BDT Director Doreen Bogdan-Martin delivered a keynote speech to the 3rd Women's Enablement Summit in ICT Sector, organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Summit's objectives included: enhancing women's participation in the ICT sector, stimulating innovation and women's entrepreneurship, and empowering women's leadership in the sector. Participants reviewed best practices and shared success stories through dialogue sessions and workshops.
In an inspirational address, Ms Bogdan-Martin shared experiences from the personal journey that enabled her to become a successful woman in technology. Having been intrigued by science and technology from a young age, and with the support and motivation of women and men mentors alike, Ms Bogdan-Martin has followed a career in technology focused on the needs of others, and serves as a role model for girls and women around the world.
She described the need for more women to lead technology development and said, ''Change is not just possible, it is happening all around us. What was once just talk is now action.'' She pointed to the successes of seeing women involved in global vaccine development, excelling in pandemic response, and also increasingly getting inspired about careers in the digital sector, including in Saudi Arabia.
Ms Bogdan-Martin urged, ''We need women to be co-creators of the technologies that are increasingly shaping our future. And we need women leaders and the outstanding female role models I like to call 'shining stars' to light the way towards a more egalitarian world, where every single individual gets his or her own chance to shine.''
Watch the recorded Summit here.
