WE United sponsored walk

What was originally planned as a 5km route from the London Stadium to Greenwich became a 10km walk finishing at Canary Wharf – and it was a glorious. Co-organised by Ruth Gray, Director of Sales at Z2Data and Audrey Delga, Head of Marketing and Partnerships at OEM Secrets, the walk is part of a wider global effort by WE United to strengthen the pipeline of leadership talent across the electronics industry.

As a not-for-profit organisation, WE United works across regions to create supportive networks and professional development opportunities for both women and men, it helps those in the early stages of their careers as well as those who are already established.

Each regional chapter hosts its own annual walk to help raise sponsorship for a young or up-and-coming leader to attend the WE United Annual Summit in October.

During the walk, we caught up with Ruth once more to talk about the organisation’s progress over the last year – which has been an exciting time for the Organisation with several new Chapter launched in the EMEA regions.

Despite a reported backlash against DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives in the US, Gray noted that the UK and wider EMEA chapters have continued to see strong engagement, and whilst the organisations values align with DEI, its not tied to any particular policy or political shift. EMEA hasn't seen a negative impact. In fact, Ruth believes that its seeing even more support, particularly through the rise of ESG initiatives.

For individuals thinking about getting involved with WE United, Gray stressed that the organisation offers much more than a support network. There is mentorship, access to leadership and development programmes. But, she attests, the networks for her personally have been the most valuable aspect.

This year marked my second time taking part in the walk, and while the conversations were different, the atmosphere of being welcomed, encouraged, and supported remained the same. As with last year, the walk was primarily attended by women, but the hope is that next year will bring more men into the fold.

After all, as WE United has consistently demonstrated, shaping a future-ready, diverse industry is something that must be done together.

Watch the full interview with Ruth here: