After International Equal Pay Day earlier this month, SME Magazine talked to four female leaders within global tech organisations and asked them about the importance of equal pay specifically and also gender equality within business and tech more generally. Here is what they told us:
Samantha Wessels, President of EMEA at Box
As we mark International Equal Pay Day, it’s important to reflect on the widespread gender pay gap, particularly in the tech and business sectors. While progress has been made, the pay gap remains a significant challenge, with women often paid less than men for the same roles and responsibilities.
To drive real change, we need to go beyond raising awareness and take concrete steps towards action. At Box we hold ourselves accountable for pay parity, which is why we signed the California Equal Pay Pledge. I’m proud to work for an organisation that also conducts annual companywide gender pay analysis to reduce any unconscious bias and structural barriers to equitable compensation.
Furthermore, Box’s consistent work assessing job descriptions to eliminate unconscious bias in language and criteria, and commitment to tracking the internal mobility of underrepresented groups within the business is all critical to providing the foundations for employees of all backgrounds to thrive.
I’m proud to be part of an organisation committed to fostering a workplace where all employees are valued equally. As we continue to scale, we remain focused on promoting inclusion and fair pay, with initiatives that support underrepresented communities and create opportunities for advancement for all.
Roshan Kindred, Chief Diversity Officer at PagerDuty
Equal Pay Day is one of a number of days serving as a marker for organisations to review and celebrate how far they have come and what their vision of progress looks like. Social responsibility is a critical part of the fabric of PagerDuty’s culture and can easily be embedded into organisations DNA.
Businesses who move towards a more inclusive, equitable and sustainable future, by leveraging their resources and capabilities to make a positive impact in the communities they operate in, attract inclusive high performing individuals. These future leaders approach their work with curiosity and innovation, driving the execution of their business’s vision. At the heart of a winning culture is a desire to ensure everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to contribute to collective success. Inclusive and engaged teams deliver results that benefit all our stakeholders, from customers and employees to investors.
Equal pay is just one manifestation of thoughtful programmes and policies that create an environment where top talent can thrive. A culture of fairness, engagement and innovation is how we attract top talent and continue to deliver great collective work. Organisations that operate with such a framework are the ones that create a winning culture.
Gali Arnon, Chief Business Officer at Fiverr
To achieve true equality in the workplace, we must collectively challenge and address any ongoing prejudices and biases that persist. It’s crucial that we all take a step back to evaluate our progress as a society, identifying both successes and areas where we need to improve in terms of gender equality. At the very foundations of this progress is equal pay.
I am grateful to work for a company that actively promotes gender diversity, with women making up 51% of our global team and 50% of our senior management— something I am incredibly proud of. It’s also rewarding to see that the Fiverr platform empowers women to thrive, often earning the same or more than men to take control of their lives. Additionally, it’s wonderful to see further projects such as Fiverr’s partnership with Virgin StartUp for the Female Founders Competition, being promoted to actively empower female entrepreneurs regardless of gender, sexual orientation, class, or race. This year, I encourage business leaders to reflect on how they can better support and advocate for women in the workplace.
Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer at Coursera
On Equal Pay Day, it remains crucial to acknowledge the role that access to skills will play in closing the gender pay gap. In the tech sector, systemic educational and professional development challenges still exist that prevent women from having the same opportunities as men. For instance, the growing AI skills gap across genders is a significant issue, with Coursera’s platform data showing that 72% of participants in generative AI courses both globally, and in the UK, are male. This male/female disparity in learning is particularly pronounced among millennial men aged 28-43, who represent the largest group engaging with these courses, and will increasingly shape the workforce.
By working to close skills gaps of this kind – those that can be linked to the greatest levels of economic opportunity – and promoting flexible, accessible learning for all, we can foster greater female representation in leadership roles. We can also expand the participation of women in the digital economy more broadly. According to our latest data, nearly all (97%) educational leaders agree that micro-credentials improve long-term career prospects, and these types of alternative learning pathways are key to levelling the playing field for women. As AI continues to transform industries, ensuring that women have equal access to these high-demand skills not only helps close the gender pay gap, but also creates more diverse and innovative teams. When women have the right opportunities, they can and will thrive in tech-driven sectors, leading to more inclusive growth and a stronger, more balanced workforce.
