A new charter committed to increasing the number of women in tech roles in Europe will be launched on 26 November by the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies (CEPIS). The DiversIT Charter, which has been developed by CEPIS’ Women in IT group, will be open to organisations from across Europe, including the UK. Gillian Arnold, Chair of CEPIS’ Women in IT group, explains: “The lack of women tech professionals in Europe is a very real issue at a time when we are facing a European wide skills shortage. Evidence proves that diverse teams increase potential for innovation in tech companies and that gender equality in the workforce increases GDP. However, even with all these potential benefits, women still make up only 16% of the IT workforce. Our new charter aims to help organisations embed diversity in their IT departments by committing to undertake activities which will help them progressively build support for women working in these roles.” The charter will be launched at a half day virtual conference on 26 November with speakers from European institutions, industry, non-governmental and public sector. The focus will be on the challenges and opportunities related to the gender gap in ICT professions. Speakers and panellists include: Evelyn Regner MEP, Chair of Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality, European Parliament, Cecilia Bonefeld-Dahl, Director General, DIGITALEUROPE and Marta Ochoa, Director of Youth and Senior Coordinator for Equal Opportunities, UNI Europa, and other high-profile stakeholders from the private, public and non-governmental sectors. Registration: https://cepis.org/events/diversit-charter-launch

---

About CEPIS

The Council of European Professional Informatics Societies is a not-for-profit organisation that represents over 450 000 ICT professionals in greater Europe. The mission of CEPIS is to improve and promote a high standard among informatics professionals in recognition of the impact that informatics has on employment, business and society, to grow the pool of future IT professionals, to promote digital competence for the workforce, and to advocate for a socially responsible, secure, ethical, inclusive and environmentally friendly application of IT in Europe. TIVIA is a member of CEPIS.

---

For further information, interviews or comments, please contact: CEPIS Secretariat Tel: +32 2 772 18 36 Email: info(at)cepis.org