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It is important to have a common arena for women in the company, and to increase the focus on women in technology.
With over 8,000 members spanning companies in different industries, the ODA Network has been working to improve diversity in tech since 2005. Some of the women in the GSGroup recently participated in the Oda Inspiration Day 2023. It was a success, and now Head of Marketing at GSGroup, Anne Melsom Bjerke, is volunteering in the Oda network.
– It is great to have this opportunity. I hope my expertise can contribute to a good Inspiration Day 2024 in cooperation with a well-established team. After the first meetings with the volunteers, I am impressed by the work done and I am proud to have the opportunity to be involved,” says Melsom Bjerke.
CFO and COO of GSGroup Magnhild Agerup Faxvaag argues that participation in ODA Day holds significant value for the company for several reasons.
– It engages female employees, builds networks and raises awareness about increasing the number of women in tech. For ud, it’s important to have a common arena for the women in the company and this is a very good initiative for us to participate in,” says Agerup-Faxvaag.
The ODA network is non-profit. It is powered by volunteer work from women in tech – for women in tech. Diversity is a global issue, which is also recognized in the UN Millennium Development Goals, the Oda network writes on its website. Oda Inspiration Day 2023 brought together around 1400 participants, with Elin Hauge, Jeremy White, Sophia Adampour and Marit Strømøy among those taking the stage.
Personal growth and business advantage
– The fact that our employees choose to spend their free time volunteering is always positive. In this case, our Head of Marketing, Fleet and Asset Tracking, Anne Melsom Bjerke, shows the way with voluntary work, where personal growth also becomes a company benefit,” says CEO of GSGroup, Espen Ranvik.
Ranvik emphasizes that it is through collaboration that change occurs, and concrete goals have been set for the coming years.
– A balance between women and men in the workplace strengthens dynamics. Here, we acknowledge that we have room for improvement and commit to a more inclusive future,” says Ranvik.
– At a time when digital transformation and technology offer unprecedented opportunities to solve some of the biggest challenges of our time, but also contribute to increased risk, diversity is crucial for the development of society, the Oda network writes on its website. When asked why such initiatives are important, Agerup-Faxvaag says this.
This is indicative of our focus and commitment to promoting more women in technology. We are interested in this contributing to highlighting our commitment to women in tech and hopefully, in the long run, increasing the proportion of women within the company and in technology in general.
Since 2016, the ODA network has measured the share of women in ICT in Norway, in collaboration with Kantar TNS. Although they have seen an increase from 17% to 29% in 2019, this is far from their target of 40%. Both in general in ICT, but also in top management, Oda adds
