Women are making big strides in the workforce in 2020, yet they face big challenges going forward.  A U.S. Labor Department’s report in December showed that women make up the majority of the workforce at 50.04%.  Yet, even with the mass number of women in the workforce, the percentage of executive-level roles held by women remains relatively low. Only 6% of the Fortune 500 have women as CEOs and only 2% or 60 of the Russell 3000 companies (the 3,000 largest companies domiciled in the U.S. and U.S. territories) have a board made up of at least 50% women according to Equilar.

Nobody would argue that those percentages aren’t low, but they are up from what it was just a few years ago. Change, although slow, is happening as reflected in the increase seen for the past nine consecutive quarters in the Equilar Gender Diversity Index (GDI), a quarterly update of female directors in the Russell 3000. Additionally, according to the Women in Workplace 2019 report by McKinsey & Company and Lean In, more companies have higher numbers of female C-level executives than in previous years.

Though the numbers are improving, the question remains, how do we help our organizations create a culture of inclusion and diversity.

As VP of Human Capital Management Innovation at Ultimate Software, Cecile Alper-Leroux is focused on the delivery of advanced, people-centric HCM technology-based solutions and services. She is a frequent speaker on a wide range of global industry trends and topics. Presenting at the HR Technology Conference, October 1 - 4 in Las Vegas, she will participate in the presentation New Technologies to Manage Workplace Diversity. In addition to hearing her at the industry’s leading independent event for 20+ years, Cecile’s latest thinking can be found in her book titled “From Dissonance to Resonance: Bringing Your People and Organization Into Sync.” We’re delighted to share excerpts from our conversation with her.

Lisa Rowan is Research Vice President for IDC responsible for global research on human capital and talent management software and services. Her research addresses developments in human capital and talent management applications, human resources consulting, and HR outsourcing services. Prior to joining IDC, Lisa held business development, product management and marketing positions in the human resource software and services markets. She holds an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University.

Here at the HR Technology Conference, the first half of the first day was dedicated to the Women in HR Technology conference. First of all, I greatly appreciate the fact that the role of women in technology was highlighted - not just from an end-user perspective, but from the leadership in creating and driving the innovation of the technology. I also appreciated seeing so many men attending sessions. Highlighting women doesn’t mean exclusion of men - it means raising everyone’s awareness, and it takes all of us to be more inclusive.

Cecile Alper-Leroux is the VP of Human Capital Management (HCM) Innovation at Ultimate Software and an internationally sought speaker, thought leader, and visionary on HCM trends, hot topics, and global strategies. An economic anthropologist with more than 20 years of experience worldwide, Cecile has dedicated her life to helping companies design experiences that enable all people to achieve highly purposeful and productive jobs. She is passionate about the extraordinary transformation of the work environment and the vastly more human-centered ways of building meaningful careers. A recognized voice in the HCM industry, Cecile has been featured in Forbes, HuffPost, HR Magazine, HRD Canada TV, and The Wall Street Journal.

Kristy Wallace is the President at Ellevate Network, and is responsible for executing Ellevate Network’s mission to close the gender achievement gap in business by providing professional women with a global community to lean on and learn from. She directs the Network’s staff, is responsible for business growth and strategy, and works closely with Ellevate's Chapter Leaders, Business Partners, and Champions to further Ellevate's impact. Kristy obtained her BA in English/Sociology from Villanova University and began her career as a financial analyst at KeyBank.

Katharine Mobley is an award-winning marketer who is blazing a trail for the next generation of women in technology. With over 20 years’ experience in her field, she has witnessed drastic changes in marketing and advertising and the impact they’ve had on technology companies. She is a highly regarded marketing maven, as well as a self-proclaimed data geek and social media addict. Prior to joining First Advantage as Global CMO, she served as CMO at Crescerance and WeCareCard Mastercard®. Earlier in her career, she managed brands such as Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Michelin and Dodge Automotive for global agencies: BBDO, Millward Brown and Allison+Partners. Katharine is a proud graduate of The University of Georgia with a BA in Marketing from the Terry College of Business (1998). She resides in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two sons.

Tracie Sponenberg SHRM-SCP, SPHR is SVP, HR for The Granite Group, a full-service wholesale distributor of plumbing, heating, cooling, water and propane supplies based in Concord, NH. Responsible for leading all HR functions for 34 locations and nearly 500 employees, throughout New England, she has gained a broad HR background across a wide range of industries in more than 20 years in HR, with much of her career focused on working with CEOs to develop strategic people strategies to help the organizations grow. She began her career in HR while in college, interning with a global public transportation company but found she could have the most impact on the business in smaller, private companies. Tracie has a BA in Psychology from Holy Cross, and a MA in Human Resources from Framingham State University. She is SPHR and SHRM-SCP certified, teaches the SHRM certification course at SNHU, is a member of the SHRM Special Expertise Panel and is Co-Organizer of DisruptHR NH.

Stephanie Lampkin, TEDx speaker and former downhill ski racer, has graced the cover of The Atlantic, MIT Tech Review 35 under 35 and Forbes to name a few. She is the founder & CEO of Blendoor, enterprise software that mitigates unconscious bias in hiring. Stephanie has had a 15 year career in the tech industry founding two startups and working in technical roles at Lockheed, Microsoft, and TripAdvisor. Stephanie holds a BS in Management Science & Engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from MIT. Born in SE Washington, DC to a homeless single mother that battled a drug addiction, Stephanie has seen the world through many lenses and experienced being over-marginalized and underestimated. These experiences have given her insights that she now uses to promote technology that levels playing fields and helps us see people better.