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ELC Supports Women in Tech at The Grace Hopper Celebration
Company Feature, Oct 19, 2019
Over 25,000 female technologists from around the world gathered to network with peers, gain invaluable insights from inspiring keynote speakers and lay the foundation for successful careers in technology at the Grace Hopper Celebration in Orlando, FL, from October 2-4, 2019. The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) — an innovator in the industry that uniquely fuses beauty and technology— was a proud sponsor of the event.
The booth was a representation ELC's values, with screens highlighting many of the company's initiatives
“Now more than ever, it’s important to innovate at every turn to ensure you are offering consumers the most digitally-advanced, high-touch products that meet their needs,” said Michael W. Smith, Chief Information Officer, The Estée Lauder Companies. “Women in technology play a huge role in this space and for The Estée Lauder Companies they are vital to our growth and success. As a technology team, we look to our employees to innovate based on consumer desire. Women are our top consumer, and as such, they are essential to our talent roster.”
At the conference, ELC hosted a booth to reinforce and support its commitment to being a top destination for women in IT. Over 15 employees spanning IT, Talent Acquisition and HR represented the company over the course of the three days, networking with female tech-enthusiasts, scouting potential talent and celebrating what it means to be a female in the field. In addition to recruiting top IT talent, ELC also hosted an “ELC Women in Tech” event in which over 90 female technologists dressed in pink attire to kick-off Breast Cancer Awareness month, meet with senior leaders at ELC and speak with current employees about their experience on the IT team.
ELC's booth at the Grace Hopper Conference
Technology is a key driver of ELC’s growth strategy across all facets of the company, making the need to recruit and develop and technology talent paramount to its success. ELC believes its employee population should reflect its consumers, helping the company gain insights and a better understanding of consumer aspirations. This holds true within IT, which is why ELC has made it a priority to support women in tech through conferences such as the Grace Hopper Celebration.
Women comprise more than 80 percent of ELC’s global workforce, hold over 50 percent of senior positions and represent 43 percent of its board of directors. The IT team believes that embracing diversity helps sharpen our focus on cultural relevance — ensuring that our products, messaging and in-store experiences reflect the aspirations and desires of consumers in local markets.
“I am very proud to have been a part of The Estée Lauder Companies team at the Grace Hopper Conference,” said Jenifer Jones, Global Data and Analytics Lead, The Estée Lauder Companies. “The level of energy that the team brought to the event was noted by many of the participants who were excited to learn more about The Estée Lauder culture and how they could be a part of our technology journey.”
Learn more about the Grace Hopper Celebration on the website.
Discover IT opportunities at The Estée Lauder Companies here.
