Tag: Diversity

Sunday, March 8th will mark a day that’s close to my heart, International Women’s Day.

The day shines a light on the progress we’ve made in recognizing the potential of a diverse and inclusive economy and the power that comes from developing strong, female role models. Yet while we can reflect on that progress, we must also acknowledge the work that still must be done. It is critical for me that we address the challenges that still exist for women in today’s business landscape—there are many women around the world who are locked out of opportunities many take for granted, for a variety of reasons.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done at Microsoft so far to increase access and opportunities for women through our workplace culture, policies and technologies. I believe we have a responsibility to highlight other organizations that have also prioritized diversity and inclusion and encourage others to do the same.

Building opportunity and access for all through technology

Technology helps organizations empower their employees, optimize their operations, connect with their customers and transform their products. It’s also a key factor in building an inclusive economy; an economy that harnesses the power of diversity to create opportunities and positive business outcomes for all. At Microsoft, we understand that a diverse work force inspires diverse solutions, which ultimately helps drive innovations that benefit everyone.

That’s why I am excited to share that Microsoft is supporting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals through our #BuildFor2030 campaign. Through October, we will be highlighting Microsoft partners with solutions that align to the UN’s goals. And in celebration of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8^th, we will be focusing on solutions by women-led organizations within our Microsoft partner community. I encourage you to read more about these incredible innovations here.

These solutions
showcase the entrepreneurial spirit of women in technology—a community that is
grossly underrepresented in the marketplace today. Recent studies suggest, if
women and men participated equally as entrepreneurs, global GDP could rise by approximately
3% to 6%, boosting the global economy by as much as $5 trillion. If we work together, we can start that
shift, and create more opportunities for everyone.

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Did you know?

According to the McKinsey Global Institute:

• Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 21 percent more profitable than companies in the bottom quartile

• Companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity are 33 percent more likely to outperform companies in the bottom quartile

• Closing the gender gap in the workforce could add $28 trillion to the global GDP

• Closing the gender gap in the workforce could add $28 trillion to the global GDP

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Women in Cloud

In January, Microsoft hosted the Women in Cloud Summit in Redmond, and I had the privilege of discussing how we can all work to create more opportunities for women in technology. Women in Cloud is a community-led organization that brings together female entrepreneurs, global leaders, corporations, and policy makers to support economic development for women in tech. They have vowed to help create $1 billion in economic access and opportunity by 2030.

As an executive sponsor of this initiative, I have sat down with many
female business owners and have heard their struggles, triumphs and
breakthroughs. Everyone I’ve met has emphasized the importance of access to
technology, customers, partners, and investments. My team and I are focused on
creating access for their growth through co-marketing and co-selling opportunities
as we strive to create an inclusive marketplace for all partners to deploy
cloud solutions and services.

Building for the future

While we are
focused on creating equal access and opportunity for women business owners
today, we must also prepare the next generation of entrepreneurs and female
tech leaders. To participate in the global economy and businesses of the future,
understanding and innovating with technology will be a core skill of any job. Young
women need to embrace technology and develop skills and passions that will be key
success factors in a world where technology is part of every business in every
industry.

I’d like to invite all Microsoft partners to join other impact-oriented technology solution leaders in the #BuildFor2030 campaign to highlight their innovative solutions. And in honor of International Women’s Day, I encourage you to take action and drive momentum towards creating a gender-equal society by supporting this campaign.

White, Dutch, male and writing about Black History Month?

As an executive at Microsoft, a resident of the United States and a human being, it is important to me to use my voice to support the many communities around me, to give back, to empower others and to be a catalyst for change. It was with that idea in mind that I reached out to Kathleen Hogan, our executive vice president of Human Resources some years ago and asked if I could be a sponsor for the Employee Resource Group that supports our black and African American community at Microsoft called Blacks at Microsoft (BAM).

Being part of BAM for the last three years as co-sponsor has been an absolute honor and a privilege. Thanks to the generosity of the BAM community, I have had the opportunity to listen and learn much more directly about what’s top of mind for the community and explore my own understandings and assumptions. I’ve learned things about black history in the United States that I knew embarrassingly little about. And I’ve been deeply impressed with the cohesion and support BAM members provide each other and the external community. For me, the opportunity to influence others by actively participating in events and tune in to learn from others, to speak up when I observe behaviors inconsistent with our values or beliefs on inclusion, and to amplify stories that need to be told to help address injustices in society is some of the most rewarding work I have done while at Microsoft.

Black History Month, in the U.S. and Canada, is an opportunity for all of us to “knock on the door” to increase our awareness and understanding – from African history to slavery to the Jim Crow South to the civil rights movement to present-day inequities. It is also an opportunity to recognize and honor more recent examples of achievement from the black community and to reflect on what it means to create a truly equitable society.

I encourage everyone – community member or ally – to set aside some time this month to better understand black history, to be intentionally inclusive and to get acquainted with those who are different, with the intention of deepening empathy and understanding. In doing so, we become aware of our own biases, get curious about other points of view and gain the courage to have challenging conversations. Let every Black History Month be an opportunity to understand a little more, to be more connected and to deepen our sense of community.

Tags: Black History Month, Blacks at Microsoft, Microsoft Life Blacks

Gladys Hall was born on March 19, 1925, in Atmore, Alabama, at a time when her prospects and those of her family were inextricably linked to the circumstances of her birth and race. Her father worked tirelessly to provide for his family. He ran a dry cleaning business from their home, where Gladys started working as a girl. She would meet customers out at their cars and carry their clothes up the hilly driveway back into the shop. One routine Saturday, men dressed in white robes and hooded masks pulled up in their car and asked 12-year-old Gladys where her father was. She quickly concocted a story about him being away and then ran up the driveway to warn him. Her father immediately fled out of the back of their home, in fear for his life, for simply the unchangeable fact that his skin was black.

That man was my great-grandfather. Gladys was my grandmother. She could have taken that early experience – and all the other obstacles she encountered growing up – and allowed it to build hate and resentment in her heart. But instead, she chose to focus on building a better future for herself and for others. Her life spanned a time when there were great advancements in civil rights, making it possible for her to achieve things beyond what her father could have ever imagined. At the age of 45, Gladys Hall achieved her lifelong dream of attending college, graduating with a master’s degree in education – and she became a teacher.

‘Progress is not inevitable, but driven by the choices that we make as individuals’

Black History Month is a reminder for us all to reflect on the richness of our history and the lessons it has taught us. Each year it helps us move forward a little further together, as one. The origin of Black History Month came as a response to black people being largely left out of the history books, despite the many significant roles they played. Since first being celebrated in 1976, February is now recognized around the world as a month to pay tribute to the accomplishments and contributions of generations of people who may otherwise have been forgotten. For me, it’s also a reminder that progress is not inevitable, but driven by the choices that we make as individuals. Choices like the ones my grandmother made.

This is one of the reasons why, for me, Microsoft is special. Our chosen mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Diversity and inclusion are core tenants of our culture and integral to achieving that mission. It is only when we empower everyone to realize their full potential – no matter the circumstances – that we reach our full potential as a society.

‘It is only when we empower everyone to realize their full potential – no matter their circumstances – that we reach our full potential as a society’

We kicked off Black History Month with our Blacks at Microsoft chapter ringing the Nasdaq closing bell on Wall Street for the third consecutive year. Throughout the month, Microsoft Stores around the globe will host Black History Month events, and if you live near one, I would encourage you to attend.

We have the power to choose how we think, how we speak, and how we act – and we can choose to treat each other with dignity, respect and inclusion as our path forward. I celebrate Black History Month by reflecting on this lesson that my grandmother – the teacher – taught me. It’s my hope that this is a lesson Black History Month can teach us all.

Tags: Black History Month, Blacks at Microsoft, diversity, inclusion

As I reflect on the importance of Black History month, the words from Maya Angelou’s poem, “Still I Rise,” come to mind.  “Bringing the gifts my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise I rise I rise.” Yesterday, my friends and colleagues proudly stood on the floor of the world’s largest stock exchange and rang the market’s closing bell, signaling an end to the day’s trading and serving as our kickoff for Black History Month festivities at Microsoft.

There’s so much to celebrate during Black History Month, as it’s an opportunity to acknowledge and recognize the incredible contributions that our community has made to the very fabric of this country. While there’s plenty to celebrate, we must recognize that this is only possible because of the hard work and sacrifices made by our ancestors. Like many of us, I am a product of American history – a great-great granddaughter of slaves. Our ancestor’s struggles, triumphs, joys, perseverance and sacrifices have paved the way for our generation, and future generations yet to be born.

A spark of that same perseverance and strength inspired the vision of the Blacks at Microsoft (BAM) founders more than 30 years ago. We were the first of many Microsoft’s employee resource groups. As we rang that bell today, some of their dreams were being realized. We stand on their shoulders and recognize how hard they worked to create a community that has meant so much to so many, and with that, we’re eternally grateful.

For me, BAM represents our journey as black employees to learn, develop, grow and support each other through our collective community, with the ongoing support of many allies. That journey in turn, informs Microsoft’s diverse and inclusive culture which has a direct impact on our customers and partners as well. The journey is never complete, but the ongoing engagement and support of our collective community has had a lasting and positive impact on many, including me.

As we celebrate our history and the accomplishments of many extraordinary people this month, I encourage you to reflect on your own learning journey. We all have a responsibility to learn from others and lend our help and support to others who can benefit from the same. At Microsoft we are all striving to become thoughtful and informed allies to others. While Black History Month is one moment in time, this commitment can allow us to understand and support each other all year round. Now more than ever, we need to galvanize as a community to pave the way for generations to come.  

We’ve come so far, but we still have a long journey ahead of us. It’s more important than ever for us to come together and work toward opportunity, equity and equality for everyone.

Watch BAM team members in a “Behind the Bell” interview with Nasdaq on LinkedIn.

Tags: Black History Month, Blacks at Microsoft

Today, I’m proud to announce the second Female Founders Competition, a global contest to identify and fund top women entrepreneurs who are leading enterprise tech startups. This year, Microsoft’s venture fund, M12, is partnering with Mayfield and Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company founded by Melinda Gates, to help create a more equitable playing field for innovative female founders.

It’s well-documented that women-led companies deliver higher returns over time than those founded by men, yet female founders—particularly of enterprise tech startups—continue to receive significantly less access to capital. In fact, last year companies founded solely by women received only 2.3% of the total capital invested in venture-backed startups. While we’re seeing some pockets of progress, we as a VC community can do much more to support and financially back innovation and ideas from women-led companies. But where do we start?

Last year, M12 and our partners set out to expand the path to funding for women entrepreneurs by upending the traditional formula for sourcing potential investments. Through our first Female Founders Competition, we set the standard VC networks aside and made an open call for the talent to come to us. It worked. We received hundreds of applications and awarded a total of $4 million to two innovative women entrepreneurs: Greta Cutulenco, CEO and co-founder of Acerta; and Julie Dorsey, founder and chief scientist of Mental Canvas. In the time since, I’ve been inspired by how the winners leveraged these investments as springboards to expand their companies and grow their industry footprints.

For me, it’s a deeply personal issue – I share more on the subject in this Evoke essay. I’ve worked with startups for much of my career. I’ve seen the obstacles that female founders face just to get a seat at the table. And women like Greta and Julie remind me every day of the incredible opportunity that these underrepresented founders represent – not just for investors, but for all of us who believe in the power of technology. That’s why I’m proud to share our commitment to helping continue this progress by casting an even wider net.

As part of this year’s competition, we’re expanding our geographic reach, adding a new award category and increasing our combined investment with Mayfield and Pivotal Ventures from $4M to $6M. This enables us to award funds to four female-founded companies: two $2M awards for B2B enterprise technology and two additional $1M awards for women-led companies in deeptech, which is another critically underfunded area of opportunity. We’re also extending eligibility beyond the United States, Europe, and Israel by accepting applications from India.

I encourage you to watch this video where Pivotal Ventures’ Melinda Gates, Mayfield’s Navin Chaddha and I discuss why we’re so passionate about this issue and this competition. I hope you will be inspired, as we are, to find new ways to help create a more equal seat at the table for women founders.

Submissions are open now through December 15, 2019. Female-founded teams building enterprise SaaS or deeptech solutions are encouraged to apply at www.FemaleFoundersComp.com.

We can’t wait to see who we find and fund.

Tags: diversity, M12

For over half a century, it has become a tradition in the U.S. to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th to October 15th. This is a month of celebration, tribute and pride for those of us that relate to the Hispanic/Latinx culture, either because we are part of it, or because we have grown fond of this community and feel a connection. But, this is also a time for reflection.

For some time now, our community has been going through challenging times deriving from strong external narratives that fail to represent our beauty, our diversity and the real challenges that we face today and in the past. Stories that attempt to create deep social divisions. Stories that intend to tear down the very fabric of what the Hispanic and Latinx communities truly represent.  

As a Latino and Executive Sponsor of HOLA (Hispanic & Latinx Organization of Leaders in Action), Microsoft’s Hispanic/Latinx Employee Resource Group, I have learned so much on my journey to represent and propel the Latino culture in the USA. It’s just amazing to see the positive impact that Latinos have daily.  On one hand, 86% of all new US businesses have been launched by Latinos over the last decade and Latinas create small businesses 6x faster than any other group in the country.[1] Latino GDP was $2.13 Trillion in 2015, and it’s growing 70% faster than the rest of the economy.[2] 

Latinos are contributing to the very fabric of this country and that is why it is extremely important that our individual voices and personal stories of struggles, achievements and contributions to the North American culture continue to collectively rise.  Hispanic Heritage Month is a perfect moment to share the true narrative of who we are, and the great impact and role each one of us plays in society.  

To honor Hispanic Heritage Month, Microsoft is celebrating Latinx culture and inspirational stories through Our Voz.  This will include local events in the community, celebrations, as well as stories from our own Latinx employees who are making an impact in the community.  

Microsoft HOLA, in partnership with our Global Diversity and Inclusion team and our many internal allies across all businesses, have established strong partnerships with key stakeholders in the Latino community.  By joining forces, we have helped accelerate progress across a wide range of topics from our own internal culture and ability to bring our true selves to work, to supporting families through immigration challenges, improving education, and much more. We would like to take the opportunity to recognize and thank these organizations for their partnership and the great work they do every day to make a difference for our community.  You can view the full list of partner organizations below. 

It is my belief that through empathy, mutual understanding and purposeful action we can make a lasting, bigger impact that changes how we experience the world – and how the world experiences us. Please visit microsoft.com/en-us/hispanic-heritage-month/default.aspx for the most current news and opportunities to celebrate, engage and be inspired. If you want to learn more about broader initiatives for diversity and inclusion at Microsoft please visit here.  

Let’s continue this conversation and share our stories to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month! Follow me on Twitter, @alvarocelis and on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/alcelis/.

 

[1] Hispanic Sentiment Study, Xeno Group 2018  

[2] Latino Donor Collaborative  

 

H.O.L.A Partner Organizations  

• ALPFA
  ALPFA’s mission: To empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy. 
• DigiGirlz
  DigiGirlz is Microsoft’s own global outreach program that gives middle and high school girls opportunities to learn about careers in technology, connect with Microsoft employees, and participate in hands-on computer and technology workshops. 
• HACR
  HACR’s Mission is to advance the inclusion of Hispanics in Corporate America at a level commensurate with our economic contributions. 
• HITEC Global  
  HITEC is a premier global executive leadership organization of senior business and technology executives who have built outstanding careers in technology. HITEC’s premiere network spans the Americas and is focused on building stronger technology and executive leaders, leadership teams, corporations, and role models in a rapidly changing, flatter, and technology centric world.  
• IPLI 
  The “HNBA/Microsoft IP Law Institute” provides opportunities for Latino students interested in intellectual property law. This summer, up to twenty-five Latino law students from law schools across the country will be chosen to participate in an IP immersion program in Washington, DC. Candidates are selected in a highly competitive process, and the selected students are provided substantive instruction, the opportunity to observe first-hand U.S. IP institutions at work, and the chance to meet leading members of the IP legal community who will serve as mentors and potentially provide pathways for future job opportunities. 
• iUrbanTeen 
  Mission: To expose and inspire underrepresented youth to become tomorrow’s business and technology leaders. iUrban Teen is a nationally recognized program focused on bringing career focused education to underrepresented teens ages 13 to 18. Youth receive hands-on exposure to a variety of careers and civic engagement that step them outside of their current boundaries. Our target demographics are African American, Latino and Native American males, however, the program is inclusive of all youth.
• KIND (Kids in need of Defense)
  Microsoft, along with Angelina Jolie, founded KIND in 2008 to provide legal services to unaccompanied children entering the U.S.  Brad Smith Microsoft President is also KIND Chairman of the Board.  Many of our Microsoft in house attorneys and other professionals work on KIND cases on a pro bono basis, and Microsoft also supports for a KIND fellow, an attorney who works for KIND and supports Microsoft’s pro bono efforts.  More information about KIND can be found Here  
• LatinaGeeks  
  Empowering and inspiring adult Latinas by sharing technical knowledge, business skills, and entrepreneurship resources through hands-on workshops and community events. 
• Nuevo Foundation
  Inspiring kids to be curious, confident, and courageous by discovering the world of STEM. 
  Offers coding workshops that provide hands on opportunities for students to learn real-world problem-solving skills using coding, hardware and their own imagination. 
  Also, offers virtual sessions to share the stories of people who have succeeded in STEM fields with students worldwide. 
  Lastly, offer speaker engagements to motivate students to pursue STEM education. 
• SHPE
  SHPE changes lives by empowering the Hispanic community to realize its fullest potential and to impact the world through STEM awareness, access, support and development. 
• Tapia conference
  The Tapia conference is the premier venue to acknowledge, promote and celebrate diversity in computing. 
• TECHNOLOchicas
  Microsoft is a sponsor of TECHNOLOchicas, a campaign of our strategic partner, the National Center for Women and Information Technologies (NCWIT) and the Televisa Foundation to increase the visibility and participation of Latinas in technology.    Each campaign year a Latina Microsoft technologist serves as one of the TECHNOLOchica Ambassadors featured in the campaign video and social media assets and represents our company at TECHNOLOchica events. 
• We Are All Human Foundation 
  We use the power of dialogue to create understanding and remind us that united, we are stronger. 

Tags: Hispanic Heritage Month, Microsoft Latinx, Microsoft Life

This summer, young women in San Francisco and Seattle spent a weekend taking their creative problem solving to a whole new level through the power of artificial intelligence. The two events were part of a Microsoft-hosted AI boot-camp program that started last year in Athens, then broadened its reach with events in London last fall and New York City in the spring. Check out the wrap-up video from the three U.S. events:

“I’ve been so impressed not only with the willingness of these young women to spend an entire weekend learning and embracing this opportunity, but with the quality of the projects,” said Didem Un Ates, one of the program organizers and a senior director for AI within Microsoft. “It’s just two days, but what they come up with always blows our minds.” (Read a LinkedIn post from Un Ates about the events.)

The problems these girls tackled aren’t kid stuff: The girls chose their weekend projects from among the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, considered to be the most difficult and highest priority for the world.

The result? Dozens of innovative products that could help solve issues as diverse as ocean pollution, dietary needs, mental health, acne and climate change. Not to mention all those young women – 129 attended the U.S. events – who now feel empowered to pursue careers to help solve those problems. They now see themselves as “Alice,” a mascot created by the project team to represent the qualities young women possess that lend themselves to changing the world through AI.

Organizers plan to broaden the reach of these events, so that girls everywhere can learn about the possibility of careers in technology.

Related:

After protecting data and thwarting digital wrongdoers for more than two decades, Diana Kelley bristles at suggestions that cybersecurity is a dry or dull career choice.

“I think it is the most interesting part of IT. It can be a fascinating puzzle to solve. It can be like a murder mystery on that show, ‘Law & Order,’ except that when they find a dead body, we find a network breach,” she says.

“As we investigate, we go back through all these twists and turns. And, sometimes we discover that the real culprit isn’t the one we had suspected at the beginning.”

As Microsoft’s global Cybersecurity Field Chief Technology Officer, she wants to erase misconceptions that might be stopping people from more walks of life from entering her profession – which, she argues,  needs new ways of thinking and innovating.

Successful companies know that by building diversity and inclusion within their ranks, they can better understand and serve their many and varied customers. Cybersecurity teams need to read from the same playbook so they can better anticipate and block attacks launched by all kinds of people from all sorts of places.

“Cybercriminals come from different backgrounds and geo-locations and have different mindsets,” Kelley says. “They collaborate and use very diverse attack techniques to come after individuals, companies, and countries. So, it helps us also to have a very diverse set of protection and controls to stop them.”

Knowing how attackers might think and act can be difficult for any cybersecurity team, particularly if it is made up of people from similar backgrounds with similar viewpoints. It is the kind of conformity that can even lead to a sort of “groupthink,” which results in blind spots and unintended bias.

The power of different viewpoints

“If people think in the same ways again and again, they are going to come up with the same answers. This only stops when different viewpoints are raised, and different questions are heard.”

Kelley says attackers come from, and operate in, many different environments, and cybersecurity teams need to match this diversity as much as they can. However, the make-up of today’s international cybersecurity community remains surprisingly homogenous.

“About 90 percent are men and, depending on where you are in the world, they are often white men,” she says. “In Asia, it tends to be a little worse. Only about nine percent are women.”

The need for change comes amid unprecedented demand for cybersecurity and a chronic shortage of skilled specialists across the world. Kelley sees this an opportunity.

“We’ve got this big gap in hiring, so why not create a more diverse and inclusive community of people working on the problem?” she said in an interview on her recent visit to Singapore, one of many global cities vying for talent in the sector.

One major concern is gender imbalance. Even though many well-paying jobs are up for grabs, relatively few women are taking up, and staying in, cybersecurity roles.

Fixing the gender imbalance

“When I got into the field almost 30 years ago, women had very low representation in computer science in general,” Kelley says. “Back then, I just assumed it would change over time. But it hasn’t.”

Studies show that girls often drop out of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects in middle or high school. Some women university graduates do enter the profession. But a lot end up leaving – many for cultural reasons in the workplace.

“There is a high attrition rate. We need to promote the value of studying STEM. And, we also need to work for the people who are in the field now by creating inclusive work environments.”

Kelley joined Microsoft about two years ago. Since then, she has been struck by its strong culture of respecting diverse viewpoints and encouraging inclusion – things she hasn’t seen stressed in some other companies.

“Not every idea is a great idea. But that doesn’t mean it should be mocked or dismissed. It should be respected as an idea. I have spoken to some women elsewhere who say because they didn’t feel heard or respected, they didn’t want to stay in IT.”

Bringing in all sorts of people

Kelley says more can be done to build up diversity and inclusion beyond fixing the gender mix. Again, she is impressed by Microsoft’s efforts. “Yes, we need to engage more women. But we also need to bring in all sorts of people from different social and career backgrounds.

“For instance, our team – the Cybersecurity Solution Group at Microsoft – is looking for people who may not have worked in cybersecurity in the past, but have a great interest (in technology) as well as other talents. So we are creating diversity that way too.”

Kelley recounts her own sideways entry into the field. She fell in love with computers and software during her teens when she discovered for herself how vulnerable networks at the time could be.

Later she graduated from university with a very non-techie qualification: a degree in English. Her first few jobs were editorial roles, but being tech-savvy soon meant she became the “go-to IT guy” in her office.

“Finally someone said to me, ‘Hey, you know what? IT is your calling, and we are hiring.’ So, what had been a hobby for me then became a career.”

She eventually moved into cybersecurity after an intruder broke into a network she had just built. “I pivoted from being a network and software person to someone very much focused on creating secure and resilient architectures and networks to thwart the bad guys.”

We need diverse thinkers

Looking to the future, she wants a broader pool of job seekers to consider careers in cybersecurity, even if they did not like STEM at school.

“We need diverse thinkers … people who understand psychology, for example, who can help understand the mindsets behind these attacks. We need great legal minds to help with ethics and privacy. And, political minds who understand lobbying.”

The cybersecurity world needs individuals who are altruistic and have a little more. “We go into this field because we want to do the right thing and protect people and protect data. That is a critical part. And, it also really helps to have a sort of a ‘tinkering mindset.’”

She explains that when cybersecurity professionals create systems, they also have to produce threat models. To do that, they need to think about, ‘What if I was a bad guy? What if I was trying to take this apart? How could it be taken apart?’ That is the point where they can start to work out how to make their system more attack resistant.

Meanwhile, she is eager to debunk a few myths swirling around the subject of cybercrime.

For starters, the days of the smart lone wolf kid in a hoodie hacking for fun from his bedroom are more or less over. Nowadays, only a tiny minority of perpetrators cause digital mischief and embarrassment just for the bragging rights or are “hacktivists” who want to advance social or environmental causes.

Ominously, there are sophisticated state-sponsored actors targeting the vulnerabilities of rival powers. Governments around the world are rightly worried about their citizens’ data. But they also fear for the security of vital infrastructure, like power grids and transport systems. Accordingly, military strategists now rate cyber as a field of warfare alongside land, sea, and air.

That said, most of the bad guys are simply in it for the money and do not deserve the glory and headlines they sometimes get.

“They are not glamorous. Many are in big criminal syndicates that just want to grab our data – hurting us and hurting our loved ones.”

At just 15-years-old, Lili Názer can already be described as a veteran developer, having created several smartphone applications and games. Originally wanting to be a doctor, she found her calling in programming, and is now mentoring other girls that are interested in IT, during occasions such as Microsoft’s DigiGirlz events.

The purpose of the DigiGirlz initiative is to introduce young girls to the world of programming and software development, while inspiring them to pursue their passion for technology. This is particularly crucial, given that research has shown that young girls in Europe tend to disengage from science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects by the age of 15, due to numerous factors such as the lack of role models in these fields.

We were fortunate enough to chat to Lili before the DigiGirlz event kicked off, to see what inspires her, drives her forward, and what her future will hold.   

When did your interest in programming begin?
It happened accidentally. A few years ago, I couldn’t register for any summer camps for numerous reasons. Then, at the beginning of summer, most camps were already full up, so the only one I could still go to was a robotics camp. Before that I hadn’t even heard about such a thing, so that was the first time I came into contact with programming.

It looks like you enjoyed it!
Yes I did. After it was over, I looked for similar opportunities, so in 2016 I attended the first session of the coding training Skool program, where I met my current mentor. At that time I had been preparing for a completely different career, and wanted to be a surgeon or medical researcher. Then I started to get interested in languages, and I thought I wanted to work as an interpreter. Programming opened my eyes. I realised that through it, I could become involved in practically any industry or profession. This opened up a whole range of new fields and opportunities for me.

What were some of your first creations?
I developed my first simple game when I was 11, and then I wrote my first application for the UPC Future Makers competition, about two years ago. That’s the Daily Take Me application, a family organiser that helps you plan your schedule, where family members can see where they have to go and when – who is picking up the children from school and other similar things.

Studies show that girls of your age are generally not in STEM careers, perhaps because they feel, or are told, it’s not the right choice. Have you come across these attitudes at all?
I have, but luckily people didn’t try to talk me out of it. On the other hand, it was precisely in connection with the Daily Take Me app that media articles kept referring to me as some kind of ‘wonder girl’ who develops apps. But I don’t really identify with that, because there’s nothing so special about it. My little sister collects erasers, and I develop apps – that’s all there is to it. There’s nothing about it that would make it unsuitable for girls.

There is a misconception about programming though: many people think that it’s only something for maths geniuses. This just isn’t true. Of course, there are parts where you need maths, but it’s really just another kind of language, so if you are creative with languages and have a sensitivity for them, programming won’t be a problem either. I go to special maths classes at school, but now I am also planning to specialise in languages. It needs a lot of organising, but I like it when I have a lot to do. The only problem is that we don’t have enough IT classes.

What programming languages do you work with?
At first I used a system called Scratch, which lets you put command blocks next to each other in a fun way. Now, however, I write code, and develop in Python, but I would also like to learn Javascript and C++.

You said you are competitive. Have entered competitions?
Yes, I won the Future Makers competition in my age group in Hungary, and qualified to the international finals in Dublin. After that I developed an app called Granny’s Pills, a virtual medicine box which I submitted to the Technovation competition for girls. I got to the semifinals, but I wasn’t able to reach the finals in America unfortunately, but that didn’t discourage me. I’m in a team that’s competing this year too, and we are now putting the finishing touches to SmilingTooth, the app we’re submitting there. Two years later I was actually asked to be a jury member in the Future Makers contest, and it was very interesting to see things from the other side.

Tell us a little about these two apps.
Granny’s Pill helps if grandma or grandpa forgets to take their medicine. You can set the types and number of medicines you have to take, and the app sends a reminder, which also includes a photo of the medicine, so you can avoid accidentally taking the wrong tablet. You can also set the contact information of a family member who receives a message too, even if they have taken their medicine and forgotten about it. SmilingTooth is an application that helps small children brush their teeth in a playful way.

There’s a pattern in the functionality of these apps. Was this a conscious thing?
Yes, absolutely. I usually look for solutions to community or social problems. I have a soft spot for aiding the elderly and solving the problems that affect them, but I also feel that it’s important to take action against food waste. We even deal with subjects like selective waste collection and climate change, because these will be my generation’s problems entirely. We will be living in it.

SmilingTooth is still under development, but Granny’s Pills is already available. What happened to this app in the end?
Thanks to a Microsoft project last summer, I took part in a week-long event in Athens where everything was about artificial intelligence. There were 100 girls there, from 10 countries. During the day we went to lectures and workshops, but we also had time to network and make friends. It was a great experience. There was a challenge on the last day – we had to program things such as artificial intelligence, facial recognition software and a chat robot. We all then became Microsoft Artificial Intelligence Ambassadors.

What does that entail?
For starters, I talked about my experiences at DigiGirlz in April, and also helped the participants. I have also mentored Technical University students at Prezi.

You’re mentoring technical university students?
Yes, they were a bit surprised, but they were open too, they asked lots of questions, even about things that I hadn’t done yet, but we solved problems together. I have even been shadowing at Prezi, which lets me observe the specialists there at work.

Artificial intelligence is a very active field. Would you like to work with it in future?
Yes, it is really interesting. I’ve read a lot about it, and I’ve even listened to several podcasts. I think we are only scratching the surface of the possibilities that lie within artificial intelligence, but this is what makes so exciting. It is a constantly developing field, so I may be doing something that does not even exist yet today. I also want to keep on developing apps, and I think mixed reality is also very interesting. However, I find AI extremely exciting, mainly because a few years ago we didn’t even know that it would exist, and it is now opening doors to things that are completely astounding. For example, I heard about an AI in a podcast that collects information from brain cells.

Have you received offers from IT companies?
I’ve had a couple of offers. For example, people from Oracle Young Talent contacted as a result of an article in NLCafé, saying they would support me, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them. I was also once able to meet the Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, when he was visiting Hungary.

What was that like?
An event was organised for the Skool participants at the Technical University. We were developing a small game, and he simply walked in and sat down next to me. I was able to talk to him, but I was still shy! I told him about the Daily Take Me app, which really caught his attention. He is an amazingly charismatic person.

Would you like to work for Microsoft?
Of course, if things go that way, but I am not there yet! I would like to try myself out in companies here in Hungary, and I hope I’ll be able to gain experience abroad too. It would be really good to attend more workshops and events so that I can develop more.

How much time do you spend in front of the computer?
It depends on what time I get home. I am an official competitor in the UTE fencing division where I compete with the foil. This means several hours of practice a day. I owe my coach Gábor Kreiss a lot for his supportive attitude, and he accepts that programming is also a part of my life. It is difficult for people in competitive sports to get balance their lives. After training, I usually spend one or two hours coding every day, and all of my other activities take about four hours. This includes studying, and we have to write and submit a lot of things online.

What advice would you give to girls who are interested in the STEM subjects, but have possibly come up against negative stereotypes and rejections?
I know many girls who, if they are told something is “not for them”, would make it theirs just to prove people wrong. The point is that you should believe in yourself, believe that you are capable, irrespective of gender, and you shouldn’t let other people’s opinion have a negative effect on it. But it is important to hear the positive messages, which the incubator programs can help a lot with, just like Skool, company events, and DigiGirlz too. I also think that balance is very important. I don’t stay in my room all the time – I try to make sure that my everyday life is balanced.

Tags: Girls in STEM