Women Tech Leaders Championing Diversity, Equity, and Sustainability

In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape, diversity, equity, and sustainability are not just buzzwords but essential pillars of progress. These themes were at the forefront of a recent fireside chat featuring Alpna, Chairwoman and CEO of Stralynn Consulting Services, and Lisa Moorhead, SVP, Enterprise Applications at Sophos, a leading multinational cybersecurity company.

Lisa’s journey into the tech world is inspiring, marked by her early interest in criminal justice and a transition into IT. Raised in Silicon Valley with parents in the technology sector, Lisa was surrounded by strong leadership. Her mother, a senior technical leader at IBM, not only excelled technically but advocated for her team, balancing a demanding career while raising three children. This dynamic profoundly influenced Lisa’s leadership style. Today, she oversees enterprise applications at Sophos and is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive, diverse workforce.

Check out our Fireside chat with Lisa Moorhead here

Building Diverse and Inclusive Teams

One of the core themes discussed was the “intentionality of diversity”. As Lisa noted, building a diverse team is not accidental—it requires active effort. Reflecting on her career, Lisa shared how having strong leaders and mentors who championed diversity had shaped her own approach.

"Innovation follows diversity"

Lisa remarked, explaining how bringing together individuals with different perspectives fosters creativity and drives better outcomes. One example she shared from her time at GoPro was setting up leadership development programs designed to ensure equitable hiring practices. This included creating clear job descriptions and interview guides to ensure that every role was clearly defined, and the process was free from bias. These efforts helped GoPro expand its IT team year-over-year, building a diverse and capable workforce that still thrives today.

Beyond hiring, Lisa stressed the importance of inclusion: “It’s not enough to hire a diverse team; you have to make sure everyone feels heard and valued.” She shared how she fosters open communication within her teams, ensuring that quieter voices are given space to speak and contribute. Lisa's approach includes structured programs like women in tech and employee resource groups, which provide platforms for employees from diverse backgrounds to share their perspectives. By creating these spaces, organizations can drive innovation through collaboration.

Diversity and AI-Powered Transformation

In today’s digital world, diversity is also about leveraging different perspectives to navigate the challenges of AI-powered digital transformation. Lisa shared a personal story about using AI to manage the information overload she faces daily, especially as a busy parent. She created an automated workflow using AI to summarize lengthy newsletters from her children’s schools, ensuring she never missed an important update.

This simple, practical use case of AI demonstrates how technology can solve real-life problems, but as Lisa pointed out, “AI is exciting, but you have to start with the problem you’re trying to solve.” At Sophos, Lisa’s team is focused on using technology to improve operational efficiency, particularly around CRM and ERP systems, ensuring employees, partners, and customers are enabled through technology.

The conversation highlighted a critical aspect of AI-powered transformation—how different people in an organization react to it. Lisa discussed how change management plays a key role in adoption, noting that some teams may resist while others quickly embrace AI. She emphasized the need to communicate the benefits clearly and ensure that teams feel supported throughout the transformation.

Addressing Equity and Sustainability

While diversity is essential, equity ensures that opportunities and resources are fairly distributed across the workforce. Reflecting on her experience at Sophos and other organizations, Lisa discussed the importance of equitable hiring practices, performance management, and career progression. She believes that while progress has been made, there’s still work to do in ensuring that employees from all backgrounds have equal access to growth opportunities.

Lisa also touched on the increasing importance of sustainability, particularly in IT. “IT is fundamentally about scale,” Lisa noted, explaining that just as IT scales operational efficiency, it must also scale sustainably and inclusively. At Sophos, there is a strong emphasis on responsible growth, led by transparency and ethical leadership from the top down. In today’s tech world, sustainability initiatives are no longer optional but necessary for long-term success.

Lisa’s passion for responsibility in cybersecurity is another example of sustainability in action. She described how her team at Sophos is dedicated to making the digital world safer through cybersecurity, which aligns with the company’s commitment to being a responsible corporate citizen.

Final Thoughts: The Power of Diversity, Equity, and Sustainability

In closing, Lisa left the audience with a powerful takeaway: “As leaders, it’s all about the team. When you build a strong, diverse team, all the innovation, execution, and success follows.” The conversation served as a reminder that fostering diversity and inclusion is not only the right thing to do but also a driver of innovation, resilience, and sustainability.

For today’s tech leaders, championing diversity, equity, and sustainability is essential in creating a better future—for their teams, their organizations, and the world.