Companies Attend GHC For Reasons Beyond Recruitment

Why do companies attend Grace Hopper?

Grace Hopper offers employers access to connect with over 25K women in technology. Aside from the obvious reason for companies to be present at GHC — recruitment — I was curious what else drives their attendance.

I walked through the career fair and asked a handful of companies what their reason was, and here’s what they said…

“[We] want to pay it forward, and mentor students.” 

“Last year I submitted my resume to the resume database, and now I am here with the company that hired me.”
-Chat Pham (pictured below, third from left)

“We are in a landscape of emerging technologies. It’s amazing how motivating it is to see other women so passionate about technology and personal growth.”

– Rona Taylor and Sonia Batra (pictured below, left to right)

CVS_GHC_2019

“We want to bring light to unconscious biases.”

-Ryan Mosher (not pictured)

I act on inclusion_GHC2019

“The most impactful solutions come from teams with the highest diversity. At Intuit, we believe in supporting all our women in tech, bringing the best ideas to our products in helping power prosperity for our customers.”

-Aliza Carpio (pictured below, right)

Intuit_GHC2019

“We are excited to tell people that we already have a good cross-section of minority groups.”

– Nara Kasbagern (pictured below, first on left)

“We want to balance the scales as we grow.”

“I am one of two women in software development on a small team.”

– Sidney English (pictured below, farthest right)

ExxomMobil_GHC2019

Grace Hopper Theme ‘We Will’ Inspires at Kick-Off Keynote

‘We Will’ Inspires Kick-Off Keynote

Cup of coffee or not, the GHC Keynote woke me up this morning! And yes, with 25K attendees, the lines were still worth it.

President and CEO of AnitaB.org, Brenda Darden Wilkerson, kicked off the conference with inspiring words about women in tech.

Imagine what it will look like when we achieve equity… in all roles.

If you started a business or raised capital, I’m sure you can empathize with the extra challenges experienced as a woman. If not, you likely know someone who has.

Imagine if you spent all of your time putting effort toward raising capital for your business, only to receive less than 3% of total venture capital available. And now imagine knowing that women-owned companies outperform men-owned companies by 64%.

Does this make you jump up and down and scream out loud that you want to be an entrepreneur? Personally, I am hesitant.

How will things change when we are 50/50?

Think about what will change when women are 50% of leadership, and 50% C-Suites and boards, at a company. Think about what will change when women receive 50% of total available venture capital.

Will young girls aspire to become entrepreneurs?

Will more women build a business?

What will be the new norm?

One thing is for sure — women will be seen.

Women will be promoted, celebrated, AND PAID.

GHC 2019, Sarah Murray, Rachel Diamond, Amy Miao

GHC 2019 Attendees Most Look Forward To This

What do you most look forward to at GHC?

To kick-off my blog post series with Anita|Bees at the Grace Hopper Conference this year, I spoke with a couple attendees before the conference about what they most look forward to at GHC.

From left to right: Amy Miao, Sarah Murray, Rachel Diamond, Marlena Rehder, and Connie Wang.

                 

“I’m looking forward to learning about other people’s experiences and the technology they work with.” 

– Amy

“I’m looking forward to the code breakout sessions so I can learn new skills!”

– Sarah

“I’m excited to meet new people that have a similar passion for technology and continuously learning.”

– Rachel

“Meeting people from all over.” 

– Marlena

“I’m excited about meeting other women in tech, and to listen into all the presentations throughout the week.”

– Connie

If you’d like to be featured in one of my blog posts during or after GHC, please connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message.