Overcoming gender and diversity barriers in the workplace is a challenge for many industries. Therefore, listening to women and discussing the topic is the first step towards finding out how to address gender bias and possible inequalities.   

Last month, H2O.ai organized a panel in New York: Breaking gender and diversity barriers in machine learning and financial services. This panel, moderated by our CMO Ingrid Burton, gathered amazing female speakers: Yimei Guo, Global Head of Investment Research Technology at Morgan Stanley; Josie Williams, Research Assistant at NYU Medical Center; Lili Gil Valetta, CEO at CulturIntel and CIEN+; and Erin Ledell, Chief Machine Learning Scientist at H2O.ai. 

As a Latina woman, I was not only personally touched by the meaningful conversation among the panelists and curious audience, but also very proud to be working in a company that strives to bring more inclusion in the workplace. 

Find below some of the panel key takeaways: 

The diversity of opinions and thoughts among genders matters and is extremely important to a healthy and diverse workplace environment. 

Representation matters . Having a role model, someone to look up to, makes a huge difference, especially for girls in middle and high school and young women who are in the early stages of their careers. 

Having a support network and finding allies matters . According to Erin Ledell, “the most useful thing you can do as an ally is speak up if you notice something, if you notice that a woman is not included in some conversation or maybe to amplify her voice in case she is not heard”. 

Retention matters . Many women make through the initial hurdles and then they leave because of the environment they encounter, so focusing on the retention and promotion of these women is fundamental. 

Self-confidence matters . Almost everyone has the impostor syndrome, regardless of gender. Don’t focus on your weaknesses or let fear take over you – believe in your potential and avoid comparing yourself to others. 

The panelists also offered great tips on career success and mentorship. Watch the panel replay here: 

If you are interested in diving deeper into the topic and join this conversation, we have great news – this valuable discussion will continue in a new panel at our upcoming AI conference, H2O World New York, on October 22. Click here to find more information and register.