Press Release: "Discover, Share, Empower. In Milan, the talk event organized by Women & Tech - Association of Women and Technologies"

“Discover, Share, Empower”
The talk-event in Milan
organized by Women&Tech-Association Women and Technologies

Skills, experiences, and drives for innovation
to share with the female world eager to grow

Milan, 13.3.2017 - On March 10th, in Milan, the talk-event titled "Discover, Share, Empower" was held, organized by Wome&Tech - Women and Technology Association, to share the theme chosen by the Women's Committee of the European Parliament for 2017: "Female economic empowerment: let's act together!". The event was part of the series of events "Europe is for women", promoted by the Information Office in Milan of the European Parliament.

The works were introduced by Bruno Marasà, Director of the Information Office in Milan of the European Parliament and were carried out thanks to the collaboration of Marinella Loddo, Director of the Milan Office of ICE.

Since its inception, the Women and Technologies Association, founded by Gianna Martinengo and chaired by Maria Luisa Nolli, has been closely following the evolution of gender issues, including reference to female leadership styles, the 16% gender pay gap in Europe, and representation in top positions or institutions.

The professionals present at the talk-event not only shared their experience, but also proposed a different vision of the role of women, as bearers of complementary values (compared to those associated with the male managerial world) and capable of observing reality with an innovative sensitivity.

"What we aim for, not only for women, but to benefit society as a whole" - explained the moderator Gianna Martinengo - is to reach a SteAm vision and no longer just a Stem vision of reality and studies, in which Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics are complemented and enriched by the Humanities, those which in Anglo-Saxon language are defined as Arts".

The format of the talk-event has encouraged numerous interventions from the audience, composed of over 100 people; the event was also followed on social media thanks to the updates on Facebook and Twitter.

These are, in summary, the themes addressed by the protagonists of the day:

Maria Ameli , Wealth Manager at Ersel Sim , shared how her company is supporting start-ups led by young women and how finance is essential to support the birth of entrepreneurial ideas that can address the sustainability of the planet in a broader sense, also trying to overcome the current gender gap in start-ups, which currently sees a male presence imbalance of 8 to 1.

Paola Cavallero, Marketing & Operations Director of Microsoft Italy, explained how humanistic knowledge must go hand in hand with technological knowledge, especially nowadays, when the world no longer separates physical reality from digital reality (and where, for example, even those who work in software development must make ethical choices regarding the use of the solutions they are implementing).

Roberta Cocco, Councilor for Digital Transformation and Civic Services of the City of Milan, has always been involved in women and female empowerment. The role she currently holds allows her to focus particularly on digital skills and to emphasize how essential they are for women's profession and life. For this purpose, the City of Milan has created the #STEMintheCity project, which includes events throughout the month of April dedicated to digital education for girls and women.

Manuela Lavezzari, Marketing Director EMEA at Lenovo, brought the experience of her company, which does not engage in so-called "pink washing" (facade operations), but instead is committed to diversity (including cultural diversity) at the core of its projects and products, also implementing mentoring programs and focus groups specifically dedicated to women.

Alessandra Perrazzelli , Country Manager of Barclays and member of the Board of Directors of ATM , emphasized the concept of social innovation brought by her institution in the Italian context. The reference is to projects that support those (disadvantaged groups, new citizens) who have a difficult relationship with technology – such as the WWW project, Women Web Works, dedicated to women looking for employment or looking to improve their skills – or those that help immigrants start a business in Italy (like Migrant Trainer, in collaboration with the Sunugal association).

Patrizia Toia, Vice President of the ITRE Committee for Industry, Research and Energy of the European Parliament, questioned those present on the theme of smart cities, wondering if this evolution is also associated with the change of citizens into "smart people". She also emphasized the commitment of European institutions - through actions and political pressure - towards gender issues, expanded to various areas (from the presence of girls in scientific studies to overcoming the difference in pension treatment between women and men, still present in Europe).

The talk-event also, with the support of all the participants and the audience in the room, synthesized the "soft skills" that belong to female leadership: the ability to accept mistakes (and therefore project towards change), multidisciplinarity, multitasking, creativity, lateral thinking, mediation skills, empathy, determination, networking skills. Above all, passion, generosity, positive lightness, and a strong sense of solidarity.

Women&Tech- Women and Technology Association was founded in 2009 from an idea by Gianna Martinengo and was shared by a network of companies and individuals who provide their expertise to achieve its mission: to enhance female talent in technology, innovation, and scientific research, promote projects and actions aimed at combating stereotypes and gender discrimination, contribute to guiding young people towards future careers and sustainable entrepreneurial models.

The Association promotes the sharing and exchange of experiences and skills in the fields of technology, social innovation, sustainability, inclusion, human capital, skills, life science, art, culture, creativity, gender gap, and diversity. The tools it adopts range from project and event management, to Awards, Future Camp Europe, Talk Events, to the dissemination of knowledge through the Expo Women Global Forum portal, http://www.ewgf.eu .

For further information: www.womentech.eu

Contacts
info@womentechnologies.org
Tel. 02 3051 6019