By : Bakinam Khaled

IDC is delighted to announce a new series of virtual events that aim to celebrate the growing role that women are playing in advancing the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) technology landscape.

The inaugural IDC Women Transforming Technology Summit series will run under the theme 'Educate, Engage, and Empower' and promises to be memorable, empowering, and inspiring, with exclusive insights from some of the region’s foremost female ministers, CIOs, CEOs, regulators, executives, and industry leaders.

With a focus on diversity and inclusion (D&I), the event series will incorporate a CEO panel discussion titled 'A View of D&I Strategy from the Top', in addition to technology-focused sessions on topics such as 'The Future of Digital Infrastructure' and 'The Evolution of Cloud Technologies'. Other sessions will include 'Women: Building the Future of Digital', 'What Does Diversity Have to Do with Digital Transformation?', and 'Rising to the Challenge: Why This is a Good Time for Women to Act'.

"Globally, numerous women have assumed leadership positions in the technology industry with great success, confirming the belief that diverse organizations perform better, hire better talent, have more engaged employees, and retain workers better than those that do not focus on D&I," says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC's group vice president and managing director for the META region. " At IDC, we are committed to setting new benchmarks for the industry, and through the IDC Women Transforming Technology Summit we aim to provide a platform that will help accelerate the implementation of D&I best practices across the region."

To this end, the events will showcase insights from the region's most inspirational female tech pioneers as they detail their own journeys and the invaluable contributions they have made to their organizations. Hosted on a fully immersive and interactive virtual platform, the IDC Women Transforming Technology Summit series will present an unrivaled opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking among participants.

Each event will also play host to regionalized editions of the 'IDC Women Transforming Technology Summit Awards 2021'. With categories including 'CEO Catalysts of the Year', 'Rising Stars of the Year', 'CIO Pioneers of the Year', and 'Digital Transformation Leaders of the Year', the awards will recognize the efforts of female tech leaders who have not only positively impacted business outcomes, work cultures, and levels of innovation but also successfully promoted gender diversity and mentorship programs within their organizations.