Empowering a sense of belonging through advocacy and leadership

Steve Malony, Chief Executive Officer, Belkin International

 IWD 2023

Every day holds an opportunity to embrace equity. This starts with Education and Awareness, which is one of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Focus Pillars. Furthermore, education is a north star of the Belkin business and something we support at every opportunity. In 2022, the percentage of women in large tech companies sat at 25%. At Belkin, our ratio of women employees is currently at 41%, up from last year, which is unique in the tech space. But there is still more work to do.

As a business leader within the technology industry, I know how workplace diversity provides the necessary combination of skills, unique points of view and talent to help a business flourish, emboldening us to be more dynamic and progressive in all areas. And as a father to a daughter, I want to ensure she has equal opportunity to pursue any field she finds most inspiring. Whether her future holds a role in STEM, or any other field she feels most called to make a difference. Not only should women have equal opportunity to pursue their desired fields, but workplaces should also intentionally create inclusive environments where women can thrive with an empowered sense of Belonging. The leadership and advocacy of our Women's Network Group (WNG) helps ensure we continue to make this happen at Belkin.

As in year’s past, WNG works to encourage our internal network of Belkin employees who wish to collaboratively offer support for professional development and inspiration. In 2021, we launched and co-created Portal Schools, an emerging network of independent high schools in Los Angeles. Located at our headquarters in California, we are proud to have a hand in developing the tech industry’s future talent pool. In fact, the continued success of this partnership could not be possible without the high percentage (nearly 60%) of Belkin mentors for Portal Students being women.

No one can do everything, but we all must do something.

Together, we can #EmbraceEquity both in the now and for the future.