International Women’s Day took place this week, and it got us thinking about what being a woman means at Molo. As a forward-thinking company with a female CEO, creating a culture where women can thrive is an ongoing mission for us.
We recently hired a female CTO (more on that in a bit), and we continue to be led by strong female figures who impact the day-to-day here for the better. But perhaps the best way to sum up our thoughts about what being a woman at Molo means should be left to those who work here, from our CEO Francesca Carlesi to Molo’s Chief Technology Office Natalia Roshchupko and Head of People Sharon Sohal.
Here is what being a woman at Molo means to them.
It’s time to start proactively recognising the value of diversity
“Throughout my life, my biggest achievement to date has been the ability to pursue my professional dreams while also being able to fulfil my personal life, starting an amazing family and bringing up my two wonderful sons.
This was only possible through a lot of hard work, but also thanks to the support of many colleagues and friends that have proactively encouraged me and supported me at different stages of my career. I have been lucky to have this kind of support, but it shouldn’t be left to chance.
“Businesses and investors have a duty to start proactively recognising the value of diversity, assessing and promoting those in the workspace based on their merits rather than gender. That will only happen when there’s more representation at board and investor levels.
“I trust that more companies will follow the example I’ve tried to lead with. I look forward to seeing how many more women will rise to the top and drive impact for society to help foster a real change of culture in working environments.”
Francesca Carlesi, Molo CEO
Seeing a change in real-time
Most importantly, Francesca’s words are backed up by actions. Just recently, Molo hired Natalia Roshchupko as our new Chief Technology Officer. Natalia is also no stranger to working in male-dominated worlds. Only 17% of employees in the tech space are women.
Natalia recognises the struggles she’s previously faced, saying, “I’ve always heard that I’m not the ‘typical engineer’ from every job I’ve been in, they’ve always said ‘you don’t look like a typical engineer’. But what does a typical engineer look like? And some people feel it’s strange having females in tech who are into fashion, as I will dress up sometimes and I don’t wear glasses.’
However, there have been positive moments too, and Natalia is thankful for having mentors and supportive managers, where she says she learned a lot. Talking about her experiences, Natalia says, “I’ve had people who have encouraged me and pushed me on to reach the next level. In that sense, I’ve been lucky. I feel that same energy here at Molo, and I was inspired to join the team by Francesca’s vision.”
Natalia Roshchupko, CTO at Molo
People caring about people
Forging a culture of inclusivity is about tangible actions, and we’re able to find great people like Natalia because there are systems in place to identify the best talent, no matter their background. Molo’s Head of People, Sharon Sohal, knows this all too well.
She drives the charge to find the right talent while understanding the need to commit to equity, a work-life balance and gender parity.
“Here at Molo, we don’t discriminate against gender, and we aim to be as flexible as possible, understanding just how important the work-life balance is for our employees. That goes for everyone, whether you’re single or have a family.”
Sharon Sohal, Head of People at Molo
The Molo way
International Women’s Day is a fantastic occasion to highlight the outstanding work strong females are doing worldwide. No one understands this more than Molo, but for us, it goes further than one day. We’re constantly striving to create a culture where women stand equally with men to achieve something special.
