Reinforcing its ecosystem of corporate partnerships, the Professional Women’s Network Lisbon (PWN Lisbon) recently entered into a partnership with Novabase and its group companies, Celfocus and Neotalent, under which the organizations will align their strategic vision, synergies and shared initiatives with a focus on organizational diversity.

This partnership is part of PWN Lisbon's strategic vision for corporate diversity and equal opportunities, with plans for collaborative association with business partners, private companies, public institutions and other key organizations. PWN Lisbon's partner network, which includes Portuguese and international players and now Novabase, Celfocus and Neotalent as well, has brands representing different strategic sectors of society to ensure the transversality and diversity which characterize the Portuguese business world.

The area of technology, both in Portugal and abroad, continues to be predominantly led by men, with recent statistics showing an average proportion of 70% men to 30% women. Furthermore, as in other areas, technology organizations have a wage gap between the same jobs done by men versus women. This partnership aims to challenge these paradigms in the business context, with initiatives to qualify and empower women at different times of their career.

As part of this collaboration, the three companies will participate in and benefit from PWN Lisbon's programs (Leadership, Mentoring, Youth, Women on Board and Engaging Men) and role modelling, training and networking initiatives, from the standpoint of sharing models of excellence. PWN Lisbon, in turn, will join the Group’s strategic initiatives and benefit from resources and spaces under the partnership.

Ana Torres, Chairperson of PWN Lisbon, says that “this partnership underscores one of the goals of PWN Lisbon and its partners: to promote female talent and boost its representation in the so-called STEM (Science, Technology Engineering & Mathematics) areas. To have the Novabase Group’s brands as one of its technology players is an asset in continuing to promote corporate diversity in different business sectors.”

According to Sónia Vasconcelos, Head of People & Organization at Novabase, “the partnership with PWN gives us access to a network of people, knowledge and diverse experiences which inspire and motivate us to be the best we can, and challenge those around us to find the best within themselves. This is essentially due to the example of success stories involving women. Success can take many shapes, but one can feel the delight in how the story is told. And when we hear happy stories, we know it is possible – and it becomes easier – to take the next step. This is why it is important to share more stories about women who are happy with their career options, particularly in the world of information technologies, where women are still somewhat scarce. This is important, because diversity encourages disruptive thinking, idea generation and innovative solution design, which are critical to cope with increasingly more complex global challenges, such as pandemics or the consequences of climate change.”

Catarina Azevedo, Head of People at Celfocus, says that “Celfocus is committed to unleashing everyone’s full potential. We recognize that diversity is vital in innovation and highly successful teams. As a company, we work with customers and teams throughout the world – where inclusion means uniting people of all different genders, sexual orientations, cultures, perspectives, skills, histories, profiles and points of view. We are creating an atmosphere which allows people to be authentic and fulfilled at their place of work.”

According to Marta Vicente, Head of People at Neotalent, “this partnership is intrinsically aligned with our values of capability, confidence, agility and experience. 80% of the leadership positions at Neotalent are now held by women, which is exactly why we want to keep promoting a more balanced distribution in a strategic manner throughout the entire organization. PWN Lisbon is now adding new opportunities in this regard, in a joint undertaking which will promote learning, sharing and mobilization for the topic of corporate diversity, essential towards the individual career ambitions of each of our female professionals.”