Jane Rygaard Pedersen : Fostering Top Down Diversity
TELECOMS
Jane Rygaard Pedersen : Fostering Top Down Diversity
Jane Rygaard has served as Nokia ’ s
Head of Dedicated Wireless Networks and Edge Clouds since 2019 , prior to which she spent almost two decades in various roles at the Finnish telecom giant , from working as a systems engineer to leading global sales teams .
“ As an industry , we need to do more in terms of fostering diversity ,” she says , reflecting on the progress of gender parity and cultural diversity within the telecom sector . “ We ' re much further along than we were - especially if I look back on my own 20 + years in telecoms , there ' s definitely been a change for the better .”
Now , especially in light of the changes wrought by the COVID-19 crisis , she adds , leaders throughout the sector have an opportunity for further , much needed , progress . “ We always need to do our part within our companies , especially as remote and hybrid work expands talent pools from a 20-50 miles commuter range to the entire world ,” she says . “ There ' s definitely been a mindset change over the past few years , away from the attitude that , if you don ' t have a diverse pipeline from the education system , there ' s nothing to be done . There has to be an active approach to searching for new , more diverse talent . And I ' m definitely lucky to work in a company where top level management cares deeply about taking that more active approach .”
She stresses that “ there ' s no magic wand that ' s going to fix this issue by changing one thing ; it needs to happen at all levels ,” and adds that , for her , “ the important thing is figuring out how I as a leader ensure that there are role models within the company that can further inspire more diversity . It ' s an obligation - to build networks , to strengthen the amount of diverse talent available and to nurture it .”
In addition to remote work expanding talent pools to theoretically encompass the entire globe , she also notes that “ the biggest change over the past couple of years - aside from everyone working and meeting on a screen , of course - is that there ' s been a real demise of the old attitudes of what constitutes ' professional behaviour '. There ' s so much more acceptance of other people ' s work situation - kids in the background , dogs , taking meetings while you hide out in the laundry room because it ' s the only place in the house where someone isn ' t also busy existing . And the impulse to and expectation that people apologise for that stuff has just gone .”
“ It ' s like I said about designing new technologies . If you teach people and design technology for people in one very rigid way , it ' s not going to work for everyone , and people will be left on the outside . If we can be more accepting , more diverse thanks to this greater insight we have into other people ' s lives , then of course that ' s going to help diversity .”
56 March 2022