Diane Schwarz on gender diversity
From #ShePowersProgress: Celebrating Women in Tech with Diane Schwarz · · HCLTech
“If you just look at female CIOs, maybe five years ago at the Fortune 500 level there were 17 of us — now it's north of 20, so call it 22 on average — which means we are making a meaningful increase in our representation at the leadership level.”
On , Diane Schwarz, Chief Information Officer at Johnson Controls International PLC, spoke about gender diversity during #ShePowersProgress: Celebrating Women in Tech with Diane Schwarz on HCLTech.
About Diane Schwarz
Diane Schwarz, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Johnson Controls, discussed her views on women in technology and leadership during a March 2023 interview for HCLTech's #ShePowersProgress series. Schwarz noted that representation of female CIOs at Fortune 500 companies has increased from 17 to approximately 22 over the past five years, describing this as a "meaningful increase." She emphasized the importance of early support for STEM programs, citing studies that she said show girls can begin to self-remove from tech fields by second grade. Schwarz also advocated for empathetic leadership, stating that "humility, listening, and vulnerability" are qualities leaders need to "unlock culture and amplify other voices." Schwarz highlighted her involvement with T200, an organization for top women in technology roles, and its initiative called Lift, which she said aims to "pull, lift and advocate other women." She also mentioned her work with the nonprofit EnPower, which provides technology training and career pathways for underserved youth, women of color, and veterans. Regarding Johnson Controls, Schwarz credited CEO George Oliver with "visibly changing the diversity of his direct reports" and said he is "driving profitability while very intentionally increasing diversity."