Raluca Dolan, Cognizant Romania: We pride ourselves on having female colleagues in engineering management roles who lead teams of 100+ people

In a compelling discussion with Business Review, Raluca Dolan, HR Director at Cognizant Romania, delves into the evolving landscape of women in the IT and tech industry. Dolan highlights Romania’s commendable position in the EU for its substantial female workforce in technology and shares insights into Cognizant’s exemplary approach to fostering an inclusive environment that champions gender diversity.

Can you provide an overview of the current landscape of women in IT/tech, both in general and specifically within Cognizant? How has the industry evolved to become more inclusive, and what measures has Cognizant taken to encourage diversity and achieve gender balance?

Romania is a leading country when it comes to the percentage of women that are active inIT&C industry, according to European statistics. We are second place in the EU with 25.2% of women working in the technology field, which is above the European average of 18.9%, according to Eurostat.

At Cognizant Romania, we exceed this percentage as 30% of our company’s employees are women. It is a percentage achieved organically, based strictly on skills and merit. We offer equal opportunities to women and men in the recruitment process, which confirms even more the professionalism and skills of our female colleagues. We have also created a workspace where our women community feel appreciated through a series of initiatives and events specifically designed for them.

Read more about

In what ways can communication during the offboarding process help to preserve a positive employer brand and reputation?

read more

Technology was once a man’s world however this has transformed massively over recent years. Shifts in technology trends have seen the sector evolve from one focused on backend hardware (although we do see more women in these roles too) to a wider digital movement meant to transform businesses. This has enabled women to show off their unique value-add.

Another thing that I find particularly important to mention is that Romanian culture strongly encourages women, from an early age, to embrace STEM studies. Many children enroll in mathematics, physics, computer science and they are socially praised for this. It is not something that I remember noticing in Western Europe, where I used to work for a while.

At Cognizant, women shine in a diverse range of technology related roles, from software engineering and finance to architects, IT support and AI. These days, two of our female colleagues, Alina and Niculina, in our AI practice are hands-on with a series of internal tech talks – called “Gen AI Awareness”. The idea is to share their work and knowledge within the company, and we are immensely proud of it. They take an extraordinary educationalapproach and debunk myths such as AI stealing our jobs and highlight how AI will changeour lives for the better and help us navigate through change. We notice that women are more receptive to learning and find it easier to explore certain niches and technologies, adapt more easily and are more open to reskilling.

In fact, this is the spirit of Cognizant. Colleagues are proud to share their knowledge, their discoveries, inspire and offer new perspectives. Mentoring has been a strong point of the company since the beginning. We are also known for our strong team of technical experts from whom people have something to learn. Meet-ups are often organized, and women are leaders within these initiatives. In fact, they are often in the driving seat.

At Cognizant Romania, which is part of one of the world’s leading professional services companies with major clients and great exposure to diverse technologies and business industries, women can showcase their technical expertise working with a wide range of technologies, from Java, .NET, Web, Mobile, AI, Big Data, UI&UX, Product Management, Project Management, and in various industries – from Automotive, Healthcare, Banking, Beauty, Education, Sports, Big4, etc.

With the rise of AI, there’s discussion about its potential impact on women’s work and the need for ongoing reskilling. How does Cognizant approach this issue, particularly in ensuring that women employees are equipped to adapt to the changes brought about by AI technologies?

Cognizant and Oxford Economics recently surveyed 1,000 US consumers as part of a study, New Work, New World, that assessed the economic impact of generative AI (gen AI) on the US over the next 10 years. The findings show that the impact of gen AI on jobs is expected to be transformative and predict one workforce demographic might be particularly exposed to disruption: women. You can read more about the “Impact of Gen AI on Women at Work” in a story recently shared by our Jane Livesey, Head of Asia Pacific, and Japan at Cognizant.

In fact, 41% of the women surveyed believe gen AI will negatively impact employment opportunities versus 35% of men. More women also think the technology will make it more complicated to develop the new skills needed to succeed in the workplace (38% of women vs. 26% of men).

There are some ways businesses can provide women with equitable access to opportunity and economic mobility in this new gen AI era. Reskilling to help women better understand the capabilities of gen AI should be a top priority for businesses. Our survey shows a correlation between familiarity with gen AI and trust in the technology, which is why our trust compact calls for reskilling programs to be rolled out at a scale never seen before. At Cognizant, we have created a Gen AI Skills for Women program in line with our Synapse global skilling commitment, a huge initiative that is training 1M workers across the globe on new technology advancements, like AI, by 2026, so they are powered for change.

It is also vital to build workplace support that is particularly relevant to women. Something gen AI will not change is the fact that women are often the primary caregivers to family members. The workplace therefore needs to recognize and support the job flexibility this requires. Doing so will help women better establish a career trajectory into roles that enable them to work alongside gen AI. Cognizant offers a returnship program—a three-month paid program focused on upskilling after a career break. Be Gritty is another program we offerwhich trains new hires to develop a growth mindset.

On the other hand, we notice that women at Cognizant Romania are very curious and have greater optimism about this technology, and the interest in reskilling is high. The curiosity to discover new things is prevalent, it is a native quality that helps them to be flexible in the labor market, respond to challenges and on-going need for change in the technology industry.

Could you share some insights into the programs and initiatives Cognizant has implemented to support and empower women within the company? How do these initiatives contribute to fostering a more inclusive and supportive work environment for women in technology roles?

We believe diversity and inclusion behaviors really take hold when there is leadership engagement and accountability to drive policies and initiatives across the organization. As an ongoing practice, the company engages the leadership to not only implement policies but also assess its impact.

The Cognizant Propel Program is our signature women’s leadership development program for mid- and senior-level women leaders across the globe aiming to accelerate a diverse leadership pipeline and enable women leaders to thrive and succeed in a digital era.

Another important initiative is Cognizant’s Returnship Program. The decision to re-enter the workforce after an extended career break can be both exciting and challenging, and it is for that reason that the program started. We believe a pause in one’s career to pursue other important life callings helps one emerge not only stronger, but eager to go.

Additionally, we drive wellness and personal development programmes tailored to address physical and mental health of our entire female community. At Cognizant Romania we create a very pleasant and relevant environment for all our women. March is traditionally Women’s Month in the company. Not just a day to celebrate, but a whole month dedicated to women, full of lifestyle and ‘edutainment’ events that bring us closer: from well-being and leadership, career growth and personal branding, nutrition, and health, to even make-up and fashion styling courses. All are highly appreciated by our colleagues and participated by both our online and in-person colleagues in all our five cities where we have offices: Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi and Baia Mare. We always try to meet the needs and curiosities expressed by our colleagues, to help them take care of their physical and emotional health.

Female leadership in technology is a topic of growing importance. From your perspective, what are some key factors contributing to the advancement of women into leadership positions within the tech industry, and how does Cognizant foster female leadership within its organizational structure?

At Cognizant Romania, the executive leadership team is composed of 40% women. Moreover, we pride ourselves on having female colleagues in engineering management roles who lead teams of 100+ people, who are inspirational and go-to leaders for highly technical teams made up of 90% men.

To name just a few leaders, Diana, one of our Senior Engineering Manager who manages one of the most profitable accounts, in the BFS industry, is a woman, highly appreciated for the way she combines a firm approach and expertise with empathy and care for the team. Another example is Cristina (Kiki), a Senior Engineering Manager who has a genuine knack for connecting with people – she balances business needs with those of the team – and sits on the same side of the table with her colleagues to find solutions together. She has been working alongside her team for more than 10 years for a client in the Home Security Automation industry. Another colleague named Diana, recently just got recognized as a star performer. Diana leads a team delivering solutions in the healthcare industry, and she is highly appreciated for the way she interacts with team members. And the last example for the moment, but certainly not the least, is Andreea, she too, just like Diana, excels at how she leads a team to push the limits and innovate in the banking industry. What they all have in common is open communication and active listening, encouraging diverse perspectives and promoting a culture of innovation. There are more examples in our AI practice, architects or in the IT support department. We have many colleagues of whom we are very proud.

We do not stop there. At a management level, more sustained efforts are still needed to encourage and equip women not necessarily with the technical knowledge of management, but rather with leadership skills that give them courage and help them navigate an area still dominated by men. There is a need for trust and guidance on the integration side.

Women have all the qualities needed to be great leaders, but they can feel intimidated in the male-dominated top management zone. That is why at Cognizant we emphasize leadership training. We are already training a new generation of women leaders.

This signature women’s leadership development program can be accessed by all female employees of Cognizant worldwide. Our colleagues in Romania have access to the entire training catalogue, with programs carried out in partnership with big names with a worldwide reputation, such as Harvard University.

In your experience, what are some of the unique challenges and opportunities that women encounter in technology-related fields, and how can companies like Cognizant address these challenges while leveraging the diverse perspectives and talents of their female employees?

Challenges and opportunities are shared equally between women and men. Cognizant is building a space for everyone to thrive every day. I do believe in a technical team that women bring balance, a unique perspective and conduct. Women are recognized in the industry for their increased productivity, are very responsible, ambitious, eager to succeed and overcome obstacles.