As we gear up for further innovation, growth, and success in 2022, we continue to amplify Ribbon’s commitment to building and supporting a diverse workforce of talented professionals in all of the countries we serve around the world.

It is a privilege to be a truly global enterprise, and to contribute to the infrastructure that keeps people connected and keeps innovation alive, and an important aspect of this is to go beyond “business as usual” and understand that the people we hire live in communities that are, themselves, diverse and that when we represent women in technology, for example, we are setting the example for the girls in those communities who can become next-generation leaders.

It’s a fact: women and minority groups have traditionally been under-represented in the technology and telecom industries. Ribbon, in 2021, was no exception, with an average composition of approximately 20% women at the beginning of this year, which we aimed to drive up to 25% women by the end of this year. I am happy to report that we are currently exceeding that number and today nearly 30% of all of our new hires for 2021 have been female.

Our long-term objective is to have 30% of Ribbon management positions to be held by women by 2025, and ultimately to find the right balance given that 51% of the world’s population is female.

I am extremely confident that we can achieve these objectives and we are off to a great start, in large part due to our development of a Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Council within the company, designed to foster an inclusive culture and bring different voices to the table.

Ribbon’s DEI Council is comprised of team members from across the organization and of different backgrounds.

The DEI Council is charged with leading the company’s DEI strategy, setting a holistic framework to enhance equal opportunities for all employees, and putting forth initiatives and ideas to further diversify our workforce.

Some of the DEI’s over-arching initiatives include:

• Outlining key diversity and inclusion goals and actionable steps to achieve them
• Designing the framework to increase diversity within the company
• Setting a global framework and working with local teams to implement them in every region that Ribbon has a presence
• Continually educating our team members and raising awareness on the importance of DEI
• Increasingly partner with external organizations who promote diverse populations such as National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Women in Technology among others

I am extremely proud to be a part of Ribbon’s DEI Council and excited to implement some of the great initiatives that we have planned that will promote a more inclusive work environment and achieve our objective of being a leader in diversity and equity for all, knowing that the effort we put in today and in the years ahead will have a profound effect on how we serve our customers, including those who also see the immense value in diversity.

As an enterprise with deep local, national and international roots, with decades of contributions to the world’s communications infrastructure and collaboration applications, we are honored to be able to play a role in lasting, positive change, and aware that a more diverse workforce which reflects society is a more productive and powerful workforce.