Examining key disciplines to build equity in the IT workplace
As
IT
leader
of
self-regulatory
body
Professional
Engineers
Ontario
(PEO),
Doria
Manico-Daka
continues
to
build
on
her
16
years
in
tech,
the
last
five
of
which
has
seen
her
heavily
involved
in
leading
digital
transformation
and
modernization.
As
IT
leader
of
self-regulatory
body
Professional
Engineers
Ontario
(PEO),
Doria
Manico-Daka
continues
to
build
on
her
16
years
in
tech,
the
last
five
of
which
has
seen
her
heavily
involved
in
leading
digital
transformation
and
modernization.
Throughout
her
career,
industries
and
company
sizes
have
varied,
but
there’s
been
one
constant:
environments
have
largely
been
male
dominated.
And
as
a
Black
woman,
she’s
had
some
unique
experiences
as
a
double
minority.
Against
the
odds,
however,
she’s
excelled
not
only
for
herself
but
toward
collective
efforts
to
elevate
the
conversation
of
diversity,
opportunity,
and
sourcing
talent
in,
and
for,
the
workplace.
“One
needs
to
be
resilient
and
determined
to
pursue
the
passion
and
paths
they’ve
chosen,”
she
says.
“There’s
very
little
precedent
or
example
to
rely
on,
and
it
can
be
both
challenging
and
rewarding
at
the
same
time.
Challenging
in
the
sense
that
it
can
be
lonely
sometimes.
It
can
feel
like
an
uphill
battle
when
you’re
in
the
minority,
and
especially
if
you
have
conscious
and
unconscious
bias
fighting
against
you.
But
at
the
same
time,
it
can
be
rewarding
just
knowing
you
helped
change
the
status
quo,
and
change
minds
and
environments
for
people
to
consider
it’s
normal
to
have
women
at
all
levels
of
the
tech
space.
Early
in
my
career,
I
had
a
role
that
included
helping
clients
over
the
phone.
I’d
take
calls
and
after
introducing
myself,
the
person
on
the
other
end
would
think
it
was
a
mistake
and
ask
to
be
transferred
to
the
technical
team.
But
I
was
the
technical
team,
so
I’m
glad
that
we’re
past
that
in
2023
for
the
most
part.”
It
can
be
difficult
for
women
to
have
a
sense
of
belonging
facing
these
challenges.
Speaking
of
the
senior
tech
leader
at
the
leadership
table,
there’s
underrepresentation
of
women
and
even
more
underrepresentation
of
Black
women.
So
resilience,
fuelled
by
self
reliance
and
confidence,
helps
to
navigate
a
career
path.
“Being
in
a
minority
can
bring
self-doubt,
especially
if
you’re
in
an
environment
that
isn’t
supportive
or
causes
doubts,”
she
says.
“So
know
the
value
you
bring
to
the
table
and
the
difference
you’re
making.
Some
environments
are
going
to
appreciate
this
more
than
others,
but
it’s
important
you
don’t
let
others
minimize
your
contributions.
For
example,
if
you
work
hard
and
lead
your
team
to
launch
a
tech
solution
that
positively
impacts
the
organization’s
bottom
line,
that
is
value
you
can
quantify.
Having
said
that,
we
still
have
a
ways
to
go
about
women
in
tech
still
being
overlooked
and
passed
over
for
promotions.
The
numbers
are
getting
better,
but
we’re
still
there.”
CIO
Leadership
Live’s
Rennick
recently
spoke
with
Manico-Daka
about
elevating
standards
of
diversity
to
help
achieve
organizational
goals
and
win
the
search
for
talent.
Watch
the
full
video
below
for
more
insights.
On
Black
women
in
tech:
Breaking
the
glass
ceiling
for
women
in
minority
groups
is
still
a
business
goal
every
organization
should
strive
to
achieve.
And
for
Black
women,
the
ceiling
is
made
of
concrete,
so
the
organizations
that
are
going
to
break
through
are
the
ones
with
talent
at
all
levels.
We’ve
seen
great
improvements
in
lowers
ranks
in
terms
of
inclusiveness,
but
the
senior
leadership
roles
in
the
boardroom
still
have
a
ways
to
go.
I
think
soon
it’ll
no
longer
be
acceptable
to
have
non-diverse
leadership
teams.
And
we’re
already
seeing
mandates
on
this,
especially
from
forward
thinking
organizations
that
are
intentional
about
diversity,
equity
and
inclusion
at
all
levels,
not
just
the
lower
ranks.
This
is
inclusive
leadership
that
taps
into
a
wider
pool
of
talent,
especially
as
we
see
the
shortage
of
talent
in
tech.
So
organizations
that
lead
with
purpose,
intention
and
empathy,
and
reflect
the
communities
they
serve,
are
the
ones
that
are
going
to
retain
top
talent,
especially
regarding
women.
One
step
organizations
can
take
to
raise
equity
is
to
be
aware
of
unconscious
bias
and
manage
it
through
education
or
training.
Just
acknowledging
we
all
have
it
and
sometimes
it
gets
in
the
way
of
making
decisions
in
how
we
treat
other
people
is
progress.
And
again,
that
purposeful,
intentional,
empathetic
leader
is
the
one
who
is
going
to
win
in
this
case.
Another
is
you
need
to
create
targets
for
equity
and
ensure
those
targets
are
measured
and
communicating
progress
of
those
targets.
We
know
that
only
what’s
measured
can
be
improved.
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