Credit: Channel Asia / IDG
Registrations are now open to attend the new-look Women in ICT Awards (WIICTA), in what will be the largest celebration of female excellence within the technology channel across Southeast Asia.
Set for Thursday 5 August at 2pm SGT, this virtual event will honour a record-breaking 160 finalists (150 individuals and 10 companies) from a pool of more than 65 organisations and over 220 nominations, spanning partner, vendor and distributor businesses.
In addition to recognising both winners and finalists, this forum will also share findings from State of Gender Diversity in the Tech Channel - a new research initiative designed to examine D&I progress across Southeast Asia - backed by a series of Power CIO Talks from leading female IT executives ASEAN-wide.
As an independent voice of the market and a champion of D&I, attendance at WIICTA is open to all partners, vendors and distributors across the region - attendees are encouraged to extend the invite to wider teams, colleagues and business partners to help further acknowledge the achievements of a talented group of female front runners. To register - click here.
Celebrating female excellence
In reaching 160 finalists, this marks a significant expansion in reach, support and market appeal, out-pacing a best effort of over 90 finalists in 2020 to position WIICTA as the leading technology awards program for gender diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the Southeast Asian channel.
Reflective of a diverse technology network - and a thriving channel community - over 25 partner companies are in the spotlight, in addition to more than 30 vendors and four distributors.
Specific to partners, candidates range from large-scale consultancy giants and global system integrators (GSIs) to emerging and established start-ups in Jakarta, Bangkok, Manila and Singapore, alongside leading managed service providers, born-in-the-cloud players, specialist solution consultants and boutique digital agencies.
Aligned to the Channel Asia approach of representing established and emerging partners in equal measure, this was the year that WIICTA went mainstream in the local channel.
Within this standout group of finalists, female leaders are located across the entire region, spanning Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
All career stages are in the spotlight from graduate-level entrants to well-established CEOs, in addition to inspiring entrepreneurs, creative thinkers and technical experts, as well as talent rising through the ranks and consistent high-performing individuals. This is also supported by both individual and company champions of D&I initiatives.
Collectively, WIICTA in 2021 stands tall as the leading forum for setting the industry benchmark for female achievement across Southeast Asia.
Shaped by the feedback of more than 50 leading female technology executives, WIICTA - now in its third year of running - will honour the channel across eight categories, spanning Innovation, Technical, Entrepreneur, Graduate, Rising Star, Shining Star, Achievement and D&I Champion (Company and Individual) awards.
The winners will now be selected by an executive panel of more than 45 industry judges, acknowledging creativity, innovation and excellence.
Advancing women in tech
Channel Asia has celebrated gender diversity and recognised female excellence across the ASEAN channel since first launching WIICTA in 2019, acknowledging the achievements of a talented group of female front runners who have become influential figures across the local industry.
This has been further supported by State of Gender Diversity in the Tech Channel, a new research initiative designed to examine D&I progress across the technology channel.
Launched in May, this in-depth survey will focus on the three core pillars of D&I, spanning Tech Industry, Workplace and Personal Experience.
In an industry-first for the channel, research is open to female, male and other gender identities, welcoming submissions from CEO to graduate levels across all company sizes, industry segments and locations. Questions are designed to be fielded by participants across different age groups, cultural backgrounds and job functions - spanning management, sales, operations, technical and marketing roles - irrespective of industry tenure.
The aim is to independently and confidentially source a range of perspectives industry-wide, aligned to the collective goal of moving the conversation forward in relation to D&I within the channel.
Spearheaded by IDG’s leading channel brands across Asia Pacific - Channel Asia (Southeast Asia), ARN (Australia) and Reseller News (New Zealand) - data will be segmented based on location, company type and job function, covering the core issues of gender pay, career progression and company support among others.
The launch of State of Gender Diversity in the Tech Channel represents a landmark moment in the industry, with IDG - as the world’s leading tech media, data and marketing services company - becoming the first independent outlet to open such dedicated research in ASEAN. Findings will be presented during the upcoming virtual WIICTA event in August.
To register - click here
