Last week, 24 Flexport employees attended the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC), the world’s largest gathering of women technologists. Named for the renowned computing pioneer Admiral Grace Hopper, the Grace Hopper Celebration offers sessions, resources, networking, and development opportunities for women in computing to advance their careers.

Flexporters in attendance at this year’s Celebration included: Suzanne Ginsburg, Head of Design; Chien Chou, VP Engineering; Geoff Smalling, VP Product Management; and Annie Christiansen, Sr. Program Manager, Niharika Jain, Data Analyst– two individuals discovered at last year’s GHC. In addition, Flexport sponsored half a dozen students to attend GHC from colleges and universities across the U.S.

Tackling Big Challenges Together

Grace Hopper famously said, “A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things.” This quote holds incredible meaning and importance for everyone at Flexport. In fact, it was proudly displayed on the Flexport booth at GHC within a spirited illustration that honors Grace Hopper’s legacy and was featured across all company materials at the conference this year.

At GHC, we shared our vision to transform an antiquated industry through technology and, in the process, create global impact – not just in business, but in supporting developing economies, improving quality of life, and lifting people out of poverty. In short, Flexport is a company where you can make your code count.

Making the Next Generation More Inclusive

Part and parcel of fostering tomorrow’s logistics workforce is making Flexport a truly diverse and inclusive workplace – helping to inspire and drive further transformation industry-wide. And while there is always room for improvement, we’re on the right track.

As of Flexport’s Q2 company-wide audit, women currently comprise 43% of the organization’s workforce, compared to the 37% industry average reported in Gartner’s 2018 “Women in Supply Chain Survey.” What’s more, women account for 35% of leadership roles (Senior Directors, Vice Presidents, Senior Vice Presidents and Heads of departments), dramatically higher than Gartner’s reported 20% average of women in supply chain leadership roles.

Flexport is further investing in diversity and inclusion (D&I) by rolling out unconscious bias training for all U.S. employees, a diversity recruiting roadmap, and expanded partnerships at Grace Hopper, AfroTech and Lesbians Who Tech. We also sponsor employee-led resource groups such as BOLD (Black Organization for Leadership and Diversity at Flexport), Pride Alliance, and Freight Femmes.

Beyond sponsorships and training, Flexport has also implemented an 18-week fully-paid maternity leave and a full-pay phase-back program for new moms – not to mention 8-weeks paternity leave for dads.

Thank you to everyone who visited us at this year’s GHC. If you’d like to learn more, please read about Flexport’s commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace.