What are We Doing, Anyway? Big Questions (and Some Answers) for Inclusion in Tech

Keynote Address
Thursday, September 14, 2017 - 2:30 pm

The tech industry can barely take a breath without discussing diversity & inclusion. But since companies around the world started sharing their diversity metrics in 2014, many have argued that not much has changed. Is this true? What, exactly is supposed to change? What is the end goal of inclusion in tech? Are the actions currently being taken by tech companies really moving the needle? Are these even the right questions? Join Atlassian's Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Aubrey Blanche, for a talk that identifies the most important — and perhaps the most difficult — questions for inclusion advocates in tech, and on what questions the industry should be asking.

What are We Doing, Anyway? Big Questions (and Some Answers) for Inclusion in Tech

Aubrey Blanche
Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion
Atlassian

Aubrey Blanche is the Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion at Atlassian. There, she works with teams across the business to provide greater opportunities for everyone to join Atlassian and do the best work of their lives there. Her work spans the talent lifecycle from increasing access to technical education for underrepresented minorities through recruiting, retention, and advancement of all Atlassians. She relies heavily on empirical social science in her work, and has developed a new team-level paradigm for external diversity reporting. She believes that leading with empathy is the key to driving meaningful, sustainable change and creating highly effective teams.

In all areas of her work, she seeks to design effective interventions, programs, and talent practices that create equal opportunities for all Atlassians, and for the global tech industry. She is heavily involved in multiple industry groups seeking to define new standards for company transparency, reporting, and investment in diversity & inclusion. She is an advisor to SheStarts, a Sydney-based accelerator focused exclusively on supporting female founders, BeVisible, and Joonko. She is the co-founder of Sycamore, a community aiming to fix the VC funding gap for underrepresented founders.