It’s a great time to work in technology. There’s no industry that moves faster, nor has more impact on everything.
Technology is smashing boundaries through its profound capacity for influencing, enhancing and changing the world.
But the pace at which our industry is breaking through technical ceilings is not matched by events in the workplace.
Most notably, there’s still a ceiling within the tech sector for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people.
We want to help change that. We believe that the same spirit of innovation used in technology should also be part of the workplace, through a diversity of people, knowledge, skills, views, and cultures.
To help achieve this, we are proud to announce that Twogether is a founding member of the new Inclusive Tech Alliance (ITA). Launched at the House of commons in partnership with the Financial Times, the aim of the ITA is to improve diversity within the UK tech sector.
It is needed. Research by the ITA, shows just 12.6% of board members of the country’s largest tech firms are women. For BAME people the figure is lower – just 8.5%.
What is particularly disturbing, given the launch in the very traditional home of the House of Commons, is that these figures show leading tech firms are less diverse than Parliament itself.
As a first step, the new alliance leader Samuel Kasumu (pictured) announced the first listing of the 100 most influential BAME leaders in UK technology. They range from senior leaders in financial services EY to tech channels like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Their personal stories are fascinating. You can download a copy of the research below.
It does show that talent knows no race, colour, creed, ethnicity, or gender. We passionately believe that our industry has an obligation – and a unique opportunity – to smash down a range of social stigmas and barriers that prevent people making the most of their talents.
If necessity is the mother of invention, then technology is surely the daughter of innovation. Diversity will help her flourish. And we are proud, in some modest way, to help deliver it. Do you want to join us?