IBC2022: True gender equality in media tech on the rise

Sunday morning on the IBC Conference stage saw three companies discuss how they have piloted Strive to Rise, a new formal recognition programme for media technology companies working towards gender equality.

Rise is an award-winning global advocacy membership organisation supporting gender diversity across the media technology sector.

“It’s become so important and a big part of how we want to grow and present the image of our business,” said Dushi Thangarajah, Senior Vice President Localisation Fulfilment & PMO at Deluxe. “Participating in the pilot raised a lot of questions about our methods for recruiting a more diverse workforce, like how we advertise jobs and train and develop our people.”

Thangarajah added that having access to the practical tips, tools, consultation and advice that Strive to Rise provides has been incredibly insightful for the business.

“When you have boardrooms with diverse people working together, you come up with better ideas and more ways of collaborating,” she said. “It’s really helped us to take the right steps towards making a bigger impact.”

Head of Broadcast Solutions at Disguise, Niki Whittle said that the programme has allowed the company to think more deeply about, and standardise, the language it uses in its marketing and recruitment efforts.

“We’ve been going through rapid growth and as you grow, diversity becomes more important,” remarked Simon Eldridge, Chief Product Officer at SDVI Corporation. “It’s a journey and an evolution, and so seeing what other people are doing and understanding what the best practices are just helps us get better.

“Anything that companies can do to show that they care about this is good. Hopefully businesses will start looking at others who have been through the process and it puts some pressure on them to do the same.”

Strive to Rise is set for a formal launch in Autumn 2022. IBC