Booking.com is to become lead sponsor of Manchester Digital’s Digital Her initiative, a region-wide programme aimed at supporting women in the technology sector.
The sponsorship is the latest in a range of initiatives undertaken by the company to improve gender-diversity within the tech industry and to empower more women at every stage of their career to succeed.
“Diversity and inclusion in all aspects has been core to Booking.com’s culture since the company was founded, and we strongly believe that gender diversity is key to building a workforce that fosters innovation, collaboration and creativity and ultimately sets women up for success,” said Matthias Schmid, SVP for the Booking.com Trips division. “While the industry has made some important strides in recent years, we know there’s still a long way to go, and we believe that Booking.com has an important role to play in encouraging more women to consider, discover and succeed in the technology industry across the UK as well as here, in Manchester.”
“This is why we are extremely proud to support Digital Her, an initiative which not only aims to encourage more women to pursue careers in tech, but also provides women at every stage in their careers with access to the resources and opportunities they need for success.”
Katie Gallagher, MD at Manchester Digital, added: “We are thrilled to have the continued support from Booking.com for our work in encouraging young women into the tech industry as well as providing support throughout their career. They are committed to improving the gender balance within the tech industry with their own initiatives, as well as supporting programmes with our not-for-profit organisation.”
With a mission to help end gender inequality across the technology sector in Greater Manchester, the Digital Her programme includes events at schools and colleges, Industry Insight Days, the MentorHer programme, a newly launched Digital Her podcast, as well as talks and panels around key dates such as International Women’s Day and Ada Lovelace Day.
Digital Her has brought together a community of more than 350 women who are on hand, both in-person and online to inspire the next generation of women in tech.
As a major employer in the region, Booking.com is actively working to cultivate the Manchester tech scene through a range of talent programmes. It recently partnered with Tech Returners to fund a 15-week course for individuals who were looking to return to the tech industry following a career break, and Ada College to launch its Software Engineering Apprenticeship in Manchester.
The digital travel platform, which recently gained a top five spot on the UK’s Best Workplaces in Tech list, also hosted a series of women-in-tech-themed panel discussions at Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week, and the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester last week, as part of its ongoing aim to encourage equal access and opportunity for all within the technology sector.
