Women’s History Month provides the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) the opportunity to honor the numerous achievements of women in our industry.  At CES, and through CTA’s work across the tech industry, we spotlight the achievements of women driving the tech industry into the future.  

On the Stage at CES  

At CES, women play a major role across our stages and events. CTA’s Innovation for All track brings together thought leaders for a series of engagement opportunities, dynamic session content, and networking opportunities to advance diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. At CES 2024, our conversations focused on topics like the critical role women play in shaping organizations, the current state of D&I in the technology industry, the funding landscape for women and diverse entrepreneurs, closing the gender equity gap, and supporting women’s entrepreneurship. 

Our Innovation for All program heard from CTA member leaders and CTA staff:

• Deena Ghazarian, Austere and current CTA Executive Board Chair, Stephanie Dismore, HP, on why it’s crucial to support women in the workplace, Women in Tech Q&A – Live at CES. 
• Sherida McMullan, GitLab and current CTA D&I Working Group Chair, 21st Century Workforce Council Co-Chair, on the current state of corporate D&I, The Future of the Chief Diversity Officer: What’s Next? 
• Sonia Wadhawan, Google, on the importance of creating pathways for women entrepreneurs, Empowering Women’s Entrepreneurship 
• Mara Lewis, ID8, and Denise Gibson, IceMobility, on the current state of funding for women and diverse entrepreneurs, A Look at the Funding Landscape for Women and Diverse Entrepreneurs 
• Melissa Matalon, CTA, moderated a panel discussing solutions to override barriers and create actionable strategies for equal gender representation, Closing the Gender Equity Gap 

In addition to Innovation for All content, women were heard all across the CES stages.  

• Tech is changing how we address women’s health needs and can improve women’s health outcomes, How Tech Can Transform Women’s Health 
• Nasdaq Chair Adena Friedman for a CES keynote conversation discussing how the financial industry is leveraging technology to solve major societal issues.
• Elevance Health president and CEO Gail Boudreaux sits down for a keynote conversation discussing the company’s use of technology to make healthcare more proactive, predictive and personalized. 
• On the CTA Stage, conversations around workforce took place during  Growing Women in STEM, presented by UL Standards & Engagement. 

CTA hosted its second annual Women in Tech Brunch, alongside partners Black Girl Ventures and CES Equality Partner The Female Quotient, to create space and build community for women leaders and to celebrate women in the tech industry. We heard from incredible leaders at The Female Quotient, Black Girl Ventures, CTA, HP and Salesforce discussing who inspires them and the importance of gender equity and representation in the tech industry.

CTA: Investing in Women’s Future Growth 

CTA recognizes that to fuel innovation, there needs to be equal access to venture funding for women- and diverse- led startups. That’s why CTA is investing $10 million in venture funds that focus on growing the number of women and underrepresented founders in the technology industry.  

On Thursday, March 21, CTA hosted a Women’s History Month event titled Women-Led Venture Funds Leading the Way at CTA’s Innovation House in Washington, DC. The event opened with a video featuring CTA women reflecting on the importance of Women’s History Month, followed by remarks from Kinsey Fabrizio, President, CTA, honoring the accomplishments of women leaders at CTA.  

CTA’s Women’s History Month event included a screening of the trailer for the documentary Show Her The Money, which follows rockstar women investors and entrepreneurs on their journey to turn ideas into reality to change the world, followed by a fireside chat between Tiffany Moore, SVP Political and Industry Affairs, CTA, and Marcia Dawood, Associate Producer on the film, to discuss the unique perspectives women bring to venture capital and entrepreneurship. Following, Megan Hauck, Sr Program Manager, Diversity Initiatives, moderated a panel of leading venture capitalists as they shared inspiring stories, and discussed the unique opportunities and challenges they face in the current investment landscape.    

Though women have made small gains in recent years and hold one-third of leadership positions, they are still highly underrepresented in the workforce. This is why investing in women is so important – creating pathways to leadership leads to greater representation, greater innovation, and a more equitable future.

Learn more about how CTA champions access to resources and opportunities for all through our diversity and inclusion initiatives.