It’s time to speak up! 

In the tech industry, where voices of women are often underrepresented, NetApp’s Speak Up! Executive Briefing Center (EBC) workshop aims to celebrate and elevate all the unique superpowers within our employee base. Last month, we kicked off the program with our very first workshop sponsored by Women in Technology, and it was a powerful journey.    

Together, we’re smashing through the glass ceiling, redefining, and pushing boundaries on inclusivity and diversity in tech. 

According to McKinsey, only 25% of computing jobs in the United States are held by women. However, companies with gender diversity at the executive level outperform peers on profitability and value creation. That’s why I’m proud to be the executive sponsor of the Speak Up! program. I know in my core that opportunity lies within those statistics, waiting to be ignited.    

Through this program, we’re equipping the extraordinary women of NetApp with the tools and mentorship needed to become the voices of our Executive Briefing Centers—showing our customers and partners that we are not just talking the talk, but also walking the walk.    

By amplifying our voices and advocating not only for ourselves but for the future of tech, “diversity” and “inclusion” become more than buzzwords. They truly become the keys to our success. 

Through my own path of self-discovery, I’ve learned how to reach for my stars and yank them down. And as part of the process of finding my voice, I discovered something that I like to call the YOUNESS equation. Each of us has walked a unique path, filled with challenges and triumphs. Through personal journeys of growth and confidence, we discover our YOUness equation—the special recipe burning deep within us that makes you, YOU. I’ve found it in a zig-zag, zag-zig way throughout my life. And it’s why I’m so passionate about this program.    

 The YOUness equation is about understanding and building your own beliefs, removing barriers, and taking ownership to turn your dreams into reality. Because, trust me, we each have a wildly fulfilling and purpose-led life to live. It’s just a matter of having the courage and ambition to do the work to find it.    

NetApp’s Speak Up! EBC program aims to help our female employees discover and unleash their unique voices, empower them, and propel them toward success. Participants look introspectively into the skills they have, where they excel, and where they might need an extra boost of courage to reach higher and dream bigger. They hear from experts on public speaking best practices, make a development plan, and commit to it. The program will helps our female employees harness all that goodness inside of them and use it to stand confidently before our Executive Briefing Center guests.   

By participating in this program, our employees make an investment in themselves.  

I want to encourage ALL women in the tech industry to set their sights on big goals and commit to making them happen—because there’s nothing stopping you.  So, to all the extraordinary women in technology, it’s time to Speak Up! Let's embrace the superhero within each of us, harness our powers, and believe in infinite possibilities. Let's make our voices heard and pave the way for a brighter, more inclusive future in tech.   

Explore more from the NetApp® Executive Briefing Center.