Pictured: Winners of the Diversity in Tech Awards 2024. Picture by Andres Poveda.
Greenhouse Software won Diverse Company of the Year, while Kinia, the education-focused non-profit, took home the coveted Diversity in Tech Impact Award. The Grace Hopper Award was presented to Dr. Alessandra Sala, a pioneering computer scientist.
There was an air of excitement in the RDS Concert Hall, Dublin yesterday, 19 September, as tech enthusiasts with a penchant for equality congregated to honour those making significant strides in the realm of diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Diversity in Tech Awards, in partnership with JP Morgan, were launched in 2018 to highlight workplaces making moves towards diversity and inclusion. This year’s ceremony, its seventh iteration, celebrated efforts made in the tech sphere to become more equitable, while also reflecting on the journeys yet to be made.
Winners
Greenhouse Software, a tech firm providing recruiting software as a service, took home the coveted Diverse Company of the Year Award. Judges noted that Greenhouse “demonstrates a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion through innovative strategies, diverse hiring practices, and strong employee engagement.”
Sarah Harnett, Senior Director of People Business Partners, spoke to Business & Finance after the company’s win. She said “The incredible work that goes on to make everyone feel included has been recognised, and it has been years of hard work … It’s a huge honour.”
Oracle collected the Support Network of the Year award. Eva McEneaney, GenO Project Manager (D&I, Employee Engagement & Community) at Oracle, said: “Inclusion is really important, but also looking at the different strains of diversity. Collaboration between the different strains is really important as well.”
Manuela Jeyaraj accepts the Rising Star Award. Picture: Andres Poveda.
Manuela Jeyaraj from ML Labs collected the Rising Star Award for her achievements in innovation, research, and education. Judges noted her contributions in pioneering developments in NLP to fostering inclusivity in technology.
“Rather than going with what everyone is doing,” Jeyaraj said, “it’s best to find where no one is working on anything and what needs to be done. Identify the problem and work on it.”
Dr. Alessandra Sala, a globally recognised leader in AI and data science, with a deep commitment to cultivating diversity in technology ecosystems, was presented the Grace Hopper Award.
Accepting the award, Dr. Sala said: “I really believe in mentorship, and I really believe in giving a chance to people to express their potential.”
Dr. Alessandra Sala with the Grace Hopper Award. Picture: Andres Poveda.
She dedicated the award to the “amazing women in AI” present at the RDS.
Dr. Sala also addressed attendees in a keynote speech on ‘AI Excellence: Cultivating a Diverse Ecosystem.’ Dr. Sala emphasised the critical role diversity plays in fostering ethical and inclusive AI systems.
Idriss Baba-Moussa from Meta, Claudia Hoareau from TikTok and Chair for Black & Irish, and moderator Mary Garvey from J.P. Morgan convened on stage to explore AI & Emerging Tech: What to Do About the Biases, a panel centred on the pressing need to ensure AI development is inclusive and fair, offering valuable insights into how businesses can lead the way in mitigating biases.
Claudia Hoareau and Idriss Baba-Moussa discuss AI and bias. Picture: Andres Poveda.
The full list of winners is below
- Cultural Inclusion Award: Carelon Global Solutions
- DE&I – Special Initiative Recognition Award: Hostelworld
- DE&I – Support Network of the Year: Oracle
- DE&I Excellence in Leadership Award: Sebastian Gollwitzer (Fiserv)
- Disability Inclusion Award: Criteo
- Diverse Company of the Year Award: Greenhouse Software
- Inspirational Diversity Role Model Award: Gracious Nyamupachitu (Pinterest)
- LGBTQ+ Inclusion Award: Cognizant
- Neurodiverse Inclusion Award: auticon
- Rising Star Award: Manuela Jeyaraj (ML-Labs)
- Social Impact Award: Optum Ireland Services Ltd
- Startup Visionary Award: Sarah Fliessbach (shareclub)
- STEM Champion Award: Alessia Paccagnini (University College Dublin)
- Tech Leader Award: Rebecca Keenan (Expleo)
- Technical Guru Award: Nicola McDonnell (Workday)
- Trailblazer Award: Dr. Amy Awad (Lenovo)
- Grace Hopper Award: Dr. Alessandra Sala
- Diversity in Tech Impact Award: Kinia
The headline partner for the Diversity in Tech Awards 2024 was JP Morgan. Mel Good, Senior Executive Director of Reliability, said it was “really important for JP Morgan to be involved … It’s at the heart of everything we do. We’re committed to diversity … By having a diverse group of people, we get better ideas, we serve our customers better, and it just makes for a better culture.”
Business & Finance will feature further in-depth coverage of the Diversity in Tech Awards over the coming days.
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Winners of the 2023 Diversity in Tech Awards in partnership with JP Morgan
Winners of the 2022 Diversity in Tech Awards in partnership with JP Morgan
Diversity in Tech Awards 2021 highlight diversity, equality and inclusion in the workplace