One may say that your leadership skills determine how far you can go in your career.

That’s why executive leadership and presence are two of the most wanted skills for executives in the industry. But, what would you say if there’s a way you can improve those skills and become the professional you are meant to be?

That’s what the WICxIWD2022 is all about. This upcoming March 31, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day with a new global and premier digital event. This event will be an excellent opportunity for senior-level directors, corporate leaders, allies, and entrepreneurs looking for new opportunities to elevate their professional development and mindset to accelerate their career growth.

It’s the perfect time to focus on your executive skills

This year’s edition of the WICxIWD is centered in three core actions: learn, connect, and act. They all turn around the same ideal: mastering your executive leadership and presence. In this edition, you’ll learn how to gain the skills of your executive presence through a CXO panel and keynotes. 

You’ll also have the incredible opportunity to connect and establish strategic alliances with the industry leaders thanks to the warm introductions and the Cloud Leader Roundtables. Also, there’s a unique chance to participate in a series of bootcamps to gain business insight, increase your courage, and more to expand your career and create more business opportunities.

What can you expect from the WICxIWD2022?

This event is designed to detach you from your limiting beliefs, to help you grow those skills you think you need to improve. It will help you find your personal strategy for growth to grant you access to higher leadership positions, as well as new economic opportunities and a successful business plan to achieve fulfillment and success.

Let’s take a look at what does the WICxIWD2022 have to offer:

  • Inclusion on Purpose – Cultivating the New Sustainable Workplace Culture Keynote: learn how leaders can design equitable workplaces and cultivate a culture of belonging 
  • #ExecutivePresence and #FindYourFit Bootcamps: uplevel your leadership potential to grow your influence with others and learn some of the basic requirements for a Cloud product manager.
  • Advisory Circle: Join the Cloud Leader Circle and get the chance to connect with executive coaches, Fortune 100 Brands, and community leaders to achieve your professional goals, develop your professional power, and rediscover your professional and personal potential.
  • #WICxIWD2022 Happy Hour: It has been a couple of rough years. But, hey, we made it! Join us at the Happy Hour with your favorite cocktail and foodie to celebrate all of our successes!

How to get involved with WIC?

  • Have a lot of time?

What’s Next at WIC? Stay Tuned!

Learn more about events here

Don’t forget to join the Women in Cloud Community on LinkedIn to stay tuned for the latest news and upcoming events.

Last February 25, we hosted a new and exciting Lunch and Learn session with one of the Fortune 100 companies: JPMorgan Chase. The #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn series is a space where women in tech can connect, learn, and network with fortune companies and brands. Its goal is to generate access to new jobs opportunities focused on digital transformation, teach how to navigate and do business with the company, create new connections, and get a deeper insight into innovative enterprise-ready cloud solutions.

JPMorgan Chase is committed to its talent, diversity, and equity.

JPMorgan Chase is deeply committed to diversity and inclusion. Ebele Kemery, Head of Global Technology Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, started the session with a Power Talk about the power of strategic partnering with JPMorgan Chase and how it shapes the interaction and growth of the company globally. She also emphasized the importance of DEI for the company and how “the diversity of our perspectives and backgrounds are critical to developing new ideas.”

Nowadays, JPMorgan Chase is deeply focused on developing new Data and Cybersecurity technologies to keep improving the relationship with their customers and expand to new markets. Nonetheless, for the Head of Architecture, Cloud, and Engineering, Stephen Flaherty, talent stays at the forefront of the company alongside its diversity and inclusion culture.

Power Panel: Trifecta Approach to Building Strategic Relationship with JPMorgan Chase

We also held the largest panel in the history of WIC’s Lunch and Learn series so far. The panel took place with the participation of Monika Panpaliya (Head of Global Technology Product & Agility Office)as moderator, Kanti Shrestha (Head of Enterprise Technology Communications), Lauren Goodwin (Chief Technology Officer), Thulasi Kethini (Head of Software Engineering, Data Platform, Executive Director), Sarita Bakst ( Head of Information Architecture for Firm Wide Data Management), Arup Nanda (Global Head of Architecture – Enterprise Data), Zubair Quazi (Managing Director, Core Development), and Manasa Hari (Head of Data Platform Foundational Services, Executive Director) as panelists.

They discussed their great culture of respect in JPMorgan Chase and shared in-depth how the company is looking at the improvements in the technology landscape. They also showcased how to navigate the company and all the business transformation aspects, its culture of diversity and inclusion, and its importance for JPMorgan Chase. 

Attendees got a good sense of what it’s like to work at JPMorgan Chase in the hands of its leaders and employees. On the other hand, attendees were also able to look at the hiring opportunities at JPMorgan Chase, which currently has over 4.000 jobs available in the cloud and data management field. Still, also it served as great insight for aspirants to get to know what the company is looking for as their ideal candidate for these positions.

Cloud Solution Showcase: amazing innovation by women-led companies.

We were so excited to present two women-led companies that created solutions that can be implemented in organizations such as JPMorgan Chase. 

First, we presented Geetha Ramaswamy, CEO of Traice. She created an AI-enabled early warning risk detection and monitoring of businesses like JP Morgan Chase to make key decisions such as underwriting, investing, an extension of the line of credit, among others. Her solution allows companies to detect financial risks even six months in advance.

Second, we presented Bhavya Agarwal, CEO of ZipBoard. She’s also an entrepreneur and cloud founder who created ZipBoard, a digital content review platform helping improve the content feedback process on websites, courses, videos, and documents by making it visual and easy.

Networking and job opportunities at the Roundtables

Last but not least, attendees had the chance to meet, interact, and connect with other attendees, speakers, and advisors in the networking lounge. Additionally, it was a great way to explore becoming a technology leader or a digital officer and a unique opportunity for those looking for new jobs to meet the JP Morgan Chase leaders and those willing to learn more about the company and corporate development.

Please join us in our LinkedIn community if you want to get more updates and news about our upcoming events. Also, don’t forget to visit the #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn Series website to get more information about it and look at our next session held on April 22 with Salesforce Ventures.

Don’t forget to sign up to the Get Introduced Challenge. Designed for executives, entrepreneurs, industry leaders, subject-matter experts, community leaders, and thought leaders—basically all WIC’s community! That way, you’ll get access to an advisor, leader, or mentor to help you transform your career’s trajectory.

Thanks to the WIC Solution Marketplace, your company can also grow and get new customers and business opportunities. Get your solution listed in the WIC Solution Marketplace, help your customer engage with you, access your verified listing on other marketplaces, and get leads and demo requests.

The WICxAccessPass is our signature annual membership program. It offers infinite access to an online community, warm introductions, signature events, and the opportunity to expand your network and master your executive presence and participate in creating billion-dollar access while having fun and adventure. Designed for individuals, it features the greatest value with the best benefits, alongside unique experiences offered in one pass.

 

Inflation Just hit 7.5%.

The first month of 2022 saw a historic rise in inflation. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ latest Consumer Price Index report, January saw the largest 12-month inflation increase since 1982, topping out at 7.5%.

It’s clear that we’re still feeling the downstream effects of a global pandemic and troubled supply chain. While some analysts believe inflation will soon begin its slow descent, it’s still having a massive effect on business owners, many of whom narrowly survived the pandemic.

This isn’t good news for tech startups, especially if they’re led by female tech entrepreneurs, who have already endured unique challenges over the past year. But challenges present opportunities for growth too. Let’s take a look at how tech entrepreneurs can develop inflation resistance and come out stronger than ever.

Inflation Complicates SaaS Business Decisions

One of the main business challenges during times of significant inflation is how to make ends meet and, hopefully, remain profitable. As inflation pushes the cost of materials and manufacturing up, traditional businesses need to make hard decisions about cutting expenses and altering their product prices.

Working in the SaaS solutions space, tech entrepreneurs face a similar dilemma, but the nature of their product and pricing model introduces a new layer of complexity. Here are some of the key questions that my SaaS colleagues are asking:

  • How should tech entrepreneurs account for exploding upkeep costs in their software pricing?
  • If we’re billing monthly, how can we optimally communicate price increases to our clients without losing them?
  • How can we convert monthly clients to multi-year contracts? 
  • Since our main operating expenses are employees, how can we cut costs while keeping employees fairly paid?

In some cases, tech startups don’t even have the luxury to consider these questions — inflation wiped them out before they were able to scale. After all, as inflation begins, the input costs required to run a startup soar. That means startups must be resilient enough to handle rising costs of electricity, real estate, other components of general expenditure. Here are a few steps entrepreneurs should consider to accomplish this resilience.

1. Strategically Raise Prices

Of course, as basic operating costs rise, your software prices must rise too. But in the SaaS world, raising monthly software prices can lead to plenty of customer complaints. The question tech entrepreneurs should be thinking about is: “How can we raise prices and prove that we’re too valuable to walk away from?”

The first step is communication. You should make the case to your clients that the price rise is necessary and fair. But don’t stop there. Consider treating this moment as a chance to upsell your clients with volume discounts. That way, you win more of their business, and they get the additional value they were looking for. 

2. Pay Attention to the Labor Market

Traditional business owners and entrepreneurs are in a unique position to help ease the pains of inflation on their employees. Some states require businesses to raise employee salaries alongside inflation, but even if your state doesn’t, it’s important that you treat your employees’ salaries as essential expenses — even if money is tight.

Remember, your workers are experiencing higher living costs too. Matching their salary with inflation isn’t a raise — it’s avoiding a pay cut. Entrepreneurs who don’t adjust salaries will likely incur higher costs later, as their workers leave and they need to find new hires at elevated expected salaries.

That’s why it’s essential to stay apprised of labor market conditions. Sometimes the cost of keeping your tried-and-true employees onboard is more cost-effective than scrambling to find new hires during a period of intense inflation.

3. Lock in Long-Term Contracts

While it’s great to have clients billed on a month-by-month basis, signing long-term contracts can really help tech businesses weather unexpected conditions. After all, monthly clients can be very reactive to price changes. But signing multi-year contracts, often involving a discount for the client, ensures that you can depend on their business until the term is up. 

That said, it’s important that your multi-year contracts bake in annual price increases and CPI adjustments. This controls for hard-to-predict fluctuations in the market and inflation, and it guarantees that your contract will remain as valuable this year as it was last year. 

4. Invest in Business Growth

Tech entrepreneurs understand that there are unique opportunities within every hardship they face. It isn’t enough to survive this inflationary period — set your sights on thriving so you can come out of it stronger than ever.

If you’re interested in attracting more customers and accessing an exclusive network of professionals and investors, consider joining Women in Cloud’s digital co-sell marketing program. Apply today! 

5. Take Cash Management Seriously

The past year has shown tech entrepreneurs that they must always expect the unexpected. To thrive in harsh conditions, startups must take cash management seriously, storing emergency funds to hold them over through rough patches and future-proofing their pricing and client acquisition strategies.

Tech entrepreneurs should also think carefully about the hidden effects of inflation. For instance, as you raise your prices to account for rising operating costs, it’s possible that you’ll shift into a higher tax bracket. If the government hasn’t adjusted brackets to account for inflation, then you might be paying more in taxes even though their earnings haven’t really grown.

Even though we’ve entered an unprecedented inflationary period, your business can still flourish. Understanding the nuances of inflation can help you make the right decisions to keep your employees and customers happy and help your business weather the storm.

Join the Women In Cloud community to learn more about how your tech business can get access to solutions to mitigate your challenges around the current climate.

JPMorgan Chase, one of Fortune 100 top companies, has joined forces with Women In Cloud to accelerate gender inclusion and equality in the tech industry.

On February 25th, we would love it if you joined us at the WICxFortune100 Lunch & Learn Series. It will be the perfect opportunity to connect and learn from JPMorgan Chase’s top leaders and decision-makers— and an amazing opportunity to learn how to do business with JPMorgan Chase and understand their company culture.

What to expect from #WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn Series?

  • Access to job opportunities focused on digital transformation
  • Learn how  to navigate and do business with JPMorgan Chase
  • Create new connections with key leaders of the industry
  • Learn about innovative enterprise-ready cloud solutions by women tech founders via Cloud Solution Showcase

#WICxFortune100 Lunch and Learn Series is a unique and enriching experience for women tech entrepreneurs to connect with Fortune 100 companies, learn about digital transformation opportunities, and accelerate gender equity.

Attendance for this event is entirely free— and only a quick application is required. Once approved, you will be granted access 10+ WICxFortune100 events in 2022

We look forward to seeing you there!

Learn more here: https://www.womenincloud.com/wicxfortune100-lunch-learn-series/

This annual summit left us all with an enormous sense of gratitude and fulfillment. From January 26 – 29, we truly celebrated the power of Collective Influence. And it only was possible thanks to all the support and collaboration of our sponsors, partners, speakers, volunteers, and of course, our community.

As well as past summits, we counted on Remo’s partnership to carry on the event online. It allowed people all around the world to connect, participate and share with others.

The 4th Annual Summit: Spectacular highlights

This past Summit exceeded our expectations, and we made some incredible achievements:

  • We had more than 850 attendees over the course of the four days of the event. And more than 28 countries were represented by all of you. That truly shows the power of Collective Influence as a global movement.
  • More than 200 people contributed to this experience to create economic access for women in technology. Thanks to our speakers, sponsors, advisors, recruiters, & community partners.
  • More than 280 companies were represented to make the future of tech inclusive and sustainable.
  • The WIC Digital Network grew by 132% over the last 30 days.
  • We counted on the participation of more than 155 Advisor Leaders in the Cloud Leader Circle and received more than 50 requests over 72 hours.
  • Pradyna Desh, CEO of Advocat.AI was the winner of the #CloudInnovateHEr Global Pitch Challenge. Huge congratulations to her! You can learn more about Advocat.AI by clicking here.

These incredible highlights are not more than proof that year after year, more and more people are getting involved and taking action to work together towards a world when diversity and equity are granted for all women in the tech industry.

Focusing on Leadership and Professional Development

This year’s programming was completely new and different to past editions. We also counted with the participation of an incredible group of speakers, all of them experts in their areas. 

The Summit was packed with a series of sessions, live and recorded, carefully designed to help them grow both, personally and professionally. Let’s take a look at some of them:

  • Live Power Panels: Groups of experts and leaders from the tech industry discussed and gave great insight to all attendees about remote workforce, allyship, youth in STEM, leadership, DEI, and GTM strategies such as Co-Selling. 
  • Keynotes: Experts such as Pamela Maynard, Vinita Gupta, Joyce Mullen, and Michelle Green discussed leadership and company growth. Gavriella Schuster presented the #beCOME Allies for allyship.
  • Power Talks: These incredible talks were packed with great inspiration about finding a new path on your professional life, including transitioning jobs, mastering the interview,  #RockYourPitch, and valuable insight about cloud jobs and cybersecurity.
  • Workshops and Bootcamps: #FindYourFit, as well as the #ThoughtLeadership bootcamps were incredibly valuable and inspirational. Also, #TechProfessional bootcamp provided great insight to those embarking a new professional adventure.

What our community is saying?

  • I loved the content, the speakers and the networking. Single stream meant a very simple and effective way to participate in all the sessions. The Power Talks
  • I enjoyed the calibre of speakers, the interactive and insightful chats, the linkedIn links of speakers posted during their sessions. and the avalanche of connections i have made on Linkedin and Twitter.
  • One of the better online events. you didn’t try to boil the ocean. things were broken down into manageable segments. running into Anne, one of the speakers, in the lounge shortly before she was scheduled to talk. it felt relaxed and surprisingly easy to chat with her.
  • Sessions about leadership and roundtable discussions

Events like the Annual Summit are the perfect occasion to connect with others and to network. Attendees took full advantage of the Event Hub for networking with others, as well as the Roundtables for discussing common interests. The Remo platform was also a big protagonist for networking, allowing attendees to connect, chat, and speak to each other while waiting for the next live session.

How to get involved with WIC?

  • Have a lot of time?

What’s Next at WIC? Stay Tuned!

  • JP Morgan Chase – Join us to Meet JPMC Leaders & Recruiters at the next #WICxFortune100 Lunch & Learn Session on February 25. Registration Details Coming Soon!
  • WICxIWD 2022 – Mastering Leadership to #BreakTheBias March 31
  • Learn more about events here

Did you attend the Summit? Tell us your experience! We’d love to know how was it for you. Don’t be afraid of leaving a comment, and thank you for assisting!