic.com.

Connect with SnapLogic via its Blog, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

The post SnapLogic announces female tech leaders to watch in 2023 appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Women have only made up a small percentage of the cybersecurity workforce. According to a recent survey, women account for just 20% of the information security field. 

The issue is that there are still very few female role models in cybersecurity, and many women don’t know where to start when it comes to breaking into this male-dominated profession.

WHY IS ASIA PLAGUED BY A CYBERSECURITY TALENT CRUNCH?

Aaron Raj | 13 January, 2022

Cybersecurity is a critical topic for all nations; however, the worldwide workforce shortage of approximately 4 million people, including 2.1 million across the Asia-Pacific region. 

With the rapid expansion of technology across Southeast Asia, it’s expected that cybercrime rates will also increase. Despite the growing importance of cybersecurity, women continue to be vastly underrepresented in the field. 

Only 30% women entering the industry in Asia-Pacific, according to a 2020 cyber security workforce study by the International Information System Security Certification Consortium (ISC).

According to UN Women, there is a significant gender gap in cybersecurity where women in Asia, and the Pacific, account for less than 10% of the workforce.

“This gap in women’s participation has resulted in a lack of gender perspectives informing cybersecurity and the development of its frameworks that fail to identify and respond to cyber threats faced by women and girls.”

A survey conducted by Tessian shows that only about half of the respondents said their organizations were doing enough to recruit women into cybersecurity roles. The report has projected a shortage of 1.8 million professionals globally by 2022, so organizations must prioritize diversity.

India developing more women in the cybersecurity sector 

In a bid to cultivate and support a diverse workforce and cybersecurity sector, NortonLifeLock partnered with The National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) Foundation in India to celebrate the graduation of 232 women from their Cyber Security Skills Development Initiative for Women program recently.

The initiative was designed to create more significant employability opportunities for female engineering graduates by equipping them with in-demand job skills.

According to NASSCOM, women only make up about one-quarter of the global cybersecurity workforce, and this number has been stagnant in India despite significant increases in job openings. 

NASSCOM is a nonprofit organization that leverages the capabilities of its member companies and emerging social enterprises to meet the technology needs of nonprofits and underserved communities across India.

Bridging the gender gap 

LinkedIn Talent Insights reports that women only made up 26% of the workforce in Singapore as of March 2021.

Historically, significantly fewer female students would enroll in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors at a tertiary level, resulting in a smaller talent supply from the very top of the funnel. There is also a social perception that women in Asian society have family responsibilities resulting in fewer women pursuing and sustaining careers in cybersecurity.

Experts have said that one of the ways to attract more females to the cybersecurity function in an organization is to provide them frequent exposure and mentoring in the issues in this sector.

The post Increasing women’s representation in cybersecurity appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The tech industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally.  This is seen in the growth of the digital economy across the region, from e-Commerce to fintech and digital media to logistics.

However, despite these changes created by digital technologies, an undeniable gender gap remains that needs to be addressed. 

FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS CAN ADD US$280B TO THE SEA E-COMMERCE MARKET

Dashveenjit Kaur | 2 June, 2021

Representation of women as founders, employees and investors is low in Southeast Asia, but they are participating more in tech than most of their global counterparts. 

According to a study by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), women now make up 32% of the region’s tech sector. In comparison, the global average is 28%.

Women in the technology sector in the Asia Pacific are still a minority, but they are becoming more visible due to social media and networking events. Thailand has the highest percentage of women in tech at 42 %, followed by Singapore.

Attracting global women in tech

In Australia, the government recently unveiled its ambitious plan to empower Asian female talent to shore up its entrepreneurial talent bench for the future. 

The Global Business and Talent Attraction (Taskforce) partnered with global diversity, equity and inclusion consultancy The Dream Collective to attract global female talent, founders and entrepreneurs from Asia to Australia. 

The Dream Collective will actively promote the Taskforce among its influential networks in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan to identify valuable career prospects and consider the unique work-life balance in Australia.

This programme will offer eligible individuals and companies a streamlined pathway to permanent residency with Australia’s Global Talent Visa. 

The Australian Government is committed to attracting the world’s best and brightest. In recent years, Australia has attracted more than 6,000 talented individuals through its Global Talent Stream (GTS) visa program each year. 

More than 30% of talent are in the Digitech sector, including experts in quantum computing, blockchain and long-range Wi-Fi. Meanwhile, 20% of visa recipients are pioneers in resources and clean energy, 

Opportunities in future-facing industries

Australia is looking for female tech talent in industries such as clean energy and renewables, cybersecurity, digital games as well as financial services and fintech. 

“Bold and ambitious women with the creative energy and technical expertise need to be given the opportunity to fill critical positions in our future-facing industries,” said Peter Verwer, AO, The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Global Business and Talent.

“Our emerging technologies and sciences are powering real world, breakthrough solutions. Innovators in Australia can access some of the world’s best laboratories, research facilities, professional networks and government support. The Global Talent visa makes it easier and faster to plan your next chapter, and build a global career,” he added.

The post Australia seeks to empower women in tech appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

October puts the spotlight on breast cancer, which, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), affected 7.8 million women in the past five years alone.

In 2020 alone, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with the disease, and 685,000 deaths were recorded globally. Men are also affected, but at a much smaller percentage at 0.5 – 1% of cases. 

HERE ARE SEVEN FEMTECH COMPANIES FROM THE ASIA PACIFIC

Rebecca Oi | 14 September, 2021

Breast cancer awareness month, also known as Pinktober, began in 1985. Since then, years of research and technological advancements have led to higher survival rates following early detection and diagnosis and better cancer treatments and management.

Unfortunately, there still exists a disparity between the rich and the poor when it comes to detection and treatment — and some femtechs are aiming to reduce this gap. 

Breast Cancer in Southeast Asia

According to Statista, breast cancer made up 27.7 percent of all the new cancer cases in women in Southeast Asia, with approximately 159,000 new cases in 2020. Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer amongst all Asian countries — one in every nine Pakistani women develops breast cancer at some stage of her life.

When it comes to treatments, it is heading towards a more individualized approach as not all breast cancers are the same.

From screening and diagnosis to in-treatment and post-treatment, get to know some of the current and emerging tech available through solutions from these femtechs: 

Breast screening

• Braster 

Braster is a breast examination system that allows you to do regular self-checkups at home. Using it is easy; just apply the Brasta device on your breasts which can take about 15 minutes, depending on the size of your breast. It captures thermographic images of your breasts to detect any changes with a higher temperature than normal tissues. The temperature differences show up as a colorful map which you then send to the Braster Telemedical Center for analysis through the accompanying free mobile app. There is even a Braster Pro version for healthcare professionals.

• Cyrcadia Health 

The Cyrcadia Breast Monitor measures the breast tissue’s circadian temperature over time. It involves wearing two smart patches inside your bra for six to 24 hours. Data is collected using a machine learning predictive analytic software developed with the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore. It identifies and categorizes abnormal heat changes patterns within the breast cells, indicating the presence of tumor cell activities. The data is then transmitted to Cyrcadia Health core lab for analysis via your smartphone, and the results can be delivered to your physician as well.

• iSono Health 

The team of experts at iSono Health developed the first portable and automated 3D breast ultrasound scanner globally, the ATUSA. Simply attach the wearable accessory, lie down and let the physician, nurse, or medical assistant adjust the area of interest before attached the scanner. With a press of a button and a minute of your time, the image of the whole breast volume is automatically done. Yes, approximately one minute only. Then repeat the process for the other breast if required. You can view the 3D visualization of your breast in real-time through its Windows application,

• Thermaiscan 

Thermaiscan combines a detachable thermal camera, artificial intelligence, and a smartphone to provide a portable and non-invasive tool for pre-screening and risk-assessment purposes. Plugin the pocket-sized camera onto the smartphone, scan and let the AI detect and analyze any abnormalities. This cost-effective solution is faster than manual analysis and is suitable for use on younger people and dense tissue.

• Volpara Health

Volpara Health is an intelligent breast screening software used by over 2,000 facilities for early detection of breast cancer. Its clinically validated software assesses breast cancer risk using AI and machine learning. Its idea to quantify breast composition via volumetric parameters (where the company got its name) began in 1992, but it was only established in 2009. Since then, it has analyzed over 45 million mammography images and has assessed the breast composition of more than 13.5 million women across 39 countries, making it a world leader in automated breast density assessment.

In-treatment

• Endomag 

Endomag products use magnetic sensing technologies to mark tumors more accurately for a more precise surgery. There is no radiation and no wires. The Magseed marker is a tiny seed implanted in the breast or marked lesion, detected by its accompanying Sentimag probe. The Magtrace, meanwhile, is a liquid tracer with tiny magnetic particles used to perform radiation-free sentinel lymph node biopsies. Inject once from as early as seven days before the surgery to as little as 20 minutes prior, and the Sentimag localization system detects its pathway. Since the target cancer area or spread can be more defined, it helps reduce the operation’s invasiveness.   

• EZbra 

EZbra is a breast dressing suitable for use after all breast procedures, be it lumpectomy, mastectomy, or reconstruction, reduction, lift, or augmentation. The post-operation bra is customizable to fit the users’ requirements from breast design and definition to drain management. In addition, it is sterile, disposable and adhesive-free, and comes with adjustable compression making it an advanced option for primary wound care and recovery.

Breast reconstruction

• Bioaesthetics 

The NACgraft technology from Bioaesthetics uses biologically-derived collagen graft to reconstruct a new, natural, living nipple and areola. Its patented nipple-areolar complex grafting process is an innovative nipple replacement solution derived from the advancement in biomaterial technology. Once the graft is put in place, the patient’s cells will grow into a new, complete NAC that looks natural. 

That’s because it is, and since it is the patient’s living tissue,immune-suppressing drugs are not necessary to minimize rejection as required in traditional tissue graft and organ transplant procedures. 

• Lattice Medical 

Lattice Medical collaborated with the CHU Lille (Lille University Hospital in France) to develop a patented soft tissue engineering and reconstruction technology using 3D-printed bio-materials. As a result, breasts can be reconstructed completely utilizing the patient’s adipose tissues with no foreign materials using Mat(t)isse bioprosthesis, a bio-resorbable tissue engineering chamber (TEC). As a result, it would only take one surgery to get the desired breast size. This regenerative medicine solution is currently in the pre-clinical development stage.

The post Pinktober spotlight: The Femtechs fighting breast cancer appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

The program provides a platform to enable female developers, coders, and other technical talents to contribute towards inclusive economic growth, encourage innovation, and better reflect the societal makeup of their region.

“The balance between consumption and creation is changing. We see developers increasingly influencing every business process and function. This is why Code; Without Barriers was created. We identified an urgent need to increase the diversity of cloud, AI and technical talent in APAC, so every country can achieve their national digital agendas and have truly inclusive economic growth,” said Andrea Della Mattea, President for Microsoft in the Asia Pacific.

The partners in the program include Accenture, AvePoint, Government Big Data Institute (GBDi), HCL Technologies, Just Analytics, MetLife, NTT Ltd, PALO IT, Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS), Simbiotik Technologies, Thoughtworks, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM).

These organizations operate in the areas of education, energy, financial services, public sector and technology in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.

Microsoft will provide skilling and certification in cloud and AI to increase the technical talent pools in the countries. Each of the 13 companies is committed to improving diversity within their organizations and offers career opportunities to female creators and developers. 

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Equally, through a series of engagements, from career fairs to hackathons to mentorship and support from business leaders, Code; Without Barriers will nurture and develop female entrepreneurs in APAC.

Code; Without Barriers works with more than 21 developer communities across APAC, reaching more than 407,000 developers across data, AI, DevOps, Java, JavaScript and Python, and Women in Tech.

Code; without barriers to improve diversity

“We identified an urgent need in our region to increase the diversity of technical talent, as only 26% of professionals in data and AI are women and this drops to 12% for professionals in cloud computing. For this to change, and for APAC markets to have a truly inclusive national digital agenda, it starts with breaking barriers and empowering developer diversity in our organizations and industries. It’s our responsibility as leaders of this community to shape what comes next; to show what’s possible when our digital worlds reflect the diversity of the society we live in,” Ms Della Mattea said.

Code; Without Barriers has piloted 18 Women in AI certification programs across eight APAC markets, training more than 480 women, and certifying 203 developers. Microsoft also hosted cloud skills challenges for more than 7,617 developers.

“Gender-diverse teams are smarter and more productive,” said Gina Smith, PhD, IDC’s lead analyst for DevOps and digital innovation in the Asia/Pacific region. “Hiring women in technology roles adds far more than a fresh perspective. Recent studies quantifiably demonstrate that gender-diverse enterprises demonstrably more innovation and higher returns than the mean overall. Programs like Microsoft’s Code; Without Barriers go a long way toward bridging that critical gap.”

“It is an established fact that having more women in the tech industry benefits companies and societies. But creating the conditions for a more diverse workforce is a complex challenge – no single organization can do this alone. We have a shared responsibility to simultaneously remove barriers and uplift women, and I’m thrilled to see companies and organizations collaborate through Code; Without Barriers,” said Leanne Robers, Co-founder, and Co-CEO, She Loves Tech.

“We can’t do this in isolation and are thankful that organizations across industry sectors have joined us in APAC,” shared Annie Mathew, Director, Developer Relations and Program Lead for Code; Without Barriers at Microsoft in APAC.

The post Microsoft’s Code Without Barriers to uplift APAC women in tech appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

It divided the market into 14 subsectors according to applications: pregnancy, longevity, sexual healthcare, beauty for femtech, diagnostics, women’s education, fitness, healthy lifestyle, fertility, women’s cancers treatment, period, nursing, mental health, and pharm tech.

The FemTech Analytics report focused on 1,550 femtech companies around the world. In 2021, North America accounted for 51.9% of the companies, followed by Europe at 23.5% and Asia at 13.9%. Australia has 4.7% of the regional distribution, with South America at 4.4% and Africa the least at 1.6%.

No, investors, Femtech is not “niche”

So with the industry expected to grow, why aren’t they heard or seen more often?

Society’s systemic sexualization and discomfort are at the root of its invisibility. For example,  non-profit organization FemTech Focus and venture capital fund Coyote Ventures reported that male investors frequently perceive femtech as a niche market.  The 2021 white paper highlighted that this was due to the social stigma against women’s bodies; therefore, the male counterparts have often never heard about the issues the founders describe. 

More than 80% of femtech startups have a female founder, it said. However, getting funding from investors, who are 95% male, is already challenging for female founders before adding women’s health products into the equation.

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“Often, advertisements on social media, television, and Google are blocked for being allegedly inappropriate. This censorship not only affects sexual wellness products, but most women’s health, including urinary health, fertility, breastfeeding, and maternal health products,” the paper said. 

“The insult to injury is that men’s health ads that use words such as erectile dysfunctional, semen and ejaculation are often accepted.” 

Let’s talk Femtech in APAC and their founders

Increasing awareness of femtech products and services is essential to increase its visibility to investors and, more importantly, its intended users.

Here’s a snapshot of female-led femtech companies in the Asia-Pacific region to start your exploration.

1. Modibodi – Founder and CEO Kristy Chong, Australia

Modibodi is the pioneer in period and leak-proof apparel with its patented Modifier Technology™. Its reusable and sustainable range has since expanded from period underwear to maternity, activewear, and swimwear, leak-proof against period, sweat, pee, and incontinence. It even has 24-hour absorbency underwear and reusable diapers.

2. Maya – Founder and CEO Ivy Huq Russell, Bangladesh

Maya is a mobile app that provides health and mental well-being assistance by connecting users to medical information and experts. It uses natural language processing and machine learning technology to handle basic queries in Bengali and regional dialects and routing users to human experts when their situation calls for it.

3. Niramai – Founder and CEO Dr Geetha Manjunath, India 

Niramai is short for “Non-Invasive Risk Assessment with Machine Intelligence.” Its proprietary Thermalytix technology uses AI and high-resolution thermal imaging in its low-cost, accurate, portable breast cancer screening and fever test devices. In addition, it is currently working on a full-body screening device that can detect various diseases. 

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4. Sehati – Founder Anda Waluyo, Indonesia 

Sehati or Sehat Indonesia aims for just that – a healthy Indonesia, but focusing on maternal healthcare to assist midwives and give information to expecting mothers. This is available through its integrated solution from mobile apps to its TeleCTG portable fetal well-being monitoring device with IoMT (internet of medical things) technology.    

5. EloCare – Co-founder Mabel Yen Ngoc Nguyen, Singapore 

EloCare has a wearable device and a mobile app based on IoMT technology for optimized chronic and aging care. It monitors symptoms of menopause, and the user’s body data can be recorded and interpreted, so the user can better understand and have an insight into her health condition to improve her lifestyle and medical choices.  

6. Blushh – Co-founders Soyeon Hwang, Ja Young Choi, SJ Choi, Sunny Kim, and Yon Soo Park, South Korea 

Blushh is an app that brings sensual stories and romantic voices to your ears. Its monthly subscription includes sexy and immersive audio and articles with tips and guides to inspire and empower sexual wellness for women in Asia. 

7. ZaZaZu – Founder Jingjin Liu, Singapore

ZaZaZu is the first personalized sexual wellness hub in the Asia Pacific for women.  In a  recent interview with Study International, Liu explained that the ZaZaZu platform synergizes education, digital services, and products to aid women in attaining agency over their sexual health. In addition, the platform seeks to empower women with the information and tools for a healthy sexual life.

The post Here are seven Femtech companies from the Asia Pacific appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Talent Sonar founder and CEO Laura Mather is one of the key people behind the ongoing initiative against non-diverse business practices. Her firm provides businesses with an acquisition platform that removes applicant and college names from submitted resumes.

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This, of course, prevents a bias against potential employees that are females and those that have attended schools which are not traditionally considered high-tier.

Apart from preventing hiring managers to neglect an application based on a person’s name or school, Talent Sonar also analyzes the language utilized by employers in their job descriptions for gender neutrality.

Laura Mather, PhD, founder and CEO of Talent Sonar. Source: Talent Sonar

This is something that fellow tech firm Textio specializes in. In a statement to CIO, Textio CEO and co-founder Kieran Snyder described how her company utilizes natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to evaluate job descriptions based on gender-neutrality – from syntax, equal opportunity statements, down to the job posting’s formatting.

“The tech’s really looking top to bottom at all aspects of how the job post shows up to a candidate. Yes, vocabulary is part of it. Various words and phrases may get highlighted as reaching certain audiences or [being] problematic,” Snyder said, according to the CIO report.

WHY BUSINESSES SHOULD PAY ATTENTION TO GOOGLE’S DIVERSITY PROBLEM

Samantha Cheh | 10 August, 2017

So far, initiatives such as Talent Sonar and Textio have proven useful for employers looking to expand their workforce. Textio’s algorithms, for one, has aided manufacturer Avery Dennison and tools maker Atlassian, with the former seeing a 60 percent spike in female applicants within six months and the latter hiring an entering engineer class that is 57 percent women.

In a lot of ways, the issues surrounding workplace diversity usually stem from sincere ignorance on the part of employers, according to a Forbes report.

Thus, while many diversity-focused programs are initiated by companies, a good number of them end up failing within a year or two. This is because a lot of these ill-fated programs are developed simply as a way to comply with corporate governance and self-regulation.

Diversity, after all, is not limited to gender or race, as stated in a Chron report. Diversity in the workplace also pertains to employers being open to every employee’s lifestyle choices, including sexual orientation, religion, political beliefs, age, and disabilities.

In a lot of ways, an ideal workplace is an organization that is governed by a true meritocracy, where employees are evaluated based on their capability to perform their assigned tasks. Baloonr CEO Amanda Greenberg is quite aware of this and has designed a system that eliminates bias in decision-making.

At its core, Baloonr provides businesses with a system that allows employees to anonymously provide and vote on ideas for projects, thereby avoiding situations where an idea is evaluated and possibly rejected based on who suggested it.

INDIAN IT FIRMS IMPROVE GENDER DIVERSITY BUT NEED MORE WOMEN IN THE BOARDROOM

Heidi Vella | 8 March, 2017

“We create an idea meritocracy by using a unique flow, components of anonymity and randomization. In this meritocracy, business operations become more effective. Blind idea generation replaces in-person meetings, shortens meeting times. It speeds up product and project work,” Greenberg said, according to a CIO report.

Overall, Greenberg believes that once workplace biases are eliminated, enterprises would be able to function in a much more efficient manner. She further asserted that at the end of the day, biases in the workplace affect the bottom line, and that is something that businesses, regardless of their size, have to keep in mind all the time.

Greenberg elaborated on her ideas:

“Bias mitigation is the next wave of productivity. Drive an inclusive culture and employees will share ideas. Encourage a speak-up culture, and you’ll get a more innovative culture. You’ll also retain more of those female hires you worked so hard to attract.

“Bias has an impact on the bottom line. Enlightened leaders really understand bias has a negative impact on productivity and innovation. From hiring to retention; in every aspect, groups must eliminate anchoring bias and be deliberate in how they think.”

The post These startups could help the IT industry kick its diversity problem appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

Women, more so than men, experience the digital world through a lens of suspicion and fear. As far back as 2014, women have reported far higher rates of harassment via social media (73 percent) compared to their male counterparts (59 percent).

When Tech Wire Asia caught up with technology native Randi Zuckerberg at the recent CeBIT conference in Sydney, she talked about a colleague who was very active in promoting himself through online videos, and who had encouraged her to do the same. She replied with disbelief he didn’t think that as a woman, she would receive largely negative blow-back for her efforts.

“‘Do you know how I would be crucified if I did that?’ I said to him,” according to Zuckerberg. “If I did even a tenth of the self-promotion this guy does, [can you imagine] the vitriol that would spew? It’s really hard as women, we really have to pick our battles.”

Our conversation with Zuckerberg spanned her work as an advocate for women in the tech space, as well as what it means to inhabit the digital future as a woman. As our lives begin the gradual, but total migration into the virtual world, having a social identity is becoming increasingly necessary. In a previous conversation with the World Economic Forum’s Nicholas Davis, he noted in many cases, it’s simply impossible to go without an online presence.

SEE ALSO: Women entrepreneurs are on the rise, but challenges abound

Zuckerberg concurred, but added our virtual identities have collapsed in on themselves, and we can no longer sustain multiple identities the way we did before. She knows this particular struggle well – after all, she inhabits a variety of roles as an author, actor, angel investor, television personality and mother, while also balancing it against the obvious challenges of Zuckerberg fame, which sometimes threatens to swallow the nuances of her life whole.

“It’s hard because we live in a world where maybe 20 years ago, you got to have multiple identities,” she said. “You got to have a professional identity, and then go home and have a personal identity, or have a different identity with your college friends.

“But today, one of the things that our online world has done, is that you now only get one identity because anyone can just go and Google you and see everything you’ve ever done.”

It’s a struggle because it has forced her to truly consider the implications of her public persona and the increasing visibility of her life, especially after she became a mother.

“I kind of grew up right at the shift of that happening, in my early twenties when you’re discovering yourself as a person,” she said, contemplative. “I feel like I’ve withdrawn from doing everything publicly all the time as I’ve had children of my own.”

Zuckerberg has previously spoken candidly about being the “other Zuckerberg” and post-Facebook has focused her energies on advocating for women in the technology industry. Source: CeBIT Australia

It’s a particular problem for women, in a world where tech icons are frequently men. Mythologizing is rampant in the world of Silicon Valley, where origin stories are frequently infused with an aura of mystique, especially when they accompany the luminaries of the industry such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, or even the controversial Travis Kalanick.

This isn’t new: the tech space has long had a reputation for being male-centric, and there has always been a constant churn of anecdotes of women being sexually harassed, under-compensated, and being driven out by the sheer force of discrimination. Zuckerberg sees it as part of a trend where women are held to higher standards, and are forced to compete on uneven terms.

Women need to be two or three times as good as their male colleagues in order to be taken as seriously, she said. “There’s also a real discrepancy in [that for] men, if you’re out there, it gives you that cool boy, rockstar reputation. But for women, you’re distracted, unfocused.

A lot of the exact same behaviors are described positively when it comes to men, and negatively when it comes to women, said Zuckerberg.

SEE ALSO: Women in tech: The female entrepreneurs smashing stereotypes in Asia

It’s this lack of equality and her own complicated relationship with the Valley that’s driven Zuckerberg to use her voice as a prominent woman in the technology and entertainment space to change the way women work in technology. Zuckerberg had her beginnings in the tech industry, and would later become one of Facebook’s firsts, before leaving to start her own company.

Zuckerberg said although she loved her time in the innovative corridors of Silicon Valley, the overwhelming masculinity of the industry resulted in decision-making processes that were dominated by a single demographic.

“I spent 10 years as basically the only woman in the room, I was aware of my gender every single day I worked in the tech industry,” she said.

“I just spent a lot of time working in this industry that’s so innovative, but is it only white men who get to decide what’s innovative? That doesn’t seem right.”

“When I left Facebook, I decided I wanted to dedicate the next chapter of my career and life to making sure the next generation of women are not the only women in the room.”

True to her origins in Facebook, Zuckerberg sees technology and social media as the way forward for women in the industry. She cites the growing trend of blind hiring practices in the more progressive corners of the industry, and which she herself has implemented in her own company. As an angel investor, she boasts a 53 percent female founder rate, compared to the industry average of four percent.

She’s also a staunch advocate of piquing the interests of girls as young as nine years old.

Thanks to the team at @thebump for featuring me in their #MothersDay celebration!! https://t.co/AASd7gmHyj pic.twitter.com/ctHQBtGFek

— Randi Zuckerberg (@randizuckerberg) May 11, 2017

“All my data and studies show it’s really around age nine to 11 that if you don’t get girls excited about tech, then it’s much harder to pull them in,” she explained. 

“That’s why I decided to jump into children’s entertainment and content. That’s why I spend so much of my time now developing books and television shows and content that put savvy and smart girls at the center of pop culture.”

Her animated children’s television series, Dot., tackles issues of gender in technology, and aims to draw a young demographic of girls into the digital world. But perhaps more interesting is her latest book, Missy President, a timely children’s book born out of America’s tempestuous political times and the onset of the digital age.

“I actually wrote it because I didn’t really know how to talk to my own children about the election in the US,” she recalls.

“I started to have all these complicated feelings about how the very tech I had worked on personally now being used in such hateful ways.”

Missy President tells the tale of Missy, a young girl whose homework assignment on her ambitions as president goes viral on the Internet, launching her into fame and public scrutiny. The book explores issues of personal privacy in the age of the Internet, social media’s tendency to spiral out of control, and how it has all become resonant in our political age.

“It allowed me to deal with the two topics which were really on my mind – how to talk to kids about elections, but especially elections where crazy, unexpected things were happening, and it also allowed me to talk about what happens when social media content and technology goes wildly out of control.”

Randi and Missy at TODAY! Talk to and inspire your child this Election season in a fun, safe way! https://t.co/8SjLKXMNVU #MissyPresident pic.twitter.com/sVfu1nF0Dg

— Missy President (@Missy4Prez) November 4, 2016

Zuckerberg frequently allows the personal boundaries of her life to blur into the professional and public. For her, technology can be a dangerous tool that can wheel quickly into chaos, but it’s also largely an agent for change, for advocacy, for a better future for women.

It seems tempting for women to retreat entirely from the vitriolic corners of the Internet, where gender can quickly paint a target on your back. Zuckerberg said she was aware of this, but also champions the need for women with power to speak power to truth, despite all the dangers that doing so might present.

“I do think it’s really important that women who are in a position to have a voice, use that voice to help and support other women,” she said.

“There are so few women out there who have voices like that – I feel it’s my responsibility to be as loud as I can.”

The post ‘It’s my responsibility to be as loud as I can’ -Randi Zuckerberg on life with technology appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.

This includes an increasing participation of girls and women in entrepreneurship, as well as the sciences, technology and mathematics professions.

The concepts of equality and equity are not lost to the region’s startup scene. In fact, there is a growing proportion of women entrepreneurs in Asia. One in five startups are founded by women, says a study by the OECD.

In addition, a few salient figures stress just how important female founders and entrepreneurs are in the region’s startup ecosystem:

• Women entrepreneurs have higher annual sales than their male counterparts
• Twelve percent of venture-funded startups have at least one female founder
• A larger percentage of women are taking on senior leadership roles in corporations and enterprises – as high as 39 percent in the Philippines, for example, although the figure is lower in Singapore, at around 26 percent.

In addition, businesses with female founders were determined to have higher valuations at first and last funding rounds.

Workplace culture and harassment

Ambition is never without challenge though, and this rings even more true for women in the industry.

In enterprises and startups in the region, women still feel the pinch in terms of opportunities for growth and flexibility when it comes to addressing their personal or family needs.

56 percent of women professionals leave their jobs mid-career due to various reasons.

These include unfavorable working conditions, limited number of women as mentors and difficulty in fitting in with the culture.

To make matters worse, and perhaps to highlight the difficulty of women entrepreneurs and professionals amid the IWD celebrations, last week saw at least two incidents where women professionals have accused their chief executives of sexual harassment.

In India, for instance, The Viral Fever’s (TVF) CEO Arunabh Kumar was accused of harassment in several first-hand accounts. The company has since denied the allegations.

Globally, women are also facing issues in the technology-driven workplaces.

Last month, global ride-hailing company Uber has faced backlash amid an engineer’s accusation of sexual harassment by a manager, and the company’s HR department being accused as complicit in said incident.

SEE ALSO: Uber’s sexual harassment allegations are no surprise in the ‘bro-culture’ tech world

The challenges go beyond harassment, as in some parts of the region, the trend of inclusiveness and equality is being met with cultural difficulties.

Kristen Nicole, editor at Silicon Valley media company SiliconANGLE, writes about the challenges that arise from cultural differences:

“Sitting in on meetings at work where most are males, I quickly get a sense of how differently males act when there is no female around. And from some of the office jokes my husband shares from his experiences, I can see why males and females often feel uncomfortable merging cultures in the workplace.”

Change in attitude

She goes on to say while the sciences were once considered to be the male domain, workplace attitudes need changing. “What still needs to be addressed is the attitudes of the workplace.”

However, the region sees promise. Even with the difficulties, women are emerging as influential and capable leaders in their respective fields.

“Over the last 12 years we’ve seen a dramatic shift in who is applying for tech jobs,” says Poungthong Thipdang, human resources director at Aware, a software development company based in Thailand.

“In the early days, only 10-20 percent of our applicants were female. Last year, the applicant split was 54:46, women to men.”

The takeaway

Women in technology fields are said to provide a balance, in terms of perspective and capability.

“I find male engineers think in more straightforward terms while women are more detail-oriented. They think out of the box and will consider all use cases, including edge cases and negative scenarios. When building a product, you want a good mix of those perspectives,” says Hannah Vergara, engineering lead for Quality Assurance at Grab.

SEE ALSO: Indian IT firms improve gender diversity but need more women in boardroom

Thus, even while there are challenges, women continue to play a bigger role in what have been traditionally male-dominated fields of technology.

The industry needs to celebrate differences and focus on how each person’s strengths can contribute to the productivity and value of one’s team.

The post Women entrepreneurs are on the rise, but challenges abound appeared first on Tech Wire Asia.