Guys, this one’s for you…
I ignored HBO’s Silicon Valley when it first aired thinking “Why watch a show about what I live every day?” But then my brother-in-law called asking, “Please tell me some of this is true. It is absolutely hysterical!” So I finally watched and was simultaneously horrified and entertained at our “business as usual.” The female lead, Veronica, is a VC (yay!) but the gender ratio and cringe-worthy scenes — like the all-male engineering team hiring their first female engineer — were about right.
We started Seat @ the Table two years ago as a way to drive action around having more women have more seats around more tables — at every level in tech. Because despite increased intention and awareness of how diversity increases company performance, change is slow. We quickly realized we needed more men in the conversation to accelerate change.
Which is why for Seat @ the Table’s third year, Costanoa once again partners with LinkedIn to bring men into focus. This will be a safe space to discuss how to act, without judgment or finger pointing, and share tools that can make us all better. In private, some of what we hear from men are:
“I don’t like hiring diversity candidates for diversity’s sake. I simply want the best candidates.”
“I want more diversity but don’t have the pipeline. There just aren’t enough women at the right level in my field, but I would never say that in public.”
“The #metoo movement has freaked a lot of us out. I’m scared to mentor or advocate for women.”
S@T is an engaging and empowering forum to explore what gets in the way and how to do better for both men and women. This year our panel has a 50/50 gender split and includes our trademark variety of mid-level managers still in the thick of it and C-suiters enacting change from the top. They’ll share their personal stories of what works, what doesn’t, as well as easy hacks for anybody.
We’re thrilled to announce this year’s amazing speakers:
- Ariel Cohen — CEO & Co-founder, TripActions
- Chris Louie, Sr. Director, Talent Acquisition, LinkedIn
- Keri Gohman, President America & Chief Platform Business Officer, Xero
- Nancy Douyon, User Experience Lead, Uber
- Rachel Thomas, co-founder LeanIn.org
S@T is free and open to anyone. If you’re a guy or gal please bring another guy with you to join the conversation.
You’ll leave knowing more about the role both genders play in making workplaces genuinely supportive of advocacy, advancement, and candor for all.
Audience questions for our panel can be submitted in advance on Twitter using the hashtag #HerSeat. This event always sells out, so RSVP early and know that seats are given on a first come-first serve basis.
Seat @ the Table
Wednesday, May 8, 2019
LinkedIn, 222 2nd St, San Francisco, CA 94105
5:00 p.m. doors open for meeting interesting people, drinks, & appetizers
6:00 — 7:30 p.m. speakers & panel
Register here.
You can read more about previous Seat @ the Tables here: May 2017, October 2017, May 2018.
