International Women's Day 2024: #InspireInclusion

This year’s International Women's Day theme is #InspireInclusion, a movement that emphasizes the importance of inclusion in pursuing gender equality. It urges us to take proactive steps to dismantle barriers, confront stereotypes, and establish environments where every woman is valued. "Inspire Inclusion" prompts us all to acknowledge and celebrate women's diverse viewpoints and contributions, including those belonging to marginalized groups.

Discover below how women at Tatari and TheViewPoint embrace the values of #InspireInclusion.

• The company prioritizes empowering and fostering the professional growth of our female employees. The inception of the Women in Tech (WIT) group, spearheaded by Thuy-Van Watts, Senior Data Science Manager, exemplifies this commitment. Through monthly gatherings dedicated to career advancement, educational workshops covering diverse tech subjects, and a platform for sharing experiences navigating the tech industry as women or minorities, WIT is dedicated to uplifting and supporting fellow women in tech. This month, the group held a meeting on management and mentorship. Ani Govindan (Senior Manager, Engineering), Jena Vint (Director of Data Science), and Joanna Sapienza (Media Buying Team Lead) gave a discussion on managerial roles, sharing anecdotes and challenges from their personal experiences and offering advice to those interested in pursuing a managerial path in their career.

• Throughout the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Polina Frolova, Product Manager at TheViewPoint, has been actively involved with a non-profit organization called Tabby Cat. This charitable organization produces sleeping bags and jackets for Ukrainian war defenders. In solidarity, Tatari initiated a global Walk for Kyiv, where employees collectively covered 12,500 miles to raise funds for this women-led charity group.

• Originally created to support women, the Slack channel "ladies-of-tatari" has transformed into a thriving community. Discussions span from weekend anecdotes and book recommendations to professional guidance and celebrating career milestones. Since its inception by Thuy-Van Watts, the group has grown to include 80 members and continues to extend a warm welcome to new female Tatarians.

In addition, we asked our community of women the following questions, which focused on their individual achievements and how the values of #InspireInclusion have taken shape in their lives:

1. How do you embody the values of #InspireInclusion in your work and/or personal life?

2. In your opinion, how has Tatari embodied the values of #InspireInclusion in the workplace?

3. Tell us about a project you are most proud of.

POLINA FROLOVA, Product Manager

• In both my professional and personal life, I actively champion the principles of #InspireInclusion by promoting diversity and empowering women in various ways. Professionally, I strive to foster equitable career paths and job security, understanding the pivotal role of inclusivity in driving innovation and progress. I advocate for mentorship and openly share my experiences to uplift others. On a personal level, I lead by example, engaging in career mentorship, charitable projects, and community forums that bolster civil society groups.

• Tatari and TheViewPoint cultivate a culture of safety, inclusivity, and openness by actively welcoming all perspectives. Additionally, the constant support I feel from my female colleagues creates an inclusive environment in the workplace each day.

• I am incredibly proud to be part of TheViewPoint, which has demonstrated remarkable resilience and exceptional teamwork despite the challenges faced by our Ukrainian and Israeli teams amidst severe blackouts and military aggression. On a personal level, I take pride in founding a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces and internally displaced persons. Our women-led charity group has made significant contributions by producing essential items for Ukrainian war defenders. I am deeply grateful that Tatari has provided the charity with financial and emotional support throughout this difficult time.

MANISHA PATEL, Solution Engineer II

• In my experience at Tatari, I've found abundant opportunities to foster inclusivity, which is fortunate. Despite Engineering being predominantly male-dominated, I actively seek advice and guidance from women colleagues. Among our team of five male and two female employees, I frequently turn to the only other woman team member for insights and advice. This dynamic ensures that our voices are heard by each other. I'm also extremely grateful that our team prioritizes inclusivity and actively ensures women feel recognized and valued for their contributions.

• I firmly believe that Tatari values individuals' skills and work ethics, regardless of their background or identity. The company has succeeded in recognizing and appreciating the unique differences each person brings to the table. Through Tatari's commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) meetings, we're able to celebrate and embrace the diversity within our team, fostering connections among those who share similar experiences. Moreover, Tatari’s PeopleOps consistently hosts engaging events for the entire company. They do a fantastic job ensuring everyone feels empowered to express themselves in the organization.

• I've been collaborating with our team on developing an AI bot aimed at enhancing assistant-driven features for Solutions Engineers at Tatari, with plans to extend its use to other departments. Despite being the most junior-level team member and a minority, factors that might typically hinder my contributions at other companies, I've never felt marginalized here. Tatari and the Solutions Engineering Team foster inclusivity by actively encouraging me to share my ideas, propose new projects, and offer innovative solutions, even if they're unconventional. I take pride in working on this project alongside such a supportive team and at a company that values individual voices.

MFONISO AFANGIDEH, IT Security Administrator

• In both my professional endeavors and personal interactions, I actively strive to embody the values of #InspireInclusion by fostering an environment where all individuals feel empowered, supported, and valued for their unique contributions. One way I do this is by actively encouraging women within my sphere of influence to pursue their passions and aspirations, regardless of the industry or challenges they may face.

• Tatari provides equal-opportunity employment & encourages career growth across every spectrum.

• I am very proud of my involvement in enhancing the onboarding and off-boarding process at Tatari. My team and I were able to automate many manual processes to improve the new hire experience as a whole.

SAMANTHA HOCKLER, Client Services Manager

• I strive to embody the values of #InspireInclusion by being “the rainbow in someone else's cloud,” as Maya Angelou said. In both my work and personal life, I always strive to be a source of positivity, hope, and comfort for others by fostering an environment of kindness, support, and encouragement.

• Tatari's commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident in its workplace culture and practices, making it a welcoming and inclusive place for all employees. Tatari fosters diversity and inclusion through a culture of openness and respect. I believe it's important to cultivate relationships with other women in business, uplifting and supporting each other, and Tatari gives us the platform to do so.

MARIA RODRIGUEZ, Director of People Operations

• At work, I find myself constantly seeking ways to continue elevating those within the organization, as organizational development is a passion of mine. I came into Human Resources to continue elevating those around me and bringing them along their career journeys to aspire for more. In my personal life, I tend to surround myself with inspirational women and continue learning from the diversity surrounding me each and every day. I love understanding cultural nuances and getting additional history and context around the topics people around me are most passionate about (my web browser search history totally reflects this, haha!).

• Compared to other organizations, we tend to attract and hire minority talent. We have quite a large female workforce and a large number of female leaders compared to most technology organizations. In addition, the organization has various Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) that include a Ladies of Tatari slack channel and Lunch and Learn meetings hosted by Tatari’s Women in Tech group (WIT).

• I've been a part of many projects throughout my HR tenure, and I would have to say that I'm most proud of creating a more inclusive hiring and employee experience by differentiating the selection criteria beyond just male/female choices and expanding options to include the entire LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, at Tatari, my team and I have implemented changes within our Human Resource Information System (HRIS) to incorporate pronouns. This adjustment aims to ensure that individuals feel at ease when connecting with others within the organization, enabling them to use the pronouns that best represent their identity and preferences during communication.

CALISTA CALLEGARI, Revenue Accountant

• I try to #InspireInclusion in my work and personal life by always showing kindness to everyone regardless of their background. I also think it's extremely important to be open and willing to learn about different cultures so that we can be accepting and supportive of one another. Some ways I embody the values of #InspireInclusion are by shopping from women-owned businesses, following women’s rights activists, and advocating for women’s rights.

• I think Tatari embodies the values of #InspireInclusion in the workplace by offering resources, slack channels, and groups for women employees. This allows us to feel like we have a great support system and a safe space to talk about anything. Especially at the workplace, I make sure to support other women and help them when I can. I also aspire to serve as an example of women in leadership and business as I continue to advance in my accounting career at Tatari.