Celebrating Women’s History Month at AvePoint
In the United States, only 25% of individuals in technology are women. On top of that, only 7% of those women are Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI), 3% Black and 2% Hispanic. While we’ve made significant progress – in 1978, only 8% of STEM professionals were women – there is still a way to go when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion in this industry.
And beyond an HR initiative, diversity, equity and inclusion is a business imperative. According to research from Harvard Business Review, investing in uniqueness is better for the bottom line, with organizations scoring higher on diversity experiencing improvements in EBITA margins, total shareholder return, and revenue growth.
At AvePoint, we are proud that our Women in Technology (WIT) employee resource group (ERG), which was founded by a member of our sales team and supported by HR, has many incredible women from across our organization. While acknowledging their achievements is an ongoing commitment, today we will highlight two pioneer women: Caroline Peña, a Software Prototype Engineer, and True Sandoval, a Senior Marketing Analyst. Both women are leading our internal artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives designed to accelerate efficiencies and fuel innovation.
Taking on the Tech World
We sat down with Caroline and True to learn more about how their identities as not only women but also minority women (Caroline is Latina and True is Chinese and Black) have shaped their careers.
For Caroline, moments of uncertainty and stereotypes could have deterred her from pursuing this career — but she knew deep down that she could succeed in this field.
For True, learning how to use her voice in a male-dominated space was an initial challenge, but it was one she had overcome by trusting herself and her proven capabilities.
Motivation for Pursuing Innovation
Both referenced mentors and sponsors for getting them in the proverbial room where it happens — but once there, their work spoke for itself. Today, Caroline and True continue to be among our internal AI subject matter experts, and we value their contributions tremendously. We are inspired by them — and they, too, are inspired by each other. The opportunity to work on highly technical and cutting-edge projects alongside another woman has been a motivation for the two of them.
Their advice to other women in technology?
Bring yourself to the work. Our unique experiences shape what we’re capable of and inspired to build. Without that, we fall into groupthink, which often stalls innovation.
A Culture of Inclusivity and Empowerment
As part of our commitment to empowering women, as well as diverse and marginalized communities, AvePoint supports five employee resource groups (ERGs). Our WIT ERG is dedicated to attracting, advancing, and celebrating women. The goal of WIT is to enable women to thrive in their personal and professional lives through support from our colleagues, customers, partners, and communities. Aside from WIT, we also have other ERGs like Black AvePoint Excellence, Latinx, Queers and Allies, and AvePoint Veterans.
To learn more about the culture at AvePoint, please visit our careers page.
Nicole is Director of Content & Communications at AvePoint, where she leads global Public Relations and is responsible for growing brand awareness. Throughout her career she has developed media and brand strategies for big tech companies, venture-backed startups and nonprofits and had a brief stint in journalism at Sports Illustrated. She is a marathon runner and loves coaching youth sports.
