On March 8th, people around the world expressly celebrated the female role models in their lives in honor of International Women’s Day. This year’s theme, #BreakTheBias, encouraged everyone to imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination and to work collectively to create a future where differences are valued.

Realizing true change takes more than just one day, and this is particularly true when it comes to gender diversity. At HARMAN, we extended our initiatives throughout March in honor of Women’s History Month, and to meaningfully spotlight the remarkable women who make our organization strong, successful, and special. Read on for a full recap of our IWD and Women’s History Month activities…

  • International Women’s Day Spotlight Interviews: On March 8th, Jen Croneberger, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of JLynne Consulting Group, LLC and The HUMAN Leadership Institute, spoke to HARMAN employees about the different ways they can show up to be B.R.A.V.E. – or Belonging, Resilience, Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Empathy – leaders to help further along the path to gender parity.

Veronica Morales, Director of Operations and Juarez Site Leader, Mexico also sat down for a virtual fireside chat with Lorena Loya, our VP of DEI, to share her career story, professional experiences, and what brought her to HARMAN.

In support of our recent sponsorship with Girls Who Code, Debby Powers, Senior Director, Digital at HARMAN, interviewed Dr. Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code to discuss how organizations can work together to successfully close the gender gap in technology.

  • Thought-Provoking Panel Discussions: During the week of March 8th, HARMAN executives including Michelle Taigman, General Counsel; Nick Parrotta, President of Digital Transformation Solutions and Chief Digital and Information Officer; Mark Hartje, Chief Financial Officer; Ralph Santana, Chief Marketing Officer; Lori Lampman, Vice President, Corporate HR & Global Rewards; and Katrin Schneider, Senior Vice President of System Test & Validation, all participated in a panel session titled, “DEI – The Leadership Perspective.” Later that week, our HARMAN Women’s Network (HWN) Chapter Leaders and Sponsors also held a panel discussion in honor of Women’s History Month.
     
  • Educational and Training Opportunities with HARMAN University: Through our internal professional development program, employees were able to take advantage to two training opportunities focused on cultivating an alliance mindset and addressing unconscious bias. Topics covered included understanding the importance of allyship, and how to take action toward an alliance mindset as well as identifying unconscious bias in the workplace.
     
  • Pledging to #BreakTheBias on Social Media: HARMAN employees joined their colleagues around the world by striking the “Break the Bias” pose and sharing their photos and commitment to fighting for gender parity on social media.
     
  • Engaging with Local HWN Chapters: This year, with a strong focus on making our workplace and the world free of gender bias, stereotypes, and discrimination, HARMAN employees from across the world came together to celebrate International Women’s Day by organizing engaging panel discussions, awareness campaigns, fireside chats, and contests.

At HARMAN, we know that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture spurs innovative thinking and allows us to develop the advanced technologies that are making people’s lives easier, personalized, and more connected. During Women’s History Month and through the rest of the year, we’re committed to fostering a sense of belonging among our employees and creating an environment where everyone can succeed. While we’ve made great progress, we know there is still work to be done – for more information about our DE&I efforts, visit: https://jobs.harman.com/diversity