PALO ALTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– VMware, Inc. (NYSE: VMW), a leading innovator in enterprise software, today announced registration is open for the sixth annual Women Transforming Technology (WT2) Conference taking place May 3-4, 2021. This will be the second year the event is held virtually and everyone is invited to participate. WT2 is designed to continue the important conversation on championing and advancing women across the technology industry. The conference theme is “Resilience” and features inspiring speakers who overcame adversity in male-dominated industries, including technology. This year’s keynote speakers include:

• Soledad O’Brien, Award-Winning Journalist, Entrepreneur and Host of the Weekly Syndicated Political Show Matter of Fact, in conversation with Editor-In-Chief at CNET Connie Guglielmo; and
• Carol Reiley, the “Mother of Robots,” Entrepreneur, Artificial Intelligence Roboticist and Investor.

“The pandemic has hit women particularly hard,” said Shanis Windland, vice president, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at VMware. “According to National Women’s Law Center (NWLC), there are nearly 2.1 million fewer women in the labor force in December than there were in February, before the pandemic.¹ This is an issue that will take years to fix. We hope this conference, which is available and free to everyone, provides a supportive community for women in tech, especially those whose jobs have been impacted.”

Attendees span executives from the technology industry, academia, and nonprofit organizations to high-school and college students. The goal is to continue to cultivate a supportive community for women, people from underrepresented communities, and allies in the technology industry.

The first day will focus on career exploration, showcasing speakers, panels, and workshops focused on exploring career opportunities in tech. Sessions on how to research, apply, interview, and negotiate new positions across all levels and areas of technology companies are included.

The second day will focus on topics including ways women can support their career aspirations, as well as those of their peers; how women can contribute to the success of others in their daily interactions and in longer-term policies and practices; and how women can influence the industry as leaders and as individual contributors. Virtual sessions will be offered in five tracks designed for attendees’ varying technical and experience levels.

In addition to VMware, sponsors for this year’s conference include: Rubrik, Toyota Research Institute, Zuora, Ingram Micro, and VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab, Stanford University.

Sponsorships are still available. Visit the website for details.

Registration is free and now open to the community. For more information about the WT2 Conference, please visit: http://www.womentransformingtechnology.com/.