Athena Unveils New Product Launch with its DEI Playbook
Several hundred scientists and technologists across the STEM community convened LIVE at Qualcomm campus while viewers around the globe joined virtually for Athena's 2nd Annual Lifting While Climbing Summit on October 26. As employees, investors, and customers all demand transparency on the way business treats its people, companies that struggle to implement diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) workforce strategies are dramatically disadvantaged in the war on talent and investment, by those that do.
Athena’s Annual Lifting While Climbing (LWC) Summit serves as a showcase of STEM leaders that are positioning this region as a destination for diversity. "Not only did these executives open source their DEI journey on stage but they transferred their company's best practices into Athena’s DEI Playbook for the STEM Industry, ” said Holly Smithson, Athena CEO.
At the forefront of every historic journey are leaders with a shared vision, a sense of urgency, and clear time horizons. The founding member companies of Athena’s LWC Summit understand this journey is not about the peak, it’s the trajectory. Executives from aTyr, Encore Capital Group, Mitchell, PWC, Qualcomm, SDGE, & Tandem Diabetes Care published their DEI best practices inside Athena's DEI Playbook as they illustrate their commitment to lifting while climbing.
"I’m not interested in an award for diversity, I’m here to help create a world where DEI is a central part of our DNA,” said Sanjay Shukla, CEO at aTyr Pharmaceutical.
"Philosophically, Athena’s always been about building in the open, preferring to showcase the progress made, while attempting to crack the code on remaining workforce challenges," Holly Smithson, Athena CEO continued, "and we know the change agents that make diversity a strategic priority are indispensable for a company’s long-term success.”
“The stakes have never been higher for Encore Capital Group, as we further an inclusive and collaborative culture where DEI is embedded in our work,” said Tracy Ting, SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer, Encore Capital Group. “As our DEI actions become part of our broader company story; they become part of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) journey and our relationship with the world around us.”
Through ESG compliance, public companies must now tell a clear story of who they are and where they need to be in the areas of DEI and overall corporate sustainability. This LWC “collabetition” among these STEM partners reveals a lot about how these companies value women and how tethered diversity is to innovation.