Over the previous decade, Infrastructure Masons (iMasons) has emerged as a unifying power within the digital infrastructure trade. The non-profit brings collectively leaders from a number of the largest information heart, cloud, and tech corporations to handle a number of the sector’s most pressing challenges, from sustainability to workforce growth. iMWomen (iMW) started as an off-the-cuff meetup of girls inside iMasons, however shortly turned a world community of girls inside the al infrastructure sphere.
Heather Dooley, iMW’s world chair, is an trade veteran and an advocate for fairness and inclusion inside the infrastructure world. iMW at present helps over 900 ladies worldwide by way of programming that spans mentorship, technical coaching, management growth, and wellness. Its their mission not solely to assist ladies within the trade but in addition to extend the variety of ladies pursuing careers in infrastructure, their visibility, and profession development.
As iMW expands into new areas and deepens its native presence, it stays targeted on offering ladies with the assist and alternatives that empower ladies within the trade and strengthen the whole digital infrastructure ecosystem.
In a current dialog with DCN, Dooley shared her imaginative and prescient for the way forward for iMW, the challenges ladies nonetheless face within the discipline, and the way the group is constructing stronger, extra sustainable communities throughout the nation.
Heather Dooley: “We imagine the inclusion of various views, training, and expertise brings probably the most revolutionary concepts into the market.” Picture: iMasons Ladies.
DCN: May you share some background on iMW’s historical past and its relationship with the broader iMasons group?
Heather Dooley: iMWomen began as a member useful resource group inside iMasons’ Inclusion Pillar. At iMW’s inception, the attain was localized to iMason member conferences, the place ladies would meet. Over 5 years in the past, we seemed on the alternative to broaden its influence by making a extra structured mannequin with programming that included training and profession assist, focusing totally on the US information heart market and digital grasp courses similar to create knowledgeable model, getting ready for public talking, and construct knowledgeable community, alongside internet hosting meetups. As curiosity in this system and membership grew, we had the momentum to construct a world community of trade professionals.
Three years in the past, we went world, with leaders Suzanne O’Toole in EMEA, Donna Bridgman representing Asia-Pacific, Mara Evans within the US East Coast, Rhea Williams within the US West Coast, and shortly to launch in Brazil. These regional leaders work with our world management workforce, with myself as world chair, Tricia Arneson as vice-chair, Amber Carmella as an iMasons sponsor, Chrissy Olson as model ambassador, and Jen Franklin because the iMasons program supervisor, to ship constant, scaled packages to assist ladies within the trade globally. We’ve unbelievable assist from trade sponsors (colocation suppliers, builders, suppliers, and so on.) the world over who present means for us to ship on our packages.
This yr, we’ve targeted on world attain and deepening our native presence, opening iMwomen chapter networks in Phoenix, Atlanta, and Denver. These chapters will ship programming spanning from allyship to technical abilities. In native markets, we are going to provide psychological well being and bodily actions targeted on constructing connections.
DCK: iMasons has been a powerful advocate for improved sustainability within the information heart trade, significantly with initiatives just like the sustainability benchmark with GRESB and the decision for environmental labels. How does this sustainability focus combine with iMW’s mission and actions?
HD: iMW’s mission is to extend consciousness, retention and development by way of mentorship and training. We combine sustainability in our training mission by providing topical discussions at our occasions to reinforce our collective understanding and encourage trade participation.
DCK: What are the most important challenges to rising the variety of ladies pursuing careers in digital infrastructure, and the way is iMW addressing these challenges?
HD: We’re the one group with a multi-year industry survey that produces trade white papers in response to the information we gather. Annually we consider these responses and decide what themes are actionable. We launch the white paper together with deal with thematic challenges and publish it to the trade. We additionally search for alternatives the place we are able to present world options to these challenges.
For instance, we’ve launched a partnership with a world-class management growth program, Ladies in Management Growth. This partnership just lately graduated 17 mid- to early-career executives with enhanced management abilities. Ladies from a number of trade corporations participated, and we are actually accepting reservations for 2 new cohorts and increasing our programming to incorporate Europe.
DCK: How do you measure success for iMW’s initiatives, and what metrics have proven probably the most promising progress lately?
HD: We principally measure when it comes to attain. We at present have over 900 ladies members and a LinkedIn following of greater than 1,700 supporters. We additionally measure the attendance at our occasions. In Cannes this previous yr, we had our largest gathering but, which was 300 ladies. We search to accomplice with different ladies’s organizations within the trade, co-hosting occasions with WiMCO and WTF. We additionally accomplice with DCDynamics and now have iMWomen conferences at most of their occasions globally; these have grown from tens to lots of of girls within the room. These conferences are a chance to reinforce connections and careers, with visitor audio system and panelists offering significant trade discussions.
DCK: Many organizations are actually specializing in the intersection of range and sustainability. How does iMW view this connection? Are there particular initiatives addressing each areas concurrently?
HD: We imagine that the inclusion of various views, training, and expertise brings probably the most revolutionary concepts into the market and that solely by working collectively throughout all demographics will the very best concepts be created. We imagine that inclusion advantages sustainability, know-how, group engagement and all of the aspects wanted for the trade’s ongoing success.
DCK: What are iMW’s strategic plans and focus areas for 2025 and past?
HD: In H2, we are going to launch the subsequent spherical of Ladies Management Growth programs and can proceed to ship on technical abilities development throughout our native and trade occasions. We’re investigating what kind of scholarship and sponsorship the trade would assist to advance ladies’s careers, and can proceed to have fun trailblazing ladies within the trade to normalize the presence of girls within the trade. To construct our attain, we are going to improve our regional and native presence, opening Brazil as the primary nation in Latin America, and opening Dallas and Los Angeles markets.
To study extra about IMWomen’s initiatives, management packages, and upcoming occasions, go to iMasons.org/IMWomen or observe IMWomen on LinkedIn.
