Ejad Labs along with Pakistani Women in Computing organized Pakistan Tech Summit 2020 – Silicon Valley on Feb 15th at Draper University (San Mateo, CA, USA). The purpose of the event was to celebrate startups, innovators and inventors working on disruptive technologies around the globe. The event was attended by top Pakistani entrepreneurs, techies and entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and a 50 people delegation from Pakistan.
Huma Hamid, Co-founder & Former President of Pakistani Women in Computing, hosted a fireside chat with Dr. Telle Whitney on “Fostering Innovation Through Diversity and Inclusion.” Dr. Telle Whitney Telle Whitney, a computer scientist by training, is the former CEO and President of the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology. She also co-founded the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing with Anita Borg.
The purpose of the talk was to highlight the importance of having diverse people that can share their opinions to enable building solutions that are innovative and work for the majority. The talk focused on what diversity means, how to embrace it, and the ultimate benefits that the whole world can reap from it. The talk highlighted the need for inclusion of all genders, races, and ethnicities in all spheres of life, especially technology.
Dr. Telle Whitney said that diversity doesn’t mean the inclusion of women or people of color, it is about having a diverse set of voices at the table. Men are as much a part of this conversation as women and diversity and inclusion should be everyone’s goal. Organizations must prioritize hiring women and retaining them and they should start it from the top of the hierarchy. However, the importance of merit cannot be ignored here and Meritocracy in hiring is defined by a small set of people who assume their right to defining it. This will lead to quality people of all kinds at the decision table.
