"We are bringing diversity to big OMR stages"

Only four out of 40 students in my computer science degree course were women. Then, it  dawned on me that we had to do something about it. Studies such as the one conducted by the Allbright Foundation highlight the necessity. The  proportion of women on management boards and supervisory boards in listed companies is growing, but in 2023, almost 83 per cent of board members were still men.

So, there is still plenty of room for improvement. Progress is gradually being made although in view of the current global situation, I think we are moving backwards. That prompted me to launch the 5050 initiative at OMR in 2018. The following year, our issues were presented at OMR Festival for the first time - and we eventually had our own stage. Then,  everything revolved around a fairer working world for a full day. Since then, we have held the annual Founders' Pitch to boost networking between female founders and investors.

For the past three years, the 5050 Stage has been the focal point of the OMR Festival, where we have discussed diversity and equality with an expert audience. There will not be a 5050 Stage at this year's OMR Festival, which is underway from May 6-7, 2025. We are instead thinking bigger. Keynotes, panels and interviews on diversity, equality and inclusion will be held on the festival's main stages in front of 5,000 delegates. We see OMR's role as a knowledge platform to identify, curate and actively shape trends and developments. Diversity and inclusion are no longer niche issues, but play a role in society. Thus, they are important for our entire industry and the digital economy and belong on the big stages. This is a milestone for OMR and a step in the right direction.