Technovisionaries® 2018: "Being Digital" - Creativity, Innovation, Technology. The award to ten talented women capable of transforming the future.

Revelations of talent, wit, genius, intelligence, creativity, resourcefulness, flair, imagination, intuition, inspiration, inventiveness. It is women who invent the future.

Milano, May 12, 2018 - 'Being Digital' - Creativity, Innovation, Technology , this is the theme that distinguishes the XII edition of the International Tecnovisionarie® Award, promoted by Women&Technologies® - Women and Technologies Association - awarded every year to women who, in their professional activities, have demonstrated vision, prioritizing social impact, transparency in behavior, and ethics.

Female empowerment, or the role of women in contemporary society of innovation and technology, is increasingly identified today in the search for equality between men and women, as the best way to discover talents and increase the capacity for growth and progress, essential for looking towards the future.

If progress is recognized in the field of education, where Italian women between the ages of 25-64 with a secondary education degree are 4% higher than men, the dropout rate is 5% lower, and the gender gap among STEM graduates (technical-scientific disciplines) is in line with the EU average, the same result is not evident when looking at the labor market. Although Italy reached a record value at the beginning of the year in the female employment rate (49.3%), the inactive women still remain at 51%, compared to a European average of 34%.

Education and training represent the true social engine along with a vision of cultural innovation that must necessarily involve the inclusion of diversity. International studies (International Monetary Fund) have shown that women's empowerment can not only help reduce inequalities, but also stimulate growth with significant macroeconomic benefits in terms of Gross Domestic Product.

"The Technovisionarie award, now in its twelfth edition, aims to represent an important piece of cultural change: to reward merit, because by rewarding female merit, we reward those women whose contribution to economic, scientific, cultural, and social progress is essential to the country's growth. They are the 'Technovisionaries' in the fields of research, innovation, business, media, and culture." - states Gianna Martinengo, founder of Women&Tech - "Supporting talent in its most ambitious and independent form means encouraging young women, but more generally also young people, to promote ideas, projects, and professionalism that will help to build and shape the future and society of tomorrow."

Chosen by a prestigious jury composed of qualified representatives from the thematic areas of the different competition categories, here are the ten Technovisionaries 2018 who will be awarded the prize at the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, on May 21st in Milan: ^[1]

• Digital Communities Category – Vania and Jessica Alessi , Founders of Secretary.it
• Category Cultural and Ethical Sustainability – Laura Biancalani , General Director, Andrea Bocelli Foundation
• Robotics Category – Maria Chiara Carrozza , Professor of Biorobotics, Area Leader of Neuro-Robotics – The Biorobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
• Video Games Category – Elisa Di Lorenzo , Co-founder & CEO, Untold Games
• Business Category 4.0 – Arianna Fontana , President of Confartigianato Imprese, Milano
• Fintech Category – Doris Messina , Open Banking Director, Banca Sella Group
• Digital Customer Experience Category - Paola Corna Pellegrini , CEO Allianz Worldwide Partners
• Media Category – Sarah Varetto , Director of Sky TG24
• Special Award PA - Roberta Cocco, Councillor for Digital Transformation and Civic Services, Municipality of Milan
• Special Europe Award - Mariya Gabriel, Digital Economy and Society Commissioner, European Commission

"In the era of digitalization and artificial intelligence, new technologies constitute a fundamental lever to allow women to enter and remain in the workforce through new organizational models, such as smart working, co-working, which allow for a greater balance in their personal and professional lives. The special awards to two representatives and protagonists of innovation and digital transformation, Mariya Gabriel of the European Commission and Roberta Cocco of the Municipality of Milan, aim to be a tangible testimony of the importance of investing in women, in their potential at a time when the world is seeking sustainability, growth, and equity. These are the goals we set for ourselves every day with our Association, a well-established reality but above all a vast network that intersects and allows the sharing of knowledge and experiences of many people who have chosen to be part of it because they believe in our values", concludes Maria Luisa Nolli , President Women&Tech - Women and Technology Association.

The Tecnovisionarie will receive a canvas from the ANITÀ collection, created specifically for the award and dedicated to women who have been able to combine "heart and invention" achieving prestigious milestones in service of others.

Appointment for the Award Ceremony on May 21, 2018 - National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci, Milan - at 7:00 PM (by invitation only).

The international prize Tecnovisionarie® is promoted by Women&Tech - Association for Women and Technologies , founded by Gianna Martinengo to enhance female talent in technology, innovation, and scientific research, to promote projects and actions aimed at fighting stereotypes and gender discrimination, and to contribute to guiding young people towards future professions and sustainable entrepreneurial models ( www.womentech.eu ).

For information:

Press office Tecnovisionarie: pressoffice@womentech.org – tel. 0230516019
Women&Tech - Association Women and Technologies: secretary@womentech.org – 0230516019