SLASSCOM, IFC hold inaugural Women in Tech Conference 2023

Panel Discussion: Rising Above: Women Leaders navigating challenges 

Panel Discussion: Advancing Gender Parity and inclusivity through Technology

The Women in Tech Conference 2023, the first-of-its-kind event within the IT/BPM sector was held recently at the Shangri-La, Colombo, convened under the theme “Advancing Gender Parity and Inclusivity through Technology,” aligning with the global theme for International Women’s Day 2023. 

Organised by SLASSCOM in partnership with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and supported by the Japanese Government, the conference featured an impressive lineup of speakers, including corporate leaders, academics, startup founders and representatives from non-profits, who shared their insights on how technology can be leveraged to promote equity and inclusion in the workplace and digital spaces.

With an audience of members of the IT/BPM corporate sector, female technopreneurs, academics and representatives from like-minded chambers and associations, the conference aimed to inspire and motivate women in tech, representing businesses of all sizes, from startups to established corporations.  

The diverse lineup of local and global speakers included Asentic  founder Anna Kalm (Sweden), speaking on driving equity and change through technopreneurship, Piwot co-founder/CEO Cathrin Andersen Ødegård (Norway), who defined key moments from her 22-year career in tech, discussing how diversity played a central role. Disruptive Technologies - Direct Equity and VC Fund at IFC South Asia Head Ruchira Shukla (India) and Mint Pay co-founder/COO Urmila Chandrasekera, previous winner of the Emerging Women Technopreneur of the Year award at the SLASSCOM Ingenuity Awards, on taking risks and making sacrifices as a technopreneur.

The conference featured two engaging panel discussions that addressed gaps in the industry, including the lack of female talent and opportunities for technopreneurs in Sri Lanka. These insights were gained from the first-ever Women Technopreneur report published by the Women Technopreneurs Forum in collaboration with IFC.

The first panel discussion titled “Rising Above: Women Leaders Navigating Challenges” comprised of panelists Dialog Axiata COO Sandra De Zoysa, ADA Regional Head Sanjini Munaweera, University of Colombo Human Resource Management Chair Professor Arosha Adhikaram, Virtusa Corporation Senior Vice President and Facilities and Sustainability Global Head Denver De Zylva, and moderated by Fortude Global Employer Branding Head Cassandra Mascarenhas.

The second panel discussion on Advancing Gender Parity and Inclusivity through Technology included panelists 99x COO Shehani Seneviratne, Simcentric Director Haridhu Abeygoonaratne, University fo Moratuwa Senior lecturer Prof Visaka Nanayakkara, and Daraz Managing Director Rakhil Fernando. The discussion was moderated by Digiterina Head of Digital Consultancy Yusra Aziz. 

The conference also featured a discussion on SLASSCOM and IFC’s efforts to bridge the gender gap through tailor-made programs and opportunities, where two participants shared their journey and how they benefited from this support.

The event concluded with an interactive learning and engagement segment facilitated by Fortude, to help the audience reflect on the day’s learnings, followed by a raffle draw, facilitated by Ticket Gadget, where two lucky participants won return air tickets to Dubai. 

Conference partners included Daraz as the online shopping partner and sponsor, Fortude, the learning partner, Ticket Gadget, corporate travel partner, Emojot, live audience engagement partner and Articulate, the digital media partner.