Latest LocLife™ panel shares critical tips to encourage women in leadership roles

Women are a force to be reckoned with in the workplace, and yet, research as of 2019 shows that only 29 percent of senior leadership roles are filled by them. The need for more women leaders has never been more critical, so why aren’t more of them stepping up to the task?

We explored this conundrum during the most recent LocLife™, Where Are the Women Leaders, and uncovered some fascinating insights. Acclaro’s brand champion Javi Diaz kicked off the conversation with a panel of fearless women leaders, including:

• Silvia Avary, head of localization, Rivian
• Lucie Bovyn, senior localization product manager, Hootsuite
• Paula Hunter, senior manager, localization & tech documentation, Motorola
• Eva Klaudinyova, co-founder, Women in Localization and assistant professor of localization practice, MIIS
• Giulia Tarditi, head of global experience, Qualtrics

From hustling to get opportunities to being in the right place at the right time, these successful women each had their unique journey to the top and some very poignant advice on how to get more women there.

If you weren’t able to attend or you’d like to watch it again, here’s this exciting LocLife™ on-demand:

Thoughts shared during the session

Some people are born leaders, many pursue leadership and others simply fall into it. For the women on our LocLife panel, it was all of the above.

“What has defined my journey to leadership is always questioning the status quo, and trying to find ways to improve, simplify and add real business value,” Lucie Bovyn shared.

Eva Klaudinyova discussed how she stepped into leadership. “It was not that I had a plan to be a leader or that I wanted to be a manager. I saw an opportunity and I took it. But you can’t wait for other people to hand you those opportunities on a silver platter. You have to prove that you can do it, and the right people will recognize that.”

Silvia Avary agreed with that sentiment, adding, “You have to increase your visibility. If you don’t let other people know about your accomplishments, especially other leaders, it’s like a tree falling in the forest with nobody there to hear it.”

Giulia Tarditi believes it starts with education. “We need to create a united front and voice asking our companies to create more opportunities for women to lead,” she explained. “We need to set an example and ensure there are no barriers and instill confidence in other women.”

Groups like Women in Localization, which provides a place for women to learn and grow in their careers, have done wonders for women in our industry specifically. ”That was something that started so small; just a group of friends that wanted to share ideas, and it’s become this huge force all over the world,” Silvia Avery said.

Lucie Bovyn added, “It’s also the responsibility of companies to have leadership mentorship programs in place, because the learners of today become the leaders of tomorrow.”

Watch the video to see more!

Be sure to also join us at our next session of LocLife™  and continue the conversation on the LocLife™ Community.