Photographer: Carly Wollaert ©
Make-up artist: Sharmila Vooren
REAKTOR
This campaign is important because it showcases and highlights women in the types of roles that they’ve historically been excluded from. The tech industry still has a long way to go to reach gender parity — especially at senior levels — so campaigns like this are essential to create public awareness about the diversity debt, while also promoting representation of women in these positions. If we as a society rarely see women in STEM roles how can we help girls, women, and non-binary folk on their path to reaching them? There’s so much power in representation, and platforming underrepresented folk as role models in tech paves the way for more diversity in tech overall.
Kate Pashinova
Lead Designer at Reaktor
About
“For as long as I remember, I have been a creative dreamer who is into multiple things at once. I spent my childhood in an atmosphere of DIY experiments, math puzzles, fantasy books, and albums with classic art. Approaching my university years, I had to choose between information technologies or becoming an artist, I ended up trying a bit of everything until I found a way to combine parts of each realm in working as a creative in tech. Currently, I work as a Lead Product Designer helping clients and teams to design and build digital products.”
Why International Women’s Day is important for you?
“For me, it is about empowerment and witnessing together how much we can achieve as a community, but it is also a reminder about all the everyday struggles we still have to deal with throughout the rest of the year and how much work there is ahead.”
Interview with Reaktor
Equals interviewed Cassandra Shapiro, global head of DEI at Reaktor. This global software and technology consultancy company works with clients all over the world, helping to solve critical business problems. With a workforce of around 700 people globally, Reaktor has spent the past several years implementing DEI initiatives and are currently rolling out various programs aimed at increasing the diversity, equity, and inclusion in all areas of the organization. Cassandra has played a crucial part in this, and shares Reaktor’s story with us in this interview.