INSPIRE 20

The idea for the INSPIRE 20 podcast series stemmed from the desire of Micro Focus executives, their customers. partners, and other stakeholders to address the technology skills shortage—and attract more diverse talent into the industry. Sponsored by Micro Focus, INSPIRE 20 showcases executives around the world who are making a difference in terms of inclusion and diversity in their organizations, communities, and industries. In this final episode of the series, Sarah Atkinson, director of environmental, social, and governance at Micro Focus, talked about the podcast and looked back at some of the issues that guests have raised throughout the series.

Being in an executive role at a large enterprise brings with it a high level of responsibility, according to Erik Day, who leads Dell Technologies' small business division in North America and Brazil.And as an executive, Day said he should use his voice for much more than just being a voice for the LGBTQ+ community. It should be used for being feminist and being an ally to his black and brown brothers and sisters.Day, who co-founded the Pride employee resource group (ERG) at Dell Technologies was recently named in the top 10 OUTstanding LGBT+ Executives Role Model List of 2020 by INvolve, a global network and consultancy championing diversity and inclusion in business.

An award-winning producer and self-described queer woman of color, Allia McLeod is continually striving to disrupt the status quo and advance the cultural conversation around diversity. Head of brand relations and content development for Verizon Media Studios in Canada, this past year, McLeod was named to the 2020 Top LGBT+ Outstanding Role Model Executives list. In the podcast, McLeod talks about her involvement in Verizon Media's employee resource groups (ERGs), including BOLD (Black Originators, Leaders and Doers) and Prism, the company's LGBT+ ERG. McLeod also offers advice on how companies can do more to tackle bias in the workplace.

Rod Flavell is founder and CEO of the London-based FDM Group. FDM are a leader in the recruit, train, and deploy industry and launch thousands of technology and business careers every year across the globe. Part of the company's philosophy is a commitment to all forms of diversity, including an Ex-Forces careers program designed for veterans from all ranks and services, a Women in Tech initiative, and a Returners to Work program. In the podcast, Flavell talks extensively about the Ex-Forces program and offers advice for other leaders or hiring managers looking to improve inclusion and diversity in their businesses or start similar initiatives.

CEO Phillip Jenkinson started Baidam Solutions as a tribute to his late father's passion for Indigenous rights and his desire to leave the world in a better place. An Australian tech company, Baidam Solutions is committed to bridging the gap of Indigenous representation in the IT security sector. In the podcast, Jenkinson talks about how his company helps indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders find employment in the Australian information security sector—free of charge. He also explains how he recruits Indigenous talent and how many placements Baidam has made.

An experienced security solutions architect, Vandana Verma is president and founder of Infosec Girls, an initiative that encourages women to pursue careers in the field of information security. The goal of Infosec Girls is to get more women curious about cybersecurity by urging them to actively participate in events such as security conferences and community meet-ups. In the podcast, Verma explains why mentorship is so critical in addressing gender imbalance in the tech industry, and what it means to "uplift others," help them conquer their fears, and guide them in the right direction.

In this episode of the INSPIRE 20 podcast we hear from Morag Lucey, the CEO of Televerde. Televerde, a global demand generation organisation, provides sales training, education, and jobs for incarcerated women while they're in prison and after they're released, helping them find their voices and reach their human potential. She talks about Televerde's mission to embrace intentional hiring practices and provide career development opportunities to people who otherwise have limited prospects for sustainable employment. Lucey also offers some advice for leaders when it comes to driving inclusion and diversity in their organization, as well as in society as a whole.

Putri Realita is Global Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Danone. In this interview she talks about her diverse background and how this impacts on her role. Putri also reveals why an open mindset is vital if leaders want to drive diversity and inclusion in their organisations.

Anna Mok is the President and Chairman of Ascend Leadership, a non-profit Pan-Asian organization for business professionals in North America. Their vision is to enhance the presence and influence of current and future Pan-Asian business leaders and serve as a collective voice for Pan-Asian business communities. In this interview Anna talks about the work of Ascend Leadership. She also shares her thoughts on the impact of Covid-19 on the Pan-Asian community in the USA, and how the 'Model Minority Myth' is proving to be damaging to Pan-Asians in the tech industry.

Sari Brody is the former global head of equality, diversity, and inclusion at IKEA Group. During her 20 years with IKEA, Brody introduced and launched ED&I throughout the company and provided a strategic direction and a systematic approach for integrating the topic into the overall business strategy. In the podcast, Brody explains what she learned throughout her career at IKEA about diversity around the world. She also offers advice to help leaders drive inclusion and diversity within their organisations.

Infosys is a New York Stock Exchange listed global consulting and IT services company with almost a quarter of a million employees, and revenues of over $12 billion. This episode features Semra Barutchu, Infosys Vice President, Head of Engineering Services for ASIA talking about their award winning inclusion and diversity program which creates a safe, accessible and inclusive work environment through the recruitment, development, engagement, growth, and retention of employees with disability.

Mark Martin MBE is the co-founder of UKBlackTech, winner of the 2019 London Business Award. UKBlackTech is an innovation group that is on a mission to “make the UK the most ethnically diverse tech ecosystem in the world.” In this episode, Mark – who also teaches computer science in London – talks more about UKBlackTech, why he thinks BAME talent is often ignored and what the repercussions of this could be.

Tanya Janca is the founder of WoSEC International (Women of Security). WoSEC is a community for women, including LGBTQ+ women, non-binary, trans and gender nonconforming, who have an interest in cyber security. Tanya's passion is around creating a more secure world/internet. She is also a huge advocate for bringing on more women, people of colour and other minorities into the application security world. In this episode of the INSPIRE 20 podcast Tanya discusses her career in cyber security, her work with WoSEC and also a movement named #Cybermentoringmonday.

Sander van 't Noordende is a seasoned business leader with broad global industry experience. He was at Accenture for over 30 years, becoming Group Chief Executive of their Products Operating Group and a member of their Global Management Committee. He is now a board member of Out & Equal, the world's premier organization working exclusively on LGBTQ workplace equality. In this podcast he talks about what needs to be done to make even more progress and how attitudes have changed towards LGBTQ equality.

This episode features Jacqueline de Rojas, president of techUK, the UK's leading technology membership organisation. She is also co-Chair for the Institute of Coding. Jacqueline is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and in this interview she talks about why it's so vital that digital transformation takes this into account.

Sheridan Ash is Technology Innovation lead at PwC. She campaigns passionately to educate and inspire more girls and women to get into technology subjects and careers. That's why she set up and leads PwC's Women in Technology initiative and founded The Tech She Can Charter. As you will hear in this podcast, her career has followed an unconventional path, and that is why she so actively encourages girls and women with diverse backgrounds to consider opportunities in technology.

Anjuan Simmons is a technologist with a successful track record of delivering technology solutions from the user interface to the database. He is also behind the idea of ‘Lending Privilege' In this interview Anjuan describes how privilege can be lent and why it is so important to do so. He also gives his thoughts on the difference between diversity and inclusion.

Female Founders Faster Forward (F4) is an independent non-profit research, policy and advocacy organisation dedicated to championing equal opportunity for all. It was originally set up to change today's reality of VC Funding for Female led startups. The aim was to fundamentally transform startup funding to remove bias and prejudice, create an even-playing field and create greater access to capital for female founders, and for all founders.

Michael Fieldhouse talks about how The DXC Dandelion Program is building valuable information technology skills and careers for neuro diverse individuals. Combining the use of robotics with commercial IT industry teaching and methodology, the focus of the program is on developing technical, life and executive functioning skills.

In this episode, Adriana Gascoigne, founder and CEO of Girls in Tech talks about how her not-for-profit is empowering, educating and engaging women, helping them acquire skills and learn about careers in the tech industry

Hello and welcome to the INSPIRE 20 podcast brought to you by MicroFocus. The aim of the podcast is to recognise champions of inclusion & diversity in the tech industry globally. Our first edition will feature Adriana Gascoigne, technology executive and activist, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Girls in Tech, a global non-profit dedicated to empowering, educating, and mentoring women in the technology industry. Subscribe now so you can hear the episode as soon as it is published.