International Women’s Month at DICE

As a market-leading company, we feel it’s our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable and take steps towards creating a space in which women feel like they’re listened to, valued and celebrated. So, to recognise International Women’s Day, we hosted a series of events throughout March – led by our Women and Femmes Employee Community Group, and the DEI team – including panels and discussions around actionable steps that would allow us all to grow, evolve and understand how to better show up for one another.

Representation and visibility play a key role in making women and femmes feel like they belong at work – seeing people who look like you or share your background matters. To spotlight fields within our company that remain extremely male-dominated in the wider industry, we hosted a Women in Product event that offered the chance to hear from women in UX Writing, Engineering and Product Management at DICE – many of whom moved into tech slightly later in their careers. They spoke about their career journeys and how they overcame barriers in order to land jobs they love, while also offering support, mentorship and advice to others at the event. 

As a tech company, DICE works hard to encourage more women into product and engineering roles. Last year, our team went on tour speaking at panels, meeting future talent and sharing expertise. Our VP of Engineering, Pri Nagashima (who also spoke during our International Women’s Month events) attended and presented at the Women of Silicon Roundabout (WSR) event; and Chikka Moyo, one of our Product Managers, spoke at CodeFest hosted by Code First Girls. 

A recurring topic within our Women and Femmes ECG is imposter syndrome. Many of us were told from a young age that careers such as sales, law and STEM are for men, so when we succeed in these fields it can often be hard to have confidence in our abilities.

DICE’s Fan Experience Comms Manager and Chair of the Women and Femmes ECG Izzy James hosted an Imposter Syndrome Forum to discuss the topic. The event was held virtually to foster an intimate yet globally inclusive environment, and we were able to create a space in which both men and women were welcome, while being mindful of the fact that this was a space for women to relate to each other and share their experiences and words of advice. We heard personal testimonies about feelings of self-doubt and insecurity triggered by the system, and discussed the process of learning to become your own ally, developing a strong sense of self, and being intentional and strategic in your networking to combat imposter syndrome.

In line with the theme of embracing equity, our DEI VP Salma Repa hosted the IWM iteration of our regular Leaders Who Learn session, in which DICE leaders present their personal and professional DEI development. As a venue owner and a leader at DICE, Salma shared valuable insights with our global team about her career path, what equity actually means versus what equality means, and her recent DEI work to promote change in the industry. 

Director of Music Partnerships Sophie Doherty also chaired a panel discussion with three women and femme executives from across the entertainment industry. Sophie discussed how motherhood is a major pain point in relation to workplace sexism, and our guest speaker Hannah Martin from Parkas Comedy discussed the intersection of regional discrimination and female identity in the UK within the comedy scene. 

The major takeaway from our event series was the importance of levelling the playing field wherever possible. It is our responsibility as women, femmes and allies to give credit to each other, to promote each other’s skills and capabilities, and to celebrate and shout about our successes.

As a company, DICE is committed to addressing any issues of gender equality and equity, and setting both internal and external examples – this is what we believe shapes growth and change.