CAIRO: Intel’s operations in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa have one of the highest numbers of women in senior management, said Aysegül Íldeniz, Regional Director for META.
“I have been extremely lucky with this [work] environment. I have had always incredibly supportive managers. They gave me bigger and better opportunities early on and the better I’ve done the bigger challenges they gave me, said Íldeniz.
“Maybe in more hierarchical classic industries this would not be possible, but in technology, because it matters what tomorrow is going to happen rather than what today is happening, your demographics don’t matter, said Íldeniz. “You can be 19 years old, you can be a woman and you can be sitting in Nigeria, and yet again you can do the same work I can do, she added.
Íldeniz said she views the technological sector as empowering women both through employment opportunities and the products it provides.
“Working in the technology industry gave me a tremendous edge and empowerment to actually not necessarily have to go through [gender discrimination] issues. Our sector is very gender-neutral, she said. Joining Intel’s marketing office in 1998, Íldeniz steadily advanced in her career becoming the marketing manager for META, then the country director of Turkey, and finally the regional director for META.
Talking about having a family and working at Intel, Íldeniz gave an example with one of Intel’s country managers in META who is a mother of three, and yet an accomplished professional.
“We do give flexibility. If women do want to have kids they can and they must and it is not a block against their getting higher in the hierarchy in any way. This requires a non-traditional thinking that focuses on results rather than on how many hours you spend at work, she said
“This is the modern workplace ethics that I think we need to embrace more in the Middle East. We should never put women in a place where they have to make choices, she added.
Íldeniz explained that technology products are a great tool of empowerment, saying it does not threaten its users’ culture and understandings. In the Arab culture, women do work, but some prefer to do so at home, she said. The internet can enable such women to offer their services and products to the rest of the world from the comfort of their homes.
In Turkey, Íldeniz also heads the Women in IT initiative which provides IT training not only to female university students and entrepreneurs, but also to housewives. “The internet can help change their daily life, she said, explaining that it helps housewives narrow the digital gap between parents and children. Technology training also enables women to stay connected and exchange information. According to Íldeniz, some of the most popular Arab websites are the ones geared towards discussion of women’s issues and motherhood.
“Technology gives this flexibility to all of us and empowers us as global citizens, said Íldeniz. “When young women come to me for advice as a role model . I always push them to understand technology better and use it in whatever sector they decide to go to. Technology gives you an edge and helps you get ahead of everybody else.
To enable women and youth to have access to technology, Intel is working on a few different initiatives in the region. To date, the Intel Teach and Intel Learn programs have trained around 270,000 teachers and 60,000 students in Egypt in IT use at school. Partnering with CARE, Intel has also distributed 500 classmate PCs in 20 schools in Beni Suef and Minya governorates. This spring, the company will also organize a nation-wide science competition to boost school children’s interest in applied science.
The increasing local awareness of the importance of technology is reflected in the Intel s revenues in Egypt. While the corporate sales slowed down in 2009, the sales of notebooks and laptops registered a remarkable jump. Overall the ICT industry in Egypt grew by 25 percent last year.
Keeping up with this growth, Intel updates the Egyptian IT market with the latest technology. In the end of January, the company unveiled the Turbo Boost Technology which enables processors to accelerate their performance when its workload increases significantly. Intel also released in Egypt its latest Intel® CoreT i7, i5 and i3 processors, Intel® 5 Series Chipsets, and Intel® Centrino® Wi-Fi and WiMAX adapters.
“The consumers need PCs in their houses, and they are as important as bread, as important as children’s shoes and children’s education. People cannot live without a PC, it’s a necessity, added Íldeniz.
