Formalizing Women Speak Tech seemed like a natural progression to engage a larger cross-section of industry professionals across technologies and disciplines who deal with the demands of increasing content and data. What started as a few women (and men at times) connecting casually at annual industry events, at local meet-ups, and/or via the occasional phone call, lunch catch-up or LinkedIn chat to commiserate or problem-solve together is gaining momentum. More and more, we need that additional lens or acknowledgement to stabilize and energize. In today’s fast-paced, fluid environments, collaborative relationships are the key driver to gain mindshare, commitment and positive action.
So let’s throw the net wider to engage relevant and related diverse constituents (e.g., marketers, creatives, and technologists) and leverage collective experiences and expertise to solve for change: emerging technology impacts; the sunsetting of legacy solutions and practices; on-boarding and effective adoption; and more. Furthermore, let’s network, share and mentor to support other women, invest in advocating the roles and opportunities for women, and fundamentally instigate positive exchange and action.
Why women? For the most part, women have been underrepresented and historically seen in traditional archetypes or roles. Industry voices have been predominantly saturated by men. But the world is changing. Emerging technology, coupled with content and data explosion, has impacted the industry so that once-siloed areas of our organizations not only are now co-dependent but need to be innovative to stay ahead in a competitive landscape. To effectively optimize resources together, gender is irrelevant, expertise and collaboration are critical. Now more than ever we all need to take a page from Sheryl Sandberg, “lean in”, continue to redefine conventional thinking through positive action and pave the way to attract younger talent and new ideas.
“Operating profit was 56% higher for corporations that had one or more women on its executive committee or board of directors,” reported a 2010 McKinsey & Company research study. (source: McKinsey & Company)
Together we can elevate our industry and ‘speak up’ on a regular basis, and do it in more places geographically.
Women Speak Tech MOVERS: individuals and organizations who are investing time and resources to execute the speak up forum — a mash-up of relevant and related meet-ups and informal encounters
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.” — Mark Twain
Our Speak Up Movers include:
Founding Partners: the individuals who formalized the ‘idea’ and organized for action. Contributors: individuals who have a high level of active participation. Advocates: individuals who are involved and play a role to support activities. Underwriters: individuals and organizations who provide financial and/or in-kind product/services support.
Thank you to our ‘speak up’ movers who encourage all voices of our industry to engage and improve information technology practices and ideology.
Speak Up Founding Partners:
Jill Talvensaari is a product marketing technology executive dedicated to helping brands deliver exceptional customer experiences by connecting integrated marketing strategy, smart people, process change management, and the right technologies. Together, this customer-centric approach to digital marketing maximizes operations performance and measurably increases engagement, awareness, and loyalty. She is the founder and Chief Marketing Technologist at Moxie Marketing and has worked with start-ups and enterprises alike including Microsoft, Adobe, Akeena Solar, Verisign, and IO Integration.
Linda Manes Goodwin has more than three decades of publishing and integrated technology experience. An early adopter, she has been involved in the evolution of omni channel, consumer-driven, brand marketing strategies. At IO Integration since 2006, her clients include some of the world’s most recognized brands, including Apple, Getty Images, GoPro, and Mattel. Linda taught state-of-the-art technology and production at the annual Stanford Professional Publishing Course for many years. Her rich publishing background includes VP of Manufacturing for PC World Magazine for 12 years, and time at Esquire and Sesame Street.
Robin Parisse brings cross industry experience in technology, retail, and consumer products to both technical and non-technical audiences to regularly drive transformation and positive action. As a Media Therapist, she helps individuals and teams bridge the gaps to achieve as they navigate. Robin’s forte is simplifying complex technology projects and processes to generate impactful solutions. Her experience includes: Wells Fargo Bank, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Yahoo!, Aspera, North Plains Systems, Telestream, LVMH, Pacific Telesis’ Emerging Business Groups, Black & Decker, and more.
Speak Up Contributors:
Sharlene Siegel is a digital asset management specialist with 20 years’ experience managing rich media and structured metadata. She has had the opportunity to launch and oversee DAM systems at Ubisoft, Yahoo, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. While at Virage, she developed video metadata schemas for clients ranging from PBS and Citicorp to the NFL.