On 1 December, Women in Tech Spain celebrated a milestone event at the Residence of France in Madrid, where H.E. Kareen Rispal, Ambassador of France to Spain, officially became the marraine (godmother) of the chapter. The evening brought together leaders from business, diplomacy and the tech ecosystem to advance Women in Tech’s mission and to anchor the Osaka Protocol in the Spanish context.

The program opened with remarks by Patricia Arboleda, Managing Director of Women in Tech Spain, who highlighted the rapid growth of the chapter and its four strategic pillars: education and employability, community building, corporate alliances and inclusive cultures. Ambassador Rispal then addressed the audience, underlining her commitment to gender equality and to supporting Women in Tech Spain as *marraine*, the first time the French Embassy in Madrid has taken on such a role for a women‑in‑tech initiative.

Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech Global, set the global frame for the evening by connecting the work of Women in Tech Spain to international tech diplomacy efforts and to the Osaka Protocol, launched at the Women in Tech Global Summit. A high‑level panel moderated by Patricia Arboleda, with speakers from AENOR, Cloudera, the Harvard Belfer Center/UN AI Advisory Body and Tara for Women, explored equality as a strategic driver of innovation, better decision‑making and corporate competitiveness in key areas such as cybersecurity, AI and entrepreneurship.

The highlight of the night was the presentation of the Osaka Protocol and a symbolic signing ceremony, during which Remora Talent Advisory, Jota2Group and MIOTI became the first Spanish organizations to formalize their commitments under the framework. Joined by Ambassador Rispal and Ayumi Moore Aoki, the signatories reinforced a shared ambition to help reach the Protocol’s goal of positively impacting 100 million women and girls by 2030 through concrete programs and measurable outcomes.

Closing the evening, Women in Tech Spain invited participants to deepen their engagement through future events, international delegations and continued collaboration on Osaka Protocol commitments. With the French Embassy in Madrid as an institutional partner and the Ambassador as marraine, Women in Tech Spain stands poised to amplify its national and international impact as part of the broader Women in Tech Global movement.

The 8th Women in Tech® Global Awards gathered an international community of leaders, innovators and allies in Paris to celebrate outstanding women and role models who are shaping the future of technology. The ceremony honoured individuals and organisations whose work is transforming industries, influencing policy and building a more inclusive digital future.

Honouring excellence across ten categories
This edition of the Global Awards spotlighted ten categories reflecting the breadth of roles and pathways in technology, from emerging talent and entrepreneurship to global leadership and lifetime impact. Together, the 2025 awardees illustrate how women and allies are driving change across regions and disciplines, and how inclusive leadership is becoming a strategic imperative for the tech ecosystem.

2025 Award Recipients
The following individuals and organizations received recognition across ten award categories:

🏆 Aspiring Teen Award: Amira Alqabbaa (Middle East) and Aurora Delgado Camones (LATAM)

🏆 Most Disruptive Award: Adriana Marais (Africa)

🏆 Best Ally Award: Ivo Haase (Europe)

🏆 Most Impactful Initiative Award: MOMADE VAA LLC (APAC)

🏆 Woman in Web3 Award: Ella Cullen (Europe)

🏆 Tech Diplomacy Award: Nathalie KIENGA (Africa)

🏆 Start-Up Award: Dr. Jayantika Soni (APAC) and Makpal Orakkyzy (CCA)

🏆 Global Leadership Award: Titi Akinsanmi (North America)

🏆 Lifetime Achievement Award: Carme Artigas (Europe)

🏆 Honorary Award: Lucia Acurio

A global platform for visibility and impact
Across these ten categories, each laureate’s story demonstrates how access to education, networks, capital and leadership opportunities can unlock powerful, technology‑driven solutions for communities worldwide. By bringing their achievements to a global stage, the Women in Tech® Global Awards reinforce the organisation’s mission to empower women and girls in STEAM and to showcase role models from every region.

Beyond celebration: a call to action
The 8th Women in Tech® Global Awards are not only a celebration of individual excellence; they are also a call to action for companies, governments, investors and institutions to deepen their commitments to gender equality in technology. As Women in Tech® Global continues to expand its footprint, the 2025 awardees stand as ambassadors of what is possible when diverse leadership is recognised, supported and given the space to drive systemic change.

WOMEN IN TECH® Global is pleased to announce the formalization of a strategic partnership with France’s Foreign Trade Advisors (CCE), signed at BERCY, the French Ministry of Finance & Economy, on July 11, 2025. This agreement represents a significant advancement in the commitment of both organizations to foster women’s innovation and enhance international collaboration in the technology sector.

The partnership brings together the global reach of WOMEN IN TECH®, representing over 300,000 members across 60 countries, and the longstanding expertise of the CCE, an institution with more than 125 years of experience supporting French enterprises abroad. The collaboration is designed to create new opportunities for women entrepreneurs, promote international exchange, and further position France as a leader in women’s tech entrepreneurship.

The agreement was signed by Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of WOMEN IN TECH® Global, and Sophie Sidos, President of the CCE and the first woman to hold this position in the organization’s history. Both leaders emphasized the importance of this alliance in providing women innovators with access to international markets and resources, reinforcing a shared vision for advancing gender diversity in technology.

This partnership was made possible through the strategic guidance of Claudine Leprince, the bridge-building efforts of Anne Baer, and the ongoing leadership of Angela Naser, Director of Women in Tech® France. WOMEN IN TECH® Global and the CCE will announce further joint initiatives and programs in the coming months as part of their continued dedication to supporting women in technology and international business.

The Digital Almaty 2025 Forum, held from January 31 to February 1, solidified its position as Central Asia’s premier platform for technological innovation, attracting over 40,000 attendees and global leaders to discuss AI’s transformative role in industry and society[2][13][15]. Among its standout sessions was the panel “Gender-Biased AI: Technologies for a New Era,” organized by the Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter, which tackled systemic gender biases in artificial intelligence and charted pathways toward inclusive innovation.

Session Highlights: Unmasking AI’s Gender Challenges

Moderated by Assem Bolatzhan (Advisor to Kazakhstan’s Minister of Digital Development and Chapter Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan), the panel featured global experts, including Ayumi Moore Aoki (Founder & CEO of Women in Tech Global) and Alessandra Sala (Shutterstock’s Sr. Director of AI), who dissected critical issues:

1. Embedded Stereotypes in Language Models
– Large language models like GPT-3 perpetuate historical biases, associating women with caregiving roles (e.g., “nurse” or “teacher”) and men with leadership or technical positions.
– A 2017 Science study revealed algorithms linking “women” to “family” and “men” to “career,” reflecting skewed training data from internet texts.

2. The Voice Assistant Paradox
– Voice assistants like Siri and Alexa predominantly use female voices, reinforcing stereotypes of women as submissive helpers. A 2019 UNESCO report criticized this trend, noting how phrases like “I didn’t understand” in a female voice perpetuate harmful norms.

3. Workforce Disparities
– Only 22% of AI professionals are women (World Economic Forum, 2021), while women constitute just **35% of AI tool users**, highlighting exclusion in both development and adoption.

4. Risks of Biased Data
– University of Washington researchers found 50% of AI outputs reinforce gender stereotypes, such as linking “doctor” to men and “nurse” to women.

Pathways to Equity: Solutions in Action

Panelists emphasized actionable strategies to counter bias:
– Feminist Data Set Project: OpenAI and Google now train models on balanced datasets, reducing bias by ~40%[1].
– Policy Advocacy: Kazakhstan’s upcoming AI regulatory bill and National AI Development Strategy aim to institutionalize inclusivity[2][13].
– Education & Mentorship: The Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter, launched in 2024, is bridging gaps through skill-building programs and global networking.

Why This Matters
As Ayumi Moore Aoki noted, “Inclusive AI isn’t just ethical—it’s economically imperative.” With AI projected to add $20 trillion to the global GDP by 2030], diverse perspectives are critical to ensuring technologies serve all communities equitably.

Join the Movement
The session underscored Women in Tech Global’s mission to empower 5 million women in STEAM by 2030. From Kazakhstan’s local initiatives to global advocacy, the fight against gender-biased AI requires collective action.

Get involved
Explore mentorship opportunities, support gender-balanced AI projects, or join our upcoming Global Summit in Osaka 2025. Together, we can shape a future where technology reflects the diversity of the world it serves.

Bereke Bank has officially partnered with Women in Tech Global, marking a significant step towards empowering women in technology and innovation across Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

Partnership Highlights

The collaboration between Bereke Bank and Women in Tech Global includes:

• Sponsorship of the Kazakhstan delegation to the upcoming Women in Tech Global Summit in Osaka, Japan
• Support for women in acquiring new skills in IT technologies, finance, and digital project development
• Collaboration with the Women in Tech Kazakhstan chapter

Alina Anikina, Deputy Chairperson of the Board of JSC Bereke Bank, emphasized the bank’s commitment to education and empowerment: “Our girls are very talented and successful, with an entrepreneurial streak, they create their own startup projects and conquer markets. We support the initiatives of Women in Tech and give the Kazakhstani delegation the opportunity to join global technology leaders and show their projects, expand horizons and move towards future innovations with greater confidence”.

Empowering Women in Technology

Women in Tech Global, an international non-profit organization, aims to close the gender gap in various industries, including IT, finance, engineering, and science. The organization focuses on education, business, digital inclusion, and promoting equal opportunities.

Ayumi Moore Aoki, founder, president and CEO of Women in Tech Global, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are pleased to welcome Bereke Bank among our new partners. Our collaboration is a significant step towards fulfilling our mission to inspire more women to succeed in technology and innovation in Kazakhstan and Central Asia”.

Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter

Launched in September 2024, the Kazakhstan chapter of Women in Tech is set to make a significant impact. Asem Bolatzhan, Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan Chapter, shared their vision: “The Kazakhstan chapter is designed to help develop and educate strong professionals, independent and talented women leaders. We plan to build a strong and supportive community where Kazakhstani women will gain new knowledge and skills, will be able to exchange experiences and get opportunities for joint projects and collaborations with other participants”.

Bereke Bank’s Commitment to Innovation

Bereke Bank has demonstrated its dedication to developing new competencies and flexible product development methods. The bank operates fully under the SAFe operating model and boasts a strong team of certified experts who share their knowledge both within the company and in the broader market.

This partnership between Bereke Bank and Women in Tech Global represents a significant step towards fostering innovation and supporting women’s advancement in technology sectors in Kazakhstan and beyond. As we continue to work towards closing the gender gap in tech, collaborations like these pave the way for a more inclusive and diverse future in the world of technology and innovation.

Women in Tech® Global is pleased to announce that our Founder and CEO, Ayumi Moore Aoki, will join industry leaders from Microsoft and NTT in a strategic discussion on gender parity in STEM at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025 in Davos, Switzerland.

The session, titled “Driving Gender Parity in STEM for a Thriving Global Economy,” will examine how achieving gender equity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields is fundamental to driving sustainable economic growth and fostering global innovation.

Strategic Collaboration for Global Impact

This high-level dialogue brings together three powerhouses in the technology sector: Women in Tech® Global, with its presence in over 50 countries and community of 250,000 members; Microsoft, a global leader in software and cloud computing; and NTT, Japan’s telecommunications giant. This collaboration underscores the critical importance of public-private partnerships in advancing gender equity in technology.

Economic Imperatives of Gender Parity

The session comes at a pivotal moment when the technology sector’s influence on global economic growth continues to expand. Research consistently demonstrates that increasing women’s participation in STEM fields could significantly boost global GDP. This aligns with Women in Tech® Global’s mission to empower 5 million women and girls in STEAM by 2030, creating a substantial impact on both economic development and technological innovation.

Building on Global Partnerships

This speaking engagement builds upon Women in Tech® Global’s established partnerships with UN Women and our active participation in the World Economic Forum’s Edison Alliance. It represents another significant step in our organization’s commitment to driving systemic change through international cooperation and multi-stakeholder engagement.

Event Information

The session will take place on January 22, 2025, from 13:00 to 13:45 CET at Ice Village, Dome A, in Davos. It will address key topics including:
– Economic benefits of gender parity in STEM
– Strategic frameworks for achieving equity in technology sectors
– Role of public-private partnerships in advancing women in STEM
– Impact of gender-diverse technology teams on innovation

Looking Forward

This platform at the World Economic Forum provides an opportunity to advance the dialogue on gender equity in STEM at the highest levels of global leadership. Women in Tech® Global remains committed to ensuring that the outcomes of such high-level discussions translate into tangible benefits for women and girls in technology worldwide.

The vibrant city of Accra came alive on November 22nd, 2024, as Women in Tech® Global proudly inaugurated its Ghana chapter, marking another significant milestone in our mission to empower women and girls in STEAM across Africa. The launch event, centered around the theme “Mentoring the Next Generation of Tech Leaders,” brought together some of Ghana’s most influential voices in technology, education, and corporate leadership.

Building on a Strong Foundation

Our Ghana chapter joins our expanding African network as the ninth country chapter, further strengthening our presence on the continent. Led by the dynamic Chapter Ambassador Luvina Sandra Atsu, the Ghana team brings together an impressive array of professionals dedicated to fostering technological innovation and gender equality in STEAM fields.

Leadership That Inspires

The chapter’s advisory board features prominent figures in Ghana’s corporate and technology landscape, including:

• Mrs. Gloria Opoku Anti, Executive Director of JOSPONG Group of Companies, whose two decades of leadership experience in human resources and corporate governance will be invaluable in shaping opportunities for women in tech
• Mrs. Cynthia Amartey, Director of Human Resources at Electricity Company of Ghana, bringing her extensive experience in implementing gender development policies and empowerment initiatives
• Dr. Mrs. Enyonam Kpekpena, Chair of Women in Engineering (WFEO, FAEO, WinE-GhIE), whose leadership in global engineering organizations will help bridge crucial gaps in tech education and professional development

A Powerhouse Team

The Ghana chapter launches with a strong operational team including:

• Barbara Hodasi-Yallow as Community Manager
• Elizabeth Appiah as Marketing Manager
• Cordelia Ivy Sackey as Events Manager
• Stephen Nsor as Partnership Manager
• Sena Kwami as Social Media Manager
• Mildred Vittor as Programs Manager

Distinguished Speakers and Vision

The launch event featured keynote speaker Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann, Dean of the School of Engineering Sciences at the University of Ghana, whose groundbreaking work in establishing biomedical engineering in Africa exemplifies the innovation we aim to foster. Her address highlighted the crucial role of mentorship in developing the next generation of women tech leaders.

Looking Forward

As Women in Tech® continues to grow, now reaching 54 countries with over 250,000 members globally, the Ghana chapter represents another step toward our goal of empowering 5 million women and girls in STEAM by 2030. The chapter’s focus on mentorship, education, and professional development aligns perfectly with our core mission to create a world where women and girls thrive in STEAM, shaping the future of technology with confidence and excellence.

The launch was supported by key organizations including JOSPONG Group of Companies, Electricity Company of Ghana, and Forest Grove Hotel, demonstrating the strong corporate commitment to advancing women in technology in Ghana.

We look forward to the impressive initiatives and success stories that will emerge from our Ghana chapter as they work to transform the technology landscape and create more opportunities for women in STEAM fields.

Join us in celebrating this milestone and supporting our mission to empower women in technology across Africa and beyond. Together, we can create a more inclusive and innovative future in technology.

#WomenInTech #Ghana #WomenInSTEAM #TechLeadership #Innovation #WomenEmpowerment

On January 21st, 2024, during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Women in Tech Global will host a landmark dinner to officially launch the Women in Tech Global Council – a groundbreaking initiative that brings together some of the world’s most influential voices in technology, business, and policy.
This exclusive, invitation-only evening will mark the beginning of a powerful new chapter in our mission of Advancing Gender Equity in the Digital Age. The inaugural dinner will convene distinguished leaders and visionaries who are at the forefront of shaping our digital future.

The Women in Tech Global Council represents a carefully curated network of change-makers who leverage their positions and influence to drive meaningful transformation, foster strategic partnerships, and advance technology diplomacy on a global scale. Each member brings unique expertise and a demonstrated commitment to creating a more inclusive digital world.

By launching the Council during the World Economic Forum, we position gender equity in technology at the heart of global economic discussions. This timing reflects our commitment to ensuring that women’s perspectives and leadership are central to shaping the future of technology and innovation.

The evening will feature meaningful dialogue about the future of technology, cross-sector collaboration opportunities, and concrete actions for advancing gender equity in the digital age. It represents not just a gathering, but the beginning of a powerful movement to transform the technology sector.

This launch dinner sets the stage for a year of impactful initiatives and collaborations that will help shape a more inclusive and equitable digital future. We look forward to sharing the outcomes and announcements from this historic evening.

Women in Tech Global has taken significant steps to strengthen its presence in Uzbekistan’s technology sector, focusing on empowering women in the rapidly growing IT industry. This expansion aligns with the organization’s global mission to foster diversity and inclusion in tech.

Strategic Partnerships

Ayumi Moore Aoki, Founder and CEO of Women in Tech Global, recently visited Uzbekistan to sign Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with key stakeholders in the country’s tech ecosystem. These partnerships aim to create more opportunities for women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) fields.

Key Partners

The organization has joined forces with several esteemed institutions, including:

– Fintech Association of Uzbekistan
– IMPACTHUB
– IT Community of Uzbekistan
– ITCOMMS
– IT PARK Uzbekistan
– IT Park University
– TBC
– “Single integrator – UZINFOCOM” LLC
– Uzum

The recent signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) between Women in Tech Global and various stakeholders in Uzbekistan was made possible following Kamola Sobirova’s visit to Paris during the Women in Tech Global Summit last May. At this pivotal event, which gathered over 400 delegates from around the world, Sobirova represented Uzbekistan, engaging with leaders and innovators dedicated to advancing women’s roles in technology. Her participation underscored the commitment of Uzbekistan to fostering a supportive environment for women in the tech industry. The connections made during the summit laid the groundwork for these collaborations, enabling Women in Tech Global to partner with key local organizations.

Collaborative Framework

These MOUs establish a framework for long-term collaboration, focusing on activities that will empower women in Uzbekistan’s IT industry. By combining global expertise with local knowledge and resources, Women in Tech Global aims to create a more inclusive and diverse IT landscape in the country.

Leadership and Vision

Anna Ambrozevich, Director of Women in Tech Uzbekistan, has been instrumental in driving the organization’s mission forward. During recent events, including the Women in Tech CCA Awards held in Tashkent, she emphasized the increasing representation of women in IT and the importance of state support for women’s initiatives.

Impact and Future Outlook

The signing of these MOUs marks a significant milestone in efforts to empower women and girls in STEAM across Central Asia. Women in Tech Global is confident that these partnerships will play a crucial role in shaping an inclusive, innovative, and empowering tech-driven future in Uzbekistan.

Growing Presence

Uzbekistan has become the first country in Central Asia where Women in Tech operates, with the organization’s office in Tashkent. This expansion reflects the growing importance of the region in the global tech landscape and the organization’s commitment to supporting women in technology worldwide.

As Women in Tech Global continues to expand its reach and impact in Uzbekistan, it remains dedicated to creating a supportive environment for women in the tech industry, fostering innovation, and driving meaningful change in the Uzbek tech ecosystem.