Sulzer strives to promote and maintain an inclusive, diverse and empowering working environment. This has been recognized by the Empowering Women in Industry awards in the nomination of six of Sulzer’s employees as finalists across nine of the eleven categories. The conference and awards gala, took place on September 26 in Chicago, IL, US, celebrating the excellence of female professionals in a male-dominated industry to promote gender equality. 

Women make up only 24% of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workforce in the U.S. and the number of females holding leadership roles remains proportionally low. The Empowering Women in Industry Conference and Gala counteracts these trends by recognizing high-achievers, advocates, and role models for women in STEM industries. In this way, it aims to encourage other ladies to advance in their profession and become industry leaders. 

This year’s awards ceremony celebrated the successes of 54 finalists. These come from disparate areas within the STEM sector, including product development, environmental consulting, trading and sales, legal counseling, communications and publishing. The six candidates from Sulzer covered several of these fields in categories such as Emerging Leader, Inventor, Tradeswoman, Engineer, Innovator of the Year, Industry Advocacy as well as for Leadership in Manufacturing, STEM, Reliability and Operations.

In addition, four of Sulzer’s award nominees led key panel discussions during the conference session on how to overcome limiting beliefs, the importance of gender diversity and empowering girls and women. 

“The female professionals being honored at the Empowering Women in Industry Conference and Gala are invaluable assets to the organizations they work for and STEM industries. Their stories will certainly inspire future leaders in the sector,” comments Jennifer Cardillo, marketing and communications manager at Sulzer and member of the Empowering Women in Industry steering committee. “The high number of successful applicants and panel members from Sulzer clearly attests to the commitment of all our employees and the company as a whole, in discouraging gender stereotypes and encouraging women to enter the STEM workforce and succeed.” 

Sulzer, which is also one of the key supporters and sponsors for the event, is engaged in a number of activities aimed at promoting a diverse and inclusive working environment. The company strongly believes that collaborations between people of different cultural backgrounds, nationalities, genders and ages are key aspects driving operational excellence and success. 

The company offers mentoring, internships and other training opportunities to develop and empower its employees. One of the most important initiatives designed to increase gender diversity in the workplace is the “Sulzer Scholarship for Women in Science and Engineering”, which supports female students studying for STEM degrees.