Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Advancing Women in Tech
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Advancing Women in Tech
In a recent Nomad Futurist podcast, hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence explore the challenges women face in the data center industry – particularly around attracting, retaining, and advancing female talent – with Melissa Olson, Data Center Solutions Leader at Belimo Americas. Leveraging over two decades of expertise in mechanical and control systems, Olson highlights the need for better support and clear career pathways, especially for women balancing motherhood with their careers.
Olson shares concerning accounts, such as instances where job offers were rescinded due to pregnancy, highlighting the urgent need for the industry to foster a more accommodating and supportive environment.
“Women [need to] know that there is a path for them if they want to be a mother, as well to be a mother and be in the data center space.”Mentorship and company culture were identified as critical factors in retaining women in the industry. Despite holding high positions, Olson describes many women feeling a lack of clear advancement opportunities, often due to the absence of visible mentors. She underscores the necessity for companies to beyond rhetoric and actively support women through flexible work arrangements and empathetic leadership, enabling them to balance personal and professional responsibilities.
The episode concludes with a call for cultural change and early engagement with younger generations to introduce them to the industry. Olson emphasizes the importance of moving towards a more performance-based evaluation system, where employees are judged by their output rather than physical presence, and the need to inspire future talent to pursue careers in this vital sector.
Olson calls for a paradigm shift in how the data center industry supports and advances women. She highlights the critical need for a culture that values empathy, trust, and flexibility, ensuring that women, particularly those balancing motherhood, can thrive in their careers.
Connect with Olson and stay updated on her ongoing efforts to drive positive change in the industry.
View all episodes
By Nomad Futurist
4.8
2626 ratings
In a recent Nomad Futurist podcast, hosts Nabeel Mahmood and Phillip Koblence explore the challenges women face in the data center industry – particularly around attracting, retaining, and advancing female talent – with Melissa Olson, Data Center Solutions Leader at Belimo Americas. Leveraging over two decades of expertise in mechanical and control systems, Olson highlights the need for better support and clear career pathways, especially for women balancing motherhood with their careers.
Olson shares concerning accounts, such as instances where job offers were rescinded due to pregnancy, highlighting the urgent need for the industry to foster a more accommodating and supportive environment.
“Women [need to] know that there is a path for them if they want to be a mother, as well to be a mother and be in the data center space.”Mentorship and company culture were identified as critical factors in retaining women in the industry. Despite holding high positions, Olson describes many women feeling a lack of clear advancement opportunities, often due to the absence of visible mentors. She underscores the necessity for companies to beyond rhetoric and actively support women through flexible work arrangements and empathetic leadership, enabling them to balance personal and professional responsibilities.
The episode concludes with a call for cultural change and early engagement with younger generations to introduce them to the industry. Olson emphasizes the importance of moving towards a more performance-based evaluation system, where employees are judged by their output rather than physical presence, and the need to inspire future talent to pursue careers in this vital sector.
Olson calls for a paradigm shift in how the data center industry supports and advances women. She highlights the critical need for a culture that values empathy, trust, and flexibility, ensuring that women, particularly those balancing motherhood, can thrive in their careers.
Connect with Olson and stay updated on her ongoing efforts to drive positive change in the industry.