Architecting change: Gender bias and broader DEI challenges

Global, Jan 14, 2025

 

Dina Knight began her career in the 80s as a graduate trainee in IT services. Throughout her 35-year journey, she has specialised in HR within the technology industry, focusing on transformation and turnarounds in fast-paced environments.

Today, Dina Knight is the Chief People Officer of Logicalis, accountable for all aspects of Logicalis' and parent company Datatec's people operations strategy from the board level down. In her role, Dina ensures that diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) are a significant focus for the company, with a range of education and workplace initiatives around the globe.

In this article, Dina shares her personal and professional experience with gender bias, wider DEI industry challenges, and practical examples of how to architect change towards true inclusivity.

Have you experienced gender bias in your career and how has it impacted how you address DEI more generally within Logicalis?

Yes, I have experienced gender bias.  Being a woman and Asian in a male-dominated industry has been challenging, requiring me to often work much harder than male colleagues to achieve the same recognition. Plus, I've taken two maternity leaves during my career, so there have been challenges I've had to face.

These experiences shaped my commitment to workplace equality at Logicalis. We focus on mentorship, equitable policies and leadership development programmes to create a supportive culture for everyone. Our diversity statistics reflect this, showing high benchmarks for women in general and leadership positions.  It's a journey, but fostering an inclusive environment remains a key priority for our executive committee.

In what is still generally considered a male-dominated industry, do you feel any extra responsibility to ensure that you give due attention to gender bias and DEI overall? 

At Logicalis, creating a positive and uplifting culture has been a priority. As CPO, I champion this alongside my colleagues and executive team. We've developed our employee value proposition around three core commitments: Belong, Grow and Thrive.

These commitments apply to everyone, strongly emphasising DEI's efforts to reduce unconscious biases. Our company values are embedded in our policies, performance management systems, and objective setting, establishing the behaviours we expect from all employees.

Through these initiatives, we've created an inclusive, diverse environment that fosters positivity throughout the organisation.

Do you run specific initiatives for underrepresented groups in the workplace, or do you prefer addressing diversity through general company culture? Could special attention be counterproductive?

It's not necessarily about special treatment, but rather about being creative and creating an inclusive environment that embraces diversity. We've implemented several proactive initiatives globally. In South Africa, we've encouraged STEM focus in schools. Australia has introduced gender equality pledges and management training, while Germany runs women's empowerment programmes.

Our Global Inclusion Council (GIC) focuses on DEI and collaborates with other tech entities to share best practices and collaboratively drive initiatives. 

We've also launched well-being seminars, including mental health support, which employees have positively received.

At Logicalis, we maintain a strong focus on reducing bias and fostering equality. Through these various programmes and initiatives, we aim to create a positive culture and work towards genuine inclusivity across our organisation.

The percentage of women in IT globally is approximately 27%. Why do you think this statistic is still so low? And what is Logicalis doing to actively address this?

Women make up 50% of the UK workforce, but only 20-24% work in tech roles, which shows significant entry barriers. The gender pay gap persists, though employers are implementing transparency frameworks and policies to ensure equal opportunities, so we're seeing positive progress.

Regarding pre-industry entry, girls and women are underrepresented in STEM subjects throughout education. However, various initiatives are addressing this situation.

At Logicalis, we actively promote STEM education and collaborate with local universities to encourage women in tech. For instance, our Girls in Tech programme in Hong Kong supports secondary school female students in digital careers.

Similarly, in Latin America, we support young women in STEM and programming, including application development, mobile technology, and presentation techniques. These global programmes aim to build confidence and create an environment where young women feel recognised and empowered to learn and grow.

Regarding the IT industry's representation in media, the lack of visible female leadership, particularly among tech company CEOs, affects how young women and girls perceive their potential in the sector. While immediate leadership changes aren't feasible, increasing the visibility of female role models remains crucial for improving diversity.

One of the most significant challenges is the undervaluation of women in the sector, often stemming from unsupportive workplace cultures. As shared earlier, women frequently need to work harder than their male colleagues to progress. Our focus on diversity and employee value proposition aims to address these issues.

While finding role models in tech remains challenging, organisations can make progress by addressing unconscious bias and highlighting successful women leaders. It's crucial to implement supportive policies and frameworks, including, for example, provisions for menopause, to create an environment where individuals can thrive without feeling undervalued.

Final thoughts – how optimistic are you that the industry will continue to drive forward with DEI initiatives and keep shifting the dial?

I do feel optimistic about the future. It's a long journey, but progress is already underway. There is a lot more awareness around diversity and inclusion, companies are much more forward-looking, and overall support for diversity, equity, and inclusion remains strong.

Organisations must continue listening to key stakeholders' needs and expectations for the best chances of success. Some very good, helpful frameworks are in place that drive the right attention and focus, and I'm confident we will get there in time. 

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