INTERVIEW
Barbara SESSA · SVP Product Management Mastercard

Mastercard is once again committed to JFD. What does this commitment mean to you?

We have been supporting JFD for several years, whose actions are perfectly in line with Mastercard’s commitment to encourage a greater presence of women in tech. On a personal level, this is one of my daily battles, and this commitment also meets my desire to invest in a more egalitarian society.

 

What is your assessment of gender equality at Mastercard?

Mastercard has made gender equality a pillar of its own strategy for years. The effect is very positive. In France, for example, we have now achieved parity between men and women in our Paris office, and this is just one example. Of course, we must continue to progress and Mastercard is pursuing its policy to promote full equality in all areas of expertise and at all levels. I would like to remind you of an initiative which, in my opinion, represents Mastercard’s corporate culture well: we have a zero gender pay gap policy, which ensures that there is no difference in salary between men and women in the same position at the same level.

 

Why does tech need women?

If I look at the latest figures available to me, women are still under-represented in tech today. In the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) sectors, women represent only 17% of the workforce in Europe, and 30% globally.
Why does tech need women? There are several reasons:
– Firstly, diversity is a driver of quality and innovation. By bringing in different perspectives, women will facilitate the design of quality products that are suitable for a wider audience. Research has widely demonstrated that diversity in a team helps problem solving, increases productivity and enables innovation.
– Having more women in tech will reduce social inequalities.
– Women in tech will help create a more inclusive society: closing the gap in the number of women and men in tech will have a positive impact on society as a whole, especially on the growth and development of businesses.

 

An inspirational quote that you like to repeat?

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough.” I love this quote, because it reminds me every day of the importance of daring, especially for us women: Dare more, always dare!

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