HARMAN makes it a priority to promote diversity and tomorrow’s female technology leaders
As a leader in the technology industry, HARMAN knows from long experience that diversity is a powerful driver of innovation. As a people-oriented company, we also know the great value of our teams and talents. It is therefore only natural that HARMAN leads the way in promoting workplace diversity. To that end, HARMAN consistently strives to make a difference through a wide variety of initiatives that foster diversity and inclusion, both within the company and in society at large.
Equal opportunity and gender balance are key elements of true diversity. Sadly, women continue to be underrepresented in the technology industry. In an effort to remedy this, HARMAN created the HARMAN Women’s Network, a group devoted to topics affecting women. This year, in honor of the nationwide initiative Girls’ Day, the Network welcomed female students between the ages of 10-16 to our offices in Munich, Straubing, and Karlsbad to teach them about careers in STEM.
HARMAN’s 2018 Women’s Leadership Summit brought together female executives from across the globe to discuss how building a community and culture focused on respect and inclusiveness requires bold actions and a tone that comes from the top. Understanding the reasons why women are still underrepresented in the technology industry, and sharing perspectives on how to turn the situation around, were but a few of the topics addressed during this three-day event.
Over the past two years, HARMAN and the 1,000 Dreams Fund have presented the #NewFaceofTech Challenge, a national scholarship program for young women aspiring to pursue careers in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math). Inspired by this initiative, Dinesh Paliwal, President and CEO of HARMAN, and his wife Ila decided to make a major personal commitment to the advancement of women in tech through the creation of a special program, the “Paliwal Club of 100.” In partnership with the 1,000 Dreams Fund, this grant will provide financial and resource pathways to support the education, research, and career aspirations of high-potential female students. Over the next five years, starting in 2019, 100 young women across the United States will receive $1,000 micro-grants to put toward their futures.
HARMAN is exceedingly proud of its women leaders, who work day in and day out to keep us at the forefront of innovation. One of these leaders, Dorothee de Backer, Product Marketing Director, Lifestyle Audio EMEA, was recently highlighted as one of the 2018 Women Worth Watching by Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching program. Dorothee was recognized for her work as the tech ambassador behind several groundbreaking capabilities in the quest for state-of-the-art personalized sound.
Jessica Garvey, Senior Vice President of Procurement, also received special recognition as Dealerscope included her among its 2018 class of Powerful Women in Consumer Technology. Jessica was chosen for her on-the-ground leadership and contribution to transforming the industry approach to Consumer Electronics product innovation.
With the longstanding conviction that diversity and gender balance not only foster a more creative, more dynamic, and more rewarding work environment, HARMAN makes a priority of increasing diversity and developing tomorrow’s female technology leaders. Anyone who is principled, respectful, brilliant, and bold has a place among us.