EmpowHER brings together tech-savvy women
Women’s Month would not be complete without bringing together women who are making waves in the technology sector.
And so Enstack, Southeast Asia’s first SME Superapp hosted the EmpowHER forum at the Spaces World Plaza in BGC, Taguig City, headlining the topic, “Conversations on reengineering a female-led future for tech.”
On deck in tackling the importance of diversity and inclusion in the tech sector were Enstack co-founded and CEO, Macy Castillo with Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Berna Romulo-Puyat and Department of Information Communications Technology Undersecretary Anna Mae Lamentillo.
EmpowHER drew in start-up founders, executives, venture capitalists and government officials. Romulo-Puyat discussed the importance of technology in boosting financial inclusion, especially for women-led micro-small and medium enterprises.
“Filipinas lead and own the majority of MSMEs in the country. However, these women leaders still face several challenges in financial inclusion such as less economic participation, credit access challenges and low utilization and knowledge of financial products,” Puyat said.
“Addressing these challenges requires interventions in creating an enabling and empowering environment that allow Filipina entrepreneurs to thrive in a digital environment. Technology offers tremendous potential in bridging these gaps so we can set up more Filipinas for entrepreneurial success,” she added.
For her part, Lamentillo underscored the importance of bridging the digital gender divide, saying whenever women’s rights are discussed, focus should also be on opening the dialogue on how men can play a role in pushing the agenda.
“Diverse viewpoints lead to better technology.
This Women’s Month, we celebrate the impact of women in technology and encourage the next generation of women technologists to drive innovation,” shared Stephanie Sy, founder and CEO of Thinking Machines.
Castillo stressed that women have served as the backbone of economies, including tech, explaining that she has seen this “first-hand in our interactions with thousands of women-led SMEs.”
Lamentillo underscored the importance of bridging the digital gender divide by involving men in the dialogue.
She said that tech-empowered women have been “embracing digitization through our superapp” that provide different channels to support businesses.
“(By) fostering strong linkages among women in our ecosystem, we can unleash their inherent creativity to solve problems, fuel economic growth and drive innovation,” Castillo added.