Diversity & Inclusion

Whirlpool Corp. was recently recognized as one of Seramount’s 2022 Best Companies for Multicultural Women. This award recognizes companies that create and use the best hiring practices while retaining and promoting multicultural women in the United States.

“Inclusion and Diversity is a core value at Whirlpool Corporation because we know that drawing from diverse points of view improves our products, services, our teams, and each other,” said Sr. Director of Inclusion and Diversity and Global Learning Kim Kavala. “We recognize we are on an ongoing journey and we are committed to bold goals and meaningful action to cultivate an even stronger inclusive and diverse workplace, as well as in the communities where we work and live. Inclusion creates a culture of belonging, diversity makes us better.”

With 80 companies on the list, the 2022 Seramount report found that there has been significant progress over past years in regards to diversity. Multicultural Women now represent 24 percent of the workforce and are continuing to grow. Progress at the managerial levels is attributed to upticks in programs and policies in recognizing ERG leadership, formal sponsorship, succession planning, and accountability.

This year’s Best Companies for Multicultural Women employ about 2 million people at 37,000 work sites in every state across 16 industries. The survey for this year continued to assess progress for women by specific racial/ethnic groups as well as factors influencing that progress, including mental-health and anti-racism progress and mentoring and sponsorship participation.

The application for Best Companies for Multicultural Women includes more than 500 questions on representation; hiring, attrition, and promotion rates; recruitment, retention, and advancement programs; and company culture. Seramounts scoring algorithm is based on the previous year’s benchmark results, which then determine the winners.

Rewriting the Code (RTC) and Last Mile Education Fund released the RTC Women in Tech Fund, a $1.5M collaborative fund that will invest in degree completion for undergraduate women in computing facing financial obstacles to graduation.

Funds are awarded to female-identifying college undergraduates within four semesters of completing a computing-related degree. Though enrollment in computing degree programs is growing, many students don’t make it over the finish line to graduation. Nationally, less than 20% of students from the bottom two income quartiles earn a degree within six years of starting college, and financial obstacles are often the cause.

“It’s a critical period where traditional financial aid and scholarships dwindle or run out alongside growing costs associated with adult independence,” Sue Harnett, founder and president of Rewriting the Code, said. “What many consider minor trip-ups—a dying computer or broken-down car—can completely pull low-income, often marginalized students out of a degree program.”

In addition to unforeseen crises and basic living expenses like bills, groceries, housing, and transportation, low-income students in computing often can’t afford to participate in critical resume- and skill-building activities like clubs, conferences, hack-a-thons, and even paid internships that require an upfront investment in relocation.

The fund will provide rapid-turnaround mini-grants to address urgent needs, and larger grants to cover catastrophic events, access to opportunities, and tuition shortfalls. Applications are open now to members of Rewriting the Code.

Isha Brown is an RTC member who received a grant from Last Mile in March. She said the impact of someone believing in her future as a female technologist is significant.

“Their generous grant covered my housing costs for the Spring semester, allowing me to focus on my studies. I was able to carry a full course load so I can graduate later this year with a degree in software development!” she said. “As a first-generation college student, I never imagined I would get this far! Learning to code and having the privilege of education has changed my life.”

Last Mile’s first-of-its-kind approach, launched in late 2019, has garnered attention from media outlets like CNBC, Forbes, Reuters, and TechCrunch. The RTC Women in Tech Fund, seeded with an initial $1.5 million from Goldman Sachs, joins a portfolio of Last Mile partners and investors that includes Microsoft, philanthropist Ken Griffin, Capital One, SAP, AnitaB.org, CodePath, and Breakthrough Tech, among others.

“What we’re doing isn’t charity. It fills the half-million-engineer gap and creates gender and cultural diversity that we know drives innovation,” Ruthe Farmer, CEO and founder of Last Mile, said.  “An investment in the last mile of a student’s journey to a technical degree is an extremely light lift that profoundly accelerates their ability to become high-earning, economy-building technologists,” she added. “It’s the difference between having more technical assets in the workforce and not having them. Right now, we need them more than ever.”

Last Mile Education Fund has set an ambitious goal to invest $60M in 30,000 striving tech and engineering students over the next decade. That number is estimated to produce more than $2.5Bn in wages, increase social mobility for low-income students and their families, and address the talent and diversity crises in tech.

Read more at rewritingthecode.org/women-in-tech-fund.

Burberry and global esports organization, Gen.G, announce the launch of a four-part educational content series to champion women and the importance of inclusivity within gaming as part of Gen.G’s “NetWORK: Inspire” program.

The partnership marks Burberry’s first foray into the world of esports and builds on both Burberry and Gen.G’s commitment to helping underrepresented communities gain valuable skills and insights that will empower them to go beyond.

Hosted by entrepreneur and content creator, Emily Ghoul, the series features women in gaming, content creators and influencers from across the industry, alongside members of the Burberry team. Each episode features an open discussion about the common challenges facing women within gaming, including toxic online environments, stereotyping and underrepresentation.

According to a Global Gaming Gender Balance Scorecard released by Forbes in 2020, almost half of all gamers are women, however the vast majority of executive positions in the gaming industry are held by men. With the hope of highlighting the underrepresentation of women in leadership within the industry, the series aims to reframe the ‘play to win’ narrative of esports into one that is actively promoting inclusion and change within the gaming community.

With the first episode launching tomorrow, and the remainder being released every two weeks following, the series will be available on Burberry’s website, TikTok, YouTube, and livestreaming platform, Twitch, to the following schedule:

• Episode 1 – My Platform is My Power – featuring Gen.G influencer and variety streamer, Krysta “Krystalogy” Eason, Founder of @Enlightgg, Eunice Chen, and Burberry’s Vice President of Brand Protection, Melissa Roth Mendez, this episode unpacks the idea that platforms have unmatched power in creating real change for the future and discusses the women that are already driving this change.
  
  
• Episode 2 – The I in Imagination – featuring Gen. G and Logitech content creator, Jessica Kim, singer and Twitch streamer, Stephanie Poetri, and Burberry Senior CAD Manager, Lucy Goodyear, this episode will explore how we can use our creativity as a force for good, to inspire women online and to encourage self- expression.
  
  
• Episode 3 – Voices and Choices for Change – featuring Netflix TV personality and Twitch streamer, Jacki Jing, YouTuber and esports commentator, Evan “Raynday” Raynr, and voice actor, gaming creator and former KPop singer, Shannon Williams, this episode turns up the volume on the importance of championing women within all spaces and discusses how they use their voice to inspire advocacy as well as the role men can play in allyship.
  
  
• Episode 4 – Supercharging Self-Care – featuring Gen.G content creator, Gloria “Ploo” Shin, Founder and President of Latinx in Gaming, Cristina Amaya, and Burberry Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, Geoffrey Williams, the final episode will focus on the importance of self-care, mental health and how to evade the pitfall of burnout.

In addition to the series, Burberry will be donating to the Gen.G Foundation Scholarship. The Gen.G Foundation aims to develop talented young gamers with the potential to lead the industry’s next generation, whilst promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion. Burberry will select a scholarship recipient that champions these values through their work and demonstrates a commitment to empowering underrepresented communities within the gaming industry and beyond. The chosen recipient will be notified in September 2022, with the scholarship funds being shared directly with their selected college or university.

Rachel Waller, Global VP of Channel Innovation at Burberry said: ‘We are so proud to partner with Gen.G and to support the next generation of women within gaming to go beyond. Through our programming and scholarship, we hope to equip young leaders with the skills they need to succeed and achieve their aspirations.’

‘It’s an honour to collaborate with an iconic brand like Burberry on NetWORK: Inspire. They share Gen.G’s vision of celebrating and empowering underrepresented voices in the gaming space and beyond,’ said Gina Chung Lee, Chief Marketing Officer at Gen.G. ‘We envision a community of creatives that is inclusive and diverse; we hope this content series inspires fans in gaming, fashion, and music alike.’