Hey, Stefania, how you doing?

Hi, how are you, Susan? So uh I want to welcome everyone to this uh CT Global Conference. Well, as you say, I'm Estefania Lona. I am a marketing bachelor. I have about four years of experience on the it sector. And well, right now I'm working at in Cora as a employer running analyst. Um Well, yes, I'm really excited. Uh Can you please sign and throw yourself?

Yes, I'd love to and hello from Scottsdale, Arizona. So I was actually born in Ireland and I'm the global Vice president of People and Culture here at Ancora. I moved here with my family in 2017. Very unexpectedly, actually following a, a stellar career in Europe, I have 25 years of experience in the software sector and I'm actually married to software too. So I'm married to a developer. He's head of software at a major tech company in the valley also. Um um You know, we, we met many, many years ago um in the early two thousands in a software organization and I've been working alongside software developers for 25 years. So I genuinely know what makes them Tick. Um I was education Ireland. I hold a first class B A honors in um human resources. Strategic hr and I also have a dip in employment law. Employment law is a deep passion of mine, especially women's rights. And over the years I've worked for multiple multinationals as well as start ups. And I've probably been through about 15 murders and acquisitions. I have two Children, one of whom I am almost certain will enter the software sector to um Estefania. So, can I ask you, um, we both work together in an Cora we've never met, you know, uh face to face and you're based, I believe in Peru or Peru division.

But how does your role as a T A lead to influence our warm women in technology in, in Cora?

Yes. Well, actually, I think it's very important to everyone is here, you know. So I think that is what, like it's more influence me as ad a lead. Like to make everyone in every medium to hear even though is if they don't speak English. I mean, it's very important to hear everyone's opinions.

So everybody has a voice, everybody has a voice. Yeah. Yeah, exactly.

So, Susan, I do have a question for you. Do you feel that being one of many female leaders with and Cora puts extra pressure on

you? You know what? It's a great question, Estefania, I suppose as a female leader in the people space, I actually feel an advocate for our women in so because we are hiring and on boarding them into the rules, we're the first people, the first person they meet. Right. It's, it's me that they have a connection with. It's me that kind of previewing them before we actually on board them. And of course, there's a certain pressure in general to be a role model for our women in tech. In fact, for all women of um Cora in my role as a people professional, I represent the single woman. Like, think about this, the married woman, the disabled woman, the mothers, the breadwinners of Cora and I want to do them proud. I want to elevate them. I want to ensure they're focused on interesting software development work that there were clients they like and that there's room for promotion within our organization. So I do feel pressure, but I love what I do and I was born to do this Asia. So can I ask you a question? Um You know, in your position in Peru, in your opinion, what do you think an Cora is doing to help close that gender gap in the recruitment process? And that's an important one for me because, you know, I'm at the crux of offers. And um you know, one of the things that I absolutely emphatically have to ensure to do is make sure that we've no gender biases, you know, at the offer stage.

So what do you do as a recruiter to ensure that there's no gender gap.

Sure. Well, our leadership team recognizes that the importance of women in the workplace, you know, N CORA aims to have a more diverse workplace. So as you know, our recruitment practices continue to advertise to both male and female candidates, you know, by equal. So at Enco A K receives the same salaries and benefits as their male counterparts, even if women don't negotiate for them. So yeah, you often hear about women giving up their own ambitions for sake or their families. And of course, at least we understand that combining work and family can be challenging sometimes. So that is why we support our employees by being flexible and accommodating and taking into account their personal circumstances and commitments. You know,

I mean, I think that's very important, Stefania because if we want to attract women into software in general, you know, into college education and then into the workforce, we absolutely need to be flexible. I mean, I know in Cora, we do offer a great work environment. Flexible scheduling is an absolute must pre pandemic and post pandemic and work from home, which will be extended here. It's the new way of working as long as it continues to work. And as long as it continues to work for our clients, which has been a great help for caregivers and working moms. And you know, diversity is one of our core values and in Cora and we're proud of our divorce, di diverse, experienced and dedicated team who accept everyone for who they are, who allow all of us to bring our best selves to work. We also have mentorship as you know, this Stefania, we also have mentorship and sponsorship programs to help women advance their careers. We offer networking opportunities and training programs, especially for women in technology. We want them to have, you know, advanced programming and coding skills.

We want to have the right partners for them when they're working with our clients. Um you know, I accepted this job on the premise that my Children are part of my work and they're not an adult to my work. They attend our family days or bring your child to work days. I am free to do drop off school pickups. It's never an issue. In fact, school plays. I'm a swim mom. So I've got swim meets and I've never been asked to put my job before my family. So long as I deliver and organize myself to deliver on time and we offer the same to our women in technology. You know, they're coding, they're a special breed. They work incredibly hard. They're, you know, logically thinking they're trying to keep up with the marketplace and with coding and we absolutely must afford them the opportunity to be moms if they choose to be moms, to be caregivers and to enable them to bring their best selves into our workplace. Stefania, you know, this year, uh we worked hard on the people team to establish focus groups to help us understand how we can create an inclusive environment for women in the workplace. Can you talk to me about that?

Sure. So actually the focus groups highlighted three so out topics. Uh the number of women in the tech industry, safe work places and also uh leadership opportunities within N Cora, you know, so in Cora for that recognizes the value women contribute to the mission and communities of our organization. Um I believe also that International Guma say is one of the such opportunity to create awareness of gus um acute right workplace is advantage. So, Susan, yeah, um

you know, its Toan International Women's Day, you're right to point that out because it's something that an Cora that we really, really give special attention to. It's my belief, it's not something that that should be done once a year, it should be continually fostered throughout the other 11 months of the year. And you know, Stefania that as an organization and I'd like you to know this in our recruitment process that we're committed to supporting and fostering inclusion and well being right through ensuring women work in an equitable, which is very important, supportive and inclusive workplace.

As you mentioned, the company conducted focus groups to hear from an Koreans about what International Women's Day means to them. But that's, you know, that's just not for one month of the year, you know, and we, we help our women all through the year brand themselves, our developers brand themselves, put themselves out there. So when they finish a project with one client, they're snapped up by another client, ok, that they're working on state of the art technology for our clients. And I just want to, I suppose, just let you know this and I, and I don't know if you know this, but over a quarter of an Cora's workforce comprises of women, 11% hold leadership positions. I mean, I would like that to be higher. 14% are C suite executives and 20% of our women sit on the board. By next year, we would like to increase that by at least 5%. And we're working daily with our board to ensure that happens, women have a role to play in, in Cora. And for as long as I'm, you know, employed here, we absolutely will make sure that that is the case. And you know, over to you Stefani, can I ask you, how do you envisage in court changing because of the increased involvement in women in tech?

Like you, it's all we do. We're, we're recruiting women in tech all day long. What are you seeing on a daily basis? Like how are these women changing our landscape?

Sure. Well, you know, with more women in tech and more women in leadership roles in deck, we can add new and unique perspectives to products and services. Um I think what this industry requires is a strategic thinkers, both women and men. So at least at in Cora, we understand that positive effort that women can have on our company and the industry as a whole, you know, so we also not know that hiring women differentiates us and give us a competitive edge. So I am already seeing an increasing involvement of women within our teams. And I'm very excited to see what the future holds, Susan, but,

but you know, Estefania, we we need that. We absolutely need that because, you know, you know, not no offense to our men out there but but, but you know, we're, we're program managers in our private life, project managers, we bring so much to the workforce, we're organized, we think differently, right? And you know, organizations in general, do you not think we need to pay attention to the different life circumstances that women tend to face compared to their male counterparts? You know, when starting a family, women often fall behind their male colleagues and then they struggle to get back into the career ladder. You know, my husband and I, we have a lot of, you know, when I met him in the early two thousands, we we had 17 friends who married from that one job, right? So if you imagine our wedding party, they were all women, women, women coders married to men. Coders. Yeah, I mean, I was in hr married to tech but, but most of our friends are two tech, he married, you know, to each other.

But what I often seen even from my girlfriends in the industry is that they start as developers. Right. And over time period they, they end up in Q A or testers. Right. And, yeah, and like for some of them it's because that's where they want to be but for some of them, you know, when they've gaps or they leave to our Children, they come back and because they haven't kept up with programming languages and they go into a testing field and that's fine.

That's fine if that's where they want to be. But um you know, for me, with these programmers, I want them to feel they can leave to have Children, leave for periods of time and come back as programmers. We need to enable that, you know, um it's just something that I've witnessed in my, in my 25 year career. And similarly, like we, we know this, there's no denying that we're the primary caregivers for aging parents. I know I am right if I am doing it from, from afar. Yeah. And of organizations would offer women even more flexible hours, you know, continue hybrid working to access to on site daycare, like breastfeeding facilities, you know, bring your child to work and we would definitely close the gender gap and we would attract more women at the college stage.

You know, we need to make it easy for these women. It has to be not just about points in college and passing exams. Why, why would I, why do I want to become a software developer? Because, you know, it's something, it's niche in my mind. That's my career. But make it easy for me, make it easy for me when I start in an organization. So, you know, over to you because you're doing a different role than me, you're on a different side of the fence. Is Stefania. And what advice would you give women who consider a career in the tech industry? Like what are you seeing? What advice would you give them? What advice would you give your sister if she wants to be a software developer,

I would say believe in yourself. Um leave other women when you have the chance. You know, we are living in such a changing world and that poses new opportunities for women in general. And it's only when women believe that they deserve to create their own future that the future of women can improve. So, you know that it wasn't until the 19 sixties that the marriage bar, the practice that required women to resign from their job of getting married.

Yes, the war.

Yes. So uh I think these days it is possible to have a thriving career in the tech industry and have a family at the same time. But you need to pave your own way back to work after starting your family.

Yeah. Do you know Stefan in Ireland in the 19 sixties? And it doesn't seem that long ago, you know, we had, um, if you worked in a bank or worked for a government body we had to resign once we got married. I mean, I'm so glad that we're, we're not at that stage of life now. I mean, I would be out there marching with the best of them if we were so. But for me, you know, one of the, one of the best things. So, you know, my first job was in software and I never left software. So call that luck, call that by chance. But now I'm just addicted to the industry. It's where I want to be. And I, I understand, you know how both men and women of the software sector work, right? And for me, the best thing about working in the industry is that technology is continuously evolving. Like there's never a dull moment, like, think about this and what those guys, what those girls are doing is revolutionizing our world. Like over the last decade, we watch Amazon grow from a book company, but Jeff didn't do it by himself. There was a woman by a side, right? Bit like Bill, they just didn't do this by themselves. We all know that, right?

And you know, for me like, you know, Elon and his electric cars and in 20 years from now, we're all going to be asked to have no gas in our cars to be electric. And I, I want to hang around. I, you know, we've got Chad now, Chad in his A I and we've all these things come to the fore and I want to see women behind those inventions. I want to see women given the opportunity to keep producing. I want to see women to be on those juicy projects and to be invited on those juicy projects and especially Stefania, be my eyes and ears in the Latin American community. I want to see that in our own company, right? I want to make sure that happens. And yes, the tech industry, you know, it may be dominated by men in terms of numbers, but there are lots of brilliant women changing the landscape. And I don't know if you're aware of this. I think it's before your time, but we created women hackers. It's, it's, it's like a forum that we have here. I'm really proud to say that was my name. I came up with the name, I cheated a little bit because my husband helped me and after, you know, going back and forth, we come up with it together. Yeah. So um you know, but I just want to see us attracting more women into stem fields. You know, I want my daughter to go into STEM, that's where she wants to be.

And I actually, um it's something that I'm really passionate about, you know, I I really am and the technology industry, you know, may be male dominated and maybe women are outnumbered. But our women hacker brand and Cora, it continually reminds me in my jo my role that we are enablers of the tech industry in Cora where we are change agents to say the least, you know, we are bringing women into the fold part of our journey, you know, to, to advance our company.

It has been done by the women technologists in our business and an Cora, you know, T A Stefania, I always classify it as you know, you're pre on boarding, I'm post, right? And honestly, I couldn't do your job because I don't have an ounce of, I don't have an ounce of sales in my blood, right? But with regard to women in technology, what's been your proudest moment? Like what have you, what have you done for? Bring women into the farm? Yeah, I know, apologies. It's on the spot.

Yes. Well, maybe I don't know, leading a globalized D ATM that drives growth, innovation and productivity through technology solutions in general. You know, is what really makes me excited for work every day. Um My team members stick around for the long term because they really love our company.

We do have a lot of long service, we do have a lot of long service in Latin America, which I'm very proud of. Yes.

So I think in T A we strive to offer women the same opportunities via interview that we do to our male applicants. You know, so

promise me, promise me if our clients are looking for, you know, um looking for software developers, architects, principal engineers, whatever level we're placing, never promise me will always just keep an eye on that for me and make sure that they're been offered the exact same money.

And that in fact, we don't even, we're not looking for a woman or a man in the role. We're looking for the best candidate. Yes. Yes. Let her be a woman at every juncture, please.

Yes, I will. So, yes, talking about, you know what I think is really committed to empowering women um giving equal opportunities to all individuals, you know. So I think the company has various initiatives. I don't know if you, you hear about, well, you say yes, women hackers, you know, female hackathons. Um also partnerships with uh goa women tech and laboratoria. That is a community, tech

community. No, I know a laboratory. I was involved in last year. They're the woman hackers event that happens in Latin America every year, right? I the the the laboratory is the woman hackers event that happens in. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that we partake in to find female engineers across Latin America. It's a brilliant initiative.

I do have a final question for you.

Yes, please bring it on

as a global VP and leader in the people space. Um What advice do you have to offer other women in technology?

Oh, ok. So, you know, I'm doing this quite a long time and you're gonna think maybe this is too soft but one powerful leadership strategy that's often overlooked from me. And it's whether you're a woman or a man or whatever you present yourself as is be kind and be curious. That's all I ask of our fellow and Koreans because, you know, power comes in many forms. But kindness would be the forefront of everything and people will not forget when you're unkind, right? Either. And for me, being a leader is not about making a point continuously or, you know, winning the conversation. But I've learned and in 25 years have taught me that listening is more powerful and empowering than anything else you can do. And I have learned all through my life, even from in a family environment that listening to my colleagues, listening to my Children, taking the time to get to know and understand them and the problem, you'll be amazed at what you'll find and on the listening journey, you'll be amazed to understand what you'll find out about yourself.

Ok? My son gives me feedback every day. Some of it's very, very good and some of it's not so good and, you know, for some of it, he's, he's not wrong. He's a teenager, you know, and I have to try and listen, not talk at him. And kind of because the life he's living as a child is not the life I led as a child, right? I was in Ireland growing up, he's in the United States. So I just feel listening is a very powerful tool and I know it's a cliche, but I believe and I say this to all my colleagues internally and externally that it can be anything behind. You know, we, we can be educated, we're best practice in our field, but we need to be kind, we need to be kind and to our women. Keep applying for those promotions. Keep putting your hand up for these ever changing A I API projects that are often led by, you know, by our, our male counterparts, believe that's all I ask for developers believe, keep going after, keep reaching for the stars. And um it's just the, the I really, really mean this like, I have so many software developer friends who are deep friends of mine, they know who they are.

They're probably listening and we have had so much fun through the years and they're some of the most brightest, brilliant women in my life. So hats off, hats off to you all and to all on this call today. I,

I really, I really love your answer. It was really, you know, like that is inspiring me. But well, I think we have had like a great two way conversation and I have learned so much about my Irish colleague. Yes,

the Irish in America, Stefania. And speaking of which, when are you coming here? Because I've got to meet you in person.

My flight will be totally booked. Follow in this interview.

Ok. Fabulous. Or maybe I can come to Peru first. But you know, we, we, we, we'll work it out. Yeah. So look, this ends our interview and um, you know, we continue fighting the good fight for our women in business and our women in technology and we'll continue supporting in Cora in their, in their ways of working. We are best placed to work in almost every company of operation. Can you imagine that Stefania? And are you surprised? Are you surprised? We are best friends?

No, no, no, no, no in cars like really committed to all of that. So I'm not surprised at all.

Super well luck adios to you and uh I will talk to you soon.

Bye.

Keep up the great work, Stefania. Take care. Bye bye bye girl. Bye bye.