Last update: 17/02/2022
Gender diversity in the workforce of any company is one of the most valuable assets to society. However, on many occasions, we are faced with historical stereotypes about gender differentiation in sectors such as technology. To combat these stereotypes, at Santander we have created the Women In Tech (WIT) initiative.
The technology sector has one of the lowest rates of gender diversity: women account for only 26% of the total number of professionals. That is why we have created Women In Tech, an initiative in our Be Tech! with Santander recruitment plan that lays the foundations for a project to empower women in the field of technology.
WIT seeks to promote the value of diversity, inclusion and equity in the technology sector, and to encourage greater female leadership in the world of work. This has been one of our commitments for some years, and thanks to this we have been recognised by, for example, Euromoney magazine as the World’s Best Bank for Diversity and Inclusion 2020.
Equality in the technology industry
The aim of WIT is to achieve equality in the technology sector. To this end, we are addressing the gender gap in this regard, to ensure that women have access to management positions, and to combat and overcome any gender barrier or prejudice in all teams.
At the same time, we believe it is a good opportunity to improve Santander’s employer brand in technology. For this reason, it is key to promote WIT, and to achieve this, we have the support of top-line directives of various functions in the field of Technology and Operations (T&O), such as Cristina Álvarez, recently appointed as Head of Technology and Operations of Europe, a role that adds to her current position as head of Technology and Operations for Santander Spain; Elisabet Pinilla, CIO and Chief Transformation Officer; Charo Vacas, Executive VP, Global Operational Excellence; and Mercedes Climent, head of HR for Santander Global Technology & Operations. In short, five great women who work at the Group and who serve as inspiration and examples to be followed.
What does Women In Tech involve?
The Women In Tech programme comprises various initiatives. The most important recent ones include:
Actions for equality
All the events organised within WIT have provided us with important testimonials and stories on how we can work together to improve. Many women are demanding a greater female presence, equal treatment and a less hierarchical way of working, as they believe this will help improve many aspects. At the same time, female professionals in the technology sector stress the need to improve the work-life balance for both men and women: an increase of resources to learn how to navigate career paths and flexiworking measures that adapt to an individual’s needs, among many others.
At Santander, we continue to work to achieve this. Launching Women In Tech drives us to retain the perception of Santander as one of the most important contributors to diversity worldwide, as well as being a responsible bank in key values for society. One of the basic pillars needed for this to happen is achieving gender equality in this area.