Dreaming big with women in technology

Women in Tech (WiT) Finland arranged its main event for the network, biannual face-to-face forum in October. As a representative of Vaisala, I was very excited to take part in the event which took place in Helsinki. This year’s topic Achieving gender equality and inclusion in tech was clearly to the point for the partnering organizations, as the event was sold out a way ahead. 

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The event itself served a great opportunity to meet highly talented and inspiring people from other technology companies and to share thoughts and opinions on the shared challenges, and opportunities.  

As a first timer attending WiT Forum, I felt empowered by the attendees’ enthusiasm. The two keynote speaker’s presentations resonated especially well with my own thoughts. 

With an extensive background in the ICT industry, Mervi Airaksinen, Managing Director, Microsoft Finland, is a big believer of life-long learning. In her keynote, Mervi introduced a super relevant topic on how to build innovative future in the Finnish tech scene. Mervi’s keynote was full of hope and it highlighted technology’s role as a great equalizer. It also addressed the current situation we are facing in the technology industry: We need around 130 000 new experts over the next 10 years to keep the wheels rolling! Mervi also emphasized that we need a more inclusive world to get more talented women and diversity in leadership positions. Her number one tip for the audience was ‘Dream big’.

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CEO & Co-founder of Gubbe Sandra Lounamaa held another powerful and emotional keynote, with the notions of ‘Saying it out loud’, ‘Endless optimism’, We only live once’, and ’Seeing the big picture’. Sharing personal insights was touching the whole audience. Sandra summed up her presentation courageously with the message: ‘Think bigger’.

The key messages from the two presentations are nicely in line: Dream big, think bigger. These themes resonate well with Vaisala, a measurement technology company and a pioneer of its own field, stemming all the way back from the 1930s when an innovator named Vilho Väisälä created the basics for a radiosonde. Inspired by creating new, driven by curiosity, he dared to dream big and think bigger. Today, Vaisala is a global leader in measurement technology, and is still driven by curiosity and innovation. 

Diverse is a fact.
Equity is a choice.
Inclusion is an action.
Belonging is an outcome.
Arthur Chan

Innovating continuously something new and groundbreaking may sound simple. But is it? It can be so when you have the right combo of talent in the house. When considering today's world, and furthermore the requirements for tomorrow, we need to be open and willing to embrace the vibrant variety of talents. Exclusion is never the answer. 

That’s also the key driver for Vaisala to be part of the Women in Tech community: WiT aims to encourage and support women and promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in field of technology. This shared mindset is one of the many traits of Vaisala that makes me a proud representative of my organization.

About Women in Tech Finland

Women in Tech Finland aims to encourage women and promote the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in technology. 

About Vaisala

At Vaisala, we rely on our courage, curiosity, and world-class expertise to stay ahead, and make a difference. Committed to being a great place to grow for brilliant minds from diverse backgrounds, we work together to build an inclusive community where everyone is welcomed as they are. Our trust-based culture is the home for purpose-driven people who are inspired by our shared values, innovations, and impact for a better and sustainable world.

Author

Name: Kristiina Palmu
Role: Talent Acquisition Partner
Joined Vaisala: March 2022
A 360° talent acquisition professional with a passion for modern recruiting, employer branding and constantly better work life. I value diversity of our organization as well as our work towards making us more inclusive so that every person can come as they are and have a feeling of belonging and equal opportunities.

Pictures copyright Women in tech Finland