During her tenure as chair of the Women in Tech (WiT) @ Xperi employee resource group (ERG), Kat Stermer, manager connected radio metadata, has been enrolled in the Strategic ERG Leadership Certificate program at USC. The certificate program focuses on the ways in which ERGs can drive organizational strategies. The program concludes at the Strategic ERG Leadership Summit, where participants gather to discuss research and learning on the state of ERGs and their impact on individual and organizational outcomes.
As part of the summit, contributors share successes and innovative ideas to further the positive impact of ERGs in their organizations during the Innovation Challenge. Kat entered the WiT awards program initiative which was honored with third place during the Innovation Challenge. You read that correctly — WiT received an award for nominating employees for awards!
In 2023, WiT focused on establishing international representation and now has over 200 members between 19 chapters across the globe. The group’s focus for 2024 has been elevating women through personal brand-building, recognition and networking opportunities.
WiT awards program
The WiT awards program began in Q1 2024 and recognizes female professionals whose achievements advance women in technology. WiT works with business leaders to nominate two females per quarter who have a proven track record of implementing innovative programs or projects, promoting diversity and inclusion, or enhancing the local or global tech community for industry award submissions.
“I’m proud to see how the WiT awards program has helped raise the visibility of women across our company, both internally and externally,” said Sandra Carvalho, chief marketing officer and Women in Tech executive sponsor. “This initiative is just another example of how WiT has been working to recognize the unique and valuable perspectives, talents and experiences women bring to Xperi.”
Let’s hear from some of our past award winners and nominees:
“My favorite part of the summit and the certificate program was learning from other DEI and ERG leaders how they work directly with the business units for a major impact on customers and the DEI community,” said Kat Stermer. “I was impressed to see how they implemented projects resulting in tangible benefits like new business opportunities and process improvements for companies like Sony, Bank of America and others.”
