Seeing women in tech and the allies that support them come together each year at the Grace Hopper Celebration is powerful and inspiring. This year, we’re proud to send 180 LinkedIn employees and have 12 women speaking including software engineers, product managers and designers, as well as many of our male leaders, to the event.
As one of the leaders of our Women in Tech (WIT) program, I am constantly in awe of the women who are part of this group. WIT’s mission is to help give technical talent of all genders the opportunity to transform themselves, their careers, and our company. WIT is also focused on ensuring LinkedIn’s culture is always inclusive and engaging, and we wouldn’t be where we are without our strong support system of allies -- all of the people that back up what we do, both within LinkedIn and the broader community working to raise awareness for gender equality in tech.
Here’s how you can use LinkedIn to be an ally for women in tech at the Grace Hopper Celebration:
Check out what attendees and others are talking about related to GHC by searching #GHC17 on LinkedIn so that you can easily discover trending news and perspectives about the event and join the conversation -- even if you aren’t there. If you see something amazing, share it and amplify the voices of the women at GHC.
We have also created a custom LinkedIn video event filter for the speakers and attendees at GHC 2017, making it easy to identify who’s there. Look for a frame around the video, styled after the Grace Hopper event badge. Show your support by re-sharing, liking, and commenting on these videos.
And if you’re at GHC, tap on the video icon in the share box of the LinkedIn mobile app and opt-in to access the event filter and share your experience -- make sure to use #GHC17 in the description of your video so that others can find it! Share your excitement about being at the conference, personal stories about why you came and what you hope to learn, takeaways from sessions, or new friendships.
Grace Hopper is a great opportunity to come together to empower women in tech, so make sure to show your support and take action to inspire change. But the opportunity to be an ally does not begin and end at GHC. The WIT team at LinkedIn works year round on initiatives such as our successful Women in Tech High School Trainee Program, the WIT Invest program that focuses on accelerating the growth of women in Engineering and Product at LinkedIn, and the events we host to help women invest in their professional development. This month we once again partnered with TechWomen and hosted 100 emerging leaders from around the world in our San Francisco office for a day of professional panels and fireside chats with LinkedIn executives. It was a fun, high energy day of sharing ideas and learning from each other. Check out one of the highlights, and consider getting involved as a mentor.
You too can be an ally to women in tech by listening and taking part in the dialogue, as well as volunteering with organizations like Girls Who Code and Hackbright Academy. We deeply appreciate the ongoing support from our strong group of allies, and hope you’ll take the time to support women in tech this week and always.