Welcome to 2021, and Happy New Year. We all had the unexpected experiences of 2020 with its ups and downs, its growth and opportunities, and its trials. As the year ended, I reflected on how grateful I am personally and professionally for the people in the Women Tech Council community. This community, at every turn and twist, looked for ways to lift each other up, learn from each other, and find ways to connect and support each other.
As an organization, we, like all of you, had to modify the way we approached every program and interaction to find ways that would create value, impact, and connection. Even in these new formats, we found ways to build together. Our Advisory Board met more than 20 times in 12 months to share what their companies were doing, how they were helping employees, and how they were supporting local businesses and families. Those discussions helped all of our companies leverage the insight shared and adapt them for their businesses. It was invaluable. We had more than 3,000 young women participate in all of our virtual SheTech activities with hundreds of mentors. It was amazing. We held a virtual Women Tech Awards, Shatter List, 3x3s and much, much more. With every adaptation and experiment, our community advised, joined in, and participated. Thank you.
2020 impacted women significantly. In the month of September alone, four times more women left the workforce than men. This shows the incredible need to help women in tech and the workforce. At the same time, we have also seen the opportunity that remote work has created for women in tech. Over the last half of 2020, women in senior tech positions found jobs more quickly than the previous year as location constraints and flexibility environments completely changed. As with every change, there are opportunities and challenges we must navigate as we find ways to make the world better.
As we look forward to the future, we have taken all of our learning and growth from 2020 and used it to develop and implement even more meaningful programs and impact. We are excited about the work to be done this year in the Women Tech Talent Pipeline Alliance, with our Founders & Funders, with our Board-Ready program, and our Allyship, Diversity and Inclusion initiatives. Clearly, 2021 has more in store for us to navigate, but we believe that together with empathy and openness, we can continue to build a community that makes a difference.
Thank you for being a part of our community, for the experience and talent you bring, and for helping us build lasting impact. Together, we will accomplish many great things in 2021.
Happy New Year
Cydni Tetro
Founder & President Women Tech Council